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Disney recently closed an exclusive deal with the Bohemian Club of America to purchase creative rights to the secret society’s mascot - a gigantic owl demon named "Moloch". The entertainment giant has been making similar purchases in recent decades to stock up on fresh intellectual property in preparation for upcoming losses. Disney, which began making children's in the early 1920s, will soon see legacy rights to characters such as Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse and Donald Duck expire. Once those creations enter the public domain, the company will invest heavily in promoting a new suite of whimsical characters - Moloch included.
Note: Moloch is an anthropomorphic owl demon whose mortal domain is the forests of the pacific coast. He is not to be confused with Mo-lech, a bull-headed demiurge who makes several appearances in the Bible. Fun history factoid! Molech was an original creation of King James VI who came up with the character in a dream in 1611 and then added it to his version of the Bible for fun.
The first example of Moloch, a life-sized sculpture of the owl demon, is located in the Bohemian Grove compound in Monte Rio California. The sculpture, which is still used in the club’s ceremonies to this day, was constructed in the late 1920s, however, the idea for the character of Moloch is believed to predate the foundation of the Bohemian Club in 1873. Despite its vintage, Moloch was not registered as intellectual property until 2000, when provocateur journalist Alex Jones snuck into the Bohemian Grove compound to film an unauthorized documentary.
The registration was seen by some of Jones’ viewers as an attempt to trivialize the dark nature of the Grove’s ritual. To make it all seem "cute and make-believe". At the very least, the move acted as a legal hurdle for Jones’ in his distribution of the film which now contains a copyright character. Jones’ documentary has since been made available on X.com for those who want a sneak peak at the latest addition to Disney’s stable!
Hollywood “insider” and comedian Seth Rogen shared his hypothesis for Disney’s move when he appeared on Burt Kreischer’s oily fat guy podcast earlier this week.
Rogen: It’s a no brainer for Disney, man. Anyone can come up with a character and call it Schlomo the Owl, or whatever. There’s something about these older IP that has a certain pedigree to it… a certain magic, you know. [chuckles]
Kreischer: Mmm.
Rogen: [chuckles] Those 1920s ass anthropomorphic animal demons are just hypnotizing, man! [chuckles] I can wake up on a Saturday, smoke a bunch of weeeed, throw on some daffy duck, and… I’m not snapping out of it until it’s dark outside and I've pissed my pj bottoms! [chuckles]
Kreisher: [screeching laughing????]
In a rare statement to the public, the Bohemian Club shed some light on their dealings, explaining that they expected some renewed curiosity into their organization.
Disney fans are overwhelmingly excited by the latest acquisition. Some are even wondering if Moloch will be as successful as the totally awesomesauce Marvel and Star Wars franchises. Fans are already taking to online forums and platforms to share their art, fanfiction and theories about the mysterious Moloch. Check out some of the highlights below!
