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Chester J. LampwickChester J. Lampwick( played by Kirk Douglas ), on television's The Simpsons ( Season 7, Episode 18 ), is the creator of Itchy the Mouse and the father of cartoon violence: before he came along, all cartoon animals did was play the ukulele. However, his character and idea were stolen by Roger Meyers, Sr., who founded the Itchy and Scratchy cartoon empire, which is now owned by his son, Roger Meyers, Jr. After successfully suing to recover his rights, Lampwick, now probably around 100, lives in a solid gold house and drives a rocket car. For many years, he was a hobo. Much of Lampwick's story is a parody of The Walt Disney Company and its zealous protection of its copyrights, particularly the character of Mickey Mouse. (Mickey's early appearance in Steamboat Willie is widely considered a plagiarism of Buster Keaton's film Steamboat Bill, Jr..) Lampwick himself is a subtle pastiche of various underrecognized, former Disney contributors (two of the most obvious being Mickey Mouse creator Ub Iwerks, and Snow White animator, Grim Natwick -- though animation history buffs will likely note other references).
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