Mickey Mouse first appeared publicly in the short film “Steamboat Willy” on November 18, 1928, the day fans officially recognized as Mickey Mouse’s Birthday. It must be fun to celebrate your birthday when you never age! Mickey reminds us of the magic of childhood — a time when dreams had wings, and our imagination made everything possible.
To get to the beginning of the story, we have to go back to 1927 when Walt Disney first sketched a floppy-eared bunny while under contract to Universal Studios. The events that unraveled brought us Mickey Mouse.
- 1901 – Walt Disney is born. Young Walt begins life in Chicago and, during his childhood in Missouri, he practices drawing while developing a love for theater.
- 1918 – With a desire to join the army fighting in Europe, Disney drops out of school, but he is underage so he joins the Red Cross instead.
- 1928 – The first Mickey Mouse cartoon completed was Plane Crazy. Inspired by Charles Lindbergh’s heroic first solo flight across the Atlantic. The cartoon premiered in Hollywood on May 15, 1928, in the form of a test screening. It failed to obtain distribution.
- 1928 – From a rabbit named Oswald to a mouse named Mortimer, eventually, the squeaky-voiced rodent was renamed Mickey. On November 18, 1928, Mickey’s Star was born. The first animation synchronized to music and sound effects, Steamboat Willie premiered in New York.
- 1928 – Minnie Mouse shares the same birthday as Mickey since she debuted in the same cartoon – Steamboat Willie.
- 1933 – Walt Disney confirmed Minnie and Mickey Mouse are married. They keep it private and do not share a home.
- 1935 – A makeover in 1935 by animator Fred Moore gave Mickey the look we are familiar with today. The big eyes, white gloves, and the pert little nose. More lovable than ever before, he propelled himself even further into the hearts of children everywhere.
- 1935 – The first Mickey Mouse film in technicolor, “The Bad Concert,” was released.
- 1940 – One of Disney’s first films and Mickey Mouse’s very first full-length feature film, Fantasia is released.
- 1955 – The television show is one of the most popular children’s shows of all time, running for four years, then returning again in 1996.
- 1970s – In The 1970s, Mickey Released A Disco Album that went Double Platinum.
- Mickey’s companions Donald, Goofy, and Pluto joined him along the way, bringing vaudevillian comedy with them.
- 1987 – The first Mickey Mouse hot air balloon took flight.
- 1993 – Mickey’s Toontown opened at Disneyland, featuring the “Mickey’s House and Meet Mickey” attraction.
- 2004 – “Mickey’s Twice Upon a Christmas” featured the character in CGI animation for the first time.
- 2024 – The original copyright for the first iteration of Mickey Mouse ends.
- Mickey was originally going to be named Mortimer.
- Mickey Mouse is the most popular write-in name for the president in the voting booth.
- Mickey Mouse was the first cartoon character to ever speak. His first words were – “Hot Dogs!”
- The second Mickey Mouse cartoon, The Gallopin’ Gaucho, also failed. One distributor even told Walt, “They don’t know you and they don’t know your mouse.
- Mickey wears gloves so that you can see his hands (otherwise they would blend against his body, especially in the early days with cruder animation technology).
- Mickey Rooney claims he was the inspiration for Mickey Mouse’s name.
- Mickey Mouse was the first cartoon to earn a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
- Walt Disney held the original patent for technicolor. It meant only Disney could use it.
- Mickey Mouse Only Has! Walt Disney Felt That Five Fingers Resembled A “Bunch Of Bananas.”
- Walt Disney was the voice of Mickey for many years
- Mickey’s full name is Michael Theodore “Mickey” Mouse.
- The ride at Walt Disney World that has the most Hidden Mickeys is Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway at Disney’s Hollywood Studios.
Watch Steamboat Willie http://video.disney.com/watch/steamboat-willie-4ea9de5180b375f7476ada2c
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