It’s not a topic that comes up every day, but avid Disney fans tend to know that Goofy’s original name was Dippy Dawg. But how many non-obsessive people know that Pluto, Mickey’s faithful pet, was originally called Rover? (We pass on the quasi-philosophical question of why the former dog is humanoid and the latter not, in dignified silence.) Coming into the public domain this New Year is Rover, who, unlike Pluto, is one of a cast of currently released characters that includes Blondie, Dagwood, and Betty Boop. When she made her debut in the Fleischer Studios film, dizzying cuisine Born in 1930, she herself has a somewhat dog-like appearance. you can see them all video above Information from Duke University’s Center for Public Domain Research. More information is available at: A blog post to commemorate this year’s Public Domain Day.
The center’s Jennifer Jenkins and James Boyle write that 1930 was the year that “detectives, jazz, lurkers, and iconic characters burst onto the cultural stage, many of whom had been trapped behind copyright for nearly a century.”
Novels available this year include William Faulkner’s novels When you’re dying, Dashiell Hammett’s maltese falconAgatha Christie’s murder in the parsonage;Includes Lewis Milestone’s Best Picture winner All was quiet on the Western Front, Victor Heermann’s Marx Brothers paintings animal crackersLuis Buñuel and Salvador Dali large doll. Music includes such works as “I Got Rhythm” and “Embracable You” by the Gershwin Brothers, as well as recordings such as: “No one knows the trouble I saw.” Written by Marian Anderson “Sweet Georgia Brown” Works by Ben Barney and his Hotel Roosevelt Orchestra have also finally been released.
A look back at these works themselves suggests the importance of the public domain. With the title, cake and aleanother book of the year, Somerset Maugham refers to “classic public domain works, in this case the works of Shakespeare.” twelfth night”; Furthermore, the line “When I was about to die” odyssey. “To tell new stories, we draw from old ones,” Jenkins and Boyle write. “One work of art inspires another; that’s how the public domain fosters creativity.” Today, we have clear inspiration for our own work at our disposal. Nancy Drew“Just a gigolo” blondieMondrian’s Red, blue and yellow compositionHitchcock’s murder!and many more. And by all means, use Rover. However, if you also want to introduce Dippy Dawg, you will have to wait until 2028.
Related content:
Things that will be in the public domain in 2025: Hemingway’s A Farewell to Arms, Faulkner’s The Sound and the Fury, early Hitchcock films, Tintin and Popeye cartoons, etc.
The Harlem jazz singer who inspired Betty Boop: Introducing the original Boop Oop-A-Doop, “Baby Esther”
Cartoonist draws famous cartoon characters while blindfolded (1947)
Watch restored versions of Fleischer’s classic cartoons featuring Betty Boop, Coco the Clown and more on YouTube
Vintage Audio: Reading by William Faulkner when dying
16 Free Hitchcock Movies Online
Based in Seoul, Colin Mbemust write and broadcastIt’s about cities, languages and cultures. His projects include the Substack newsletter books about cities and a book Stateless City: A Stroll Through Los Angeles in the 21st Century. Follow him on the social network formerly known as Twitter. @Colinbemust.
Source: Open Culture – www.openculture.com
