Keep pulling the thread on The Walt Disney Company.
The Walt Disney Company invented the concept of the "flywheel" business model.
The contract that effectively put The Walt Disney Company in business was signed on October 16, 1923, between Walt Disney and Margaret Winkler for the "Alice Comedies" series.
Walt and Roy Disney founded the Disney Brothers Cartoon Studio in October 1923 as a partnership where Roy managed business and finance, and Walt managed creative.
Charles Mintz poached nearly all of the Walt Disney Studio's animators, except for Ub Iwerks and a few others, after a contract dispute over Oswald the Lucky Rabbit.
The Walt Disney Studio did not own the intellectual property for Oswald the Lucky Rabbit; the rights were held by Universal.
In 2006, Disney CEO Bob Iger reacquired the rights to Oswald the Lucky Rabbit from NBC Universal in a trade for sportscaster Al Michaels.
The key technological innovation that enabled the success of Mickey Mouse cartoons was synchronized sound, where on-screen actions were perfectly timed with audio.
In 1930, Pat Powers convinced Ub Iwerks to leave the Walt Disney Studio to set up his own studio.
The Mickey Mouse Club grew to 800 chapters across the United States with over 1 million total members, exceeding the combined membership of the Boy and Girl Scouts of America at the time.
In 1933, Disney entered an exclusive merchandise licensing deal with Kay Kamen, splitting revenues 50/50 after the first $100,000 in royalties.
Within two years of Kay Kamen's involvement, Disney's licensed merchandise generated $70 million in annual gross retail sales from over 40 partners.
By 1934, royalty income from Disney merchandise had exceeded the company's revenue from film rentals.