"A new year means a new parade of classic characters and works entering the public domain. Under U.S. law, the copyright on thousands of creations from 1930 including films, books, musical compositions and more will expire at the stroke of midnight on Jan. 1, 2026, meaning they will be free to use, share and adapt after nearly a century. "I think this is my favorite crop of works yet, which is saying a lot,""
"This year's treasure trove features famous faces like the original Betty Boop whose iconic hoop earrings originally took the form of floppy dog ears and the initial version of Disney's Pluto, who first went by the name Rover. "That's not only exciting in itself, but it's really an opportunity to look back at the history of these two incredible animation studios, Fleischer and Disney, and how their styles are imprinted in the DNA of today's cartoons," Jenkins says."
On Jan. 1, 2026, U.S. copyright protections for thousands of works published in 1930 will expire, releasing films, books, musical compositions and other creations into the public domain. Entrants include early animation iterations such as the original Betty Boop and the initial Disney Pluto (Rover), major literary works including William Faulkner’s As I Lay Dying and the full version of Dashiell Hammett’s The Maltese Falcon, Watty Piper’s The Little Engine That Could, the first four Nancy Drew books and Agatha Christie’s The Murder at the Vicarage. Film titles span genres and include All Quiet on the Western Front, Animal Crackers, Cimarron, Morocco and The Blue Angel, and feature early appearances by figures such as Bing Crosby, Greta Garbo and John Wayne.
Read at www.npr.org
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