The Hash Shop: Oswald the Lucky Rabbit (Lantz, 1930)

This rare black-and-white archival footage presents "The Hash Shop," a classic silent Oswald the Lucky Rabbit cartoon from April 14, 1930, produced and directed by Walter Lantz for Universal Studios—nearly a century ago—offering a nostalgic laugh for early animation fans. The silent film follows Oswald, the mischievous black rabbit with expressive ears, as he operates a diner called the Hash Shop, serving a hungry hippo customer who jokingly says he’s so hungry he could eat a horse. Taking the remark literally, Oswald serves a horse on a platter, leading to slapstick chaos: the hippo eats it, grows comically obese, and waddles away, while Peg-Leg Pete and his son enter, demanding food. Oswald tricks Pete by serving him a baby’s bottle of milk, but Pete retaliates by tossing Oswald into a pot, boiling him until he emerges as a cooked rabbit, only to escape and serve Pete a live lobster that pinches him, ending the short with Pete comically fleeing. Directed by Lantz, with animation by Lantz and Bill Nolan, and noted for its good synchronization and sound (despite being silent), this short—rated 5.1 on IMDb for its charm but uneven pacing—marks Lantz’s 31st Oswald cartoon, capturing the rough, energetic style of late 1920s–early 1930s animation. A lively window into the golden age of silent cartoons, this preserved gem grips cartoon enthusiasts, animation historians, and nostalgic viewers, offering a timeless peek at a diner disaster frozen in time.