Mickey Mouse

HISTORY

Mickey Mouse was originally called Mortimer. Luckily, Walt's wife, Lillian Disney, stepped in and convinced him that Mickey would be a more marketable name.

Mickey Mouse actually started off as a rabbit. Walt Disney and Ub Iwerks created Oswald the Lucky Rabbit, but after a disagreement over rights with Universal Studios, the film distributor, Disney refused a pay cut and created Mickey Mouse.

Mickey's first appearance was in a cartoon short Plane Crazy on May 15, 1928. Plane Crazy was a silent cartoon which was given a test screening on that day. It was not well received and failed to find a distributor.

Mickey became an instant hit on November 18, 1928 with the release of Steamboat Willie, the first ever cartoon with synchronized sound. Directed by Walt Disney and Ub Iwerks, it featured the third appearances of Mickey Mouse and Minnie Mouse. November 18th is considered by the Disney corporation to be Mickey's birthday.

Mickey's first appearance in Steamboat Willie (1928). By Source.Copyright MCMXXIX (1929) DISNEY., 

The first words Mickey ever spoke in a cartoon were "hot dogs" in The Karnival Kid in 1929.

On January 13, 1930, the first Mickey Mouse comic strip appeared in newspapers around the country.

Mickey and Horace Horsecollar from the Mickey Mouse daily strip;  December 1932. Wikipedia Commons

The first recorded use of ‘Mickey Mouse’ to describe something lacking in value was in 1931.

The first piece of Mickey Mouse merchandise was a tablet of paper that featured the mouse, designed for children.

One of the earliest Mickey goods to go on sale was the Mickey Mouse wristwatch. Introduced on August 3, 1933, the watch originally retailed at $3.75 and sold at a rate of 2 million annually.

A 1933 Ingersoll Mickey Mouse wrist watch

In 1933, Mickey Mouse received 800,000 fan letters.

The Band Concert, released in 1935, was Mickey's first appearance in color. For this short film, he was given a new look.

Mickey in the Band Concert. Wikipedia Commons

Walt Disney wasn't satisfied with the first few actors chosen to provide a voice for Mickey Mouse, so he did it, and continued to do so through to after the Second World War.

In 1955, Mickey made his TV debut in The Mickey Mouse Club television show.

In 1978, on his 50th anniversary, Mickey Mouse became the first cartoon to receive a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame for his role in animated films.

By freshwater2006 - Wikipedia Commons

Mickey Mouse enters the public domain and loses copyright protection on January 1, 2024.

FUN FACTS

The woman who voiced Minnie Mouse, Russi Taylor, married the man who voiced Mickey, Wayne Allwine, in 1991.

In 1998, Mickey Mouse went on strike at Disneyland Paris over a pay dispute.

Mickey Mouse is fancifully estimated to be standing at two feet and three inches (69 cm) and weighing 23 pounds.

Mickey Mouse has a sister named Amelia Fieldmouse.

Mickey Mouse’s ears are always perfect circles.

In France, Mickey Mouse is known as Michel Souris. He is Topolino in Italy, Mikki Mausu in Japan, and Mikki Hirri in Finland.

Sources Cnbc.com, Latintimes.com, Daily Express