Walt Disney abandoned Oswald the Lucky Rabbit and turned him into Mickey Mouse in 1928

You can say Oswald the Lucky Rabbit was the prototype for Mickey Mouse.

He was featured in the cartoon Hungry Hobos which was released for general screening on 14th May 1928, one day before Mickey Mouse's feature debut, Plane Crazy, had its first preview screening.

Walt Disney made 26 films with Oswald as the central character before deciding to turn it into a rodent.

Oswald's facial features and behaviour are clearly those of Mickey Mouse.