Airflyby: Disney’s Mickey Mouse

91 Years of Joy with Disney’s Mickey Mouse and Friends

This year, on November 18th, cartoon's every fan will be celebrating Mickey Mouse's Birthday for the 91st time. The world's most recognized cartoon character, Mickey Mouse, was an instant crush for children and adults, at first in the US, but then in the entire world. To commemorate the creation of the much-beloved mouse, we will break down the history behind its origin and development, including several interesting facts.

The History of Mickey Mouse

The beginning of the famous cartoon was set in 1927 when Walt Disney and Ub Iwerks created the less-known Oswald the Lucky Rabbit for Universal Studios. The character was an anthropomorphic rabbit with long and floppy ears and wearing short. For Universal Studios, the cartoon was a success, but simultaneously with the rise of some contractual disputes, Walt Disney and several employees started creating a new character from scratch that, eventually, will be deeply set in the history of Walt Disney Studios.

A year later, Disney and Iwerks were fully working on the idea of creating the cartoon character. Among the sketches they made were the ones of a female cow, a male frog, and a male horse. All of them saw the light in the later years, and now they are known as Clarabelle Cow, Flip the Frog, and Horace Horsecollar, respectively.

Inspired by his pet mouse, Walt Disney came up with the idea of creating a mouse character. The original Mickey Mouse’s name was Mortimer, which after his wife’s request, was changed to a more appealing name - Mickey. What comes to his image, Mickey Mouse saw various redesigns throughout the years. Although, in 1935, Fred Moore gave him the signature look: white gloves, round ears, and a pert little nose. Though, one unchangeable thing is his squeaky voice and friendly personality.

The historical beginning was marked by the Steamboat Willie cartoon as it was the first cartoon featuring the mouse character recognized and much appreciated by the public. Though it was not his debut, the short film was the start of the Mickey mania era.

Mickey Mouse Facts

Many of you might have grown up with the legendary cartoon character, and have visited the famous Disneyland or Walt Disney World. But you’ve probably missed out on several details about the world-famous rodent. To celebrate Mickey’s birthday and to commemorate his adventurous journey within numerous decades, we got some facts that may entertain you.

The cartoon about the adventures of Mickey Mouse and friends was the first one to have synchronized sound, and the first one in which the character talks. The first thing Mickey Mouse said was: “Hot dogs, Hot dogs!”
In every Disneyland and Walt Disney World are hidden an impressive number of Mickey. Fans are even dedicating blogs and books unveiling the places where secret signature heads are located.
Mickey Mouse wears white gloves, so his hands don’t blend with his body. If he didn’t wear them, you wouldn’t tell them apart.
Walt Disney himself told the public that Mickey and Minni are indeed a married couple, though they like keeping their relationship private. That’s why they don’t share a home.
Walt Disney created Mickey Mouse, and he was the one who decided on his name. Thought the original name was planned to be Mortimer, the famous mouse got his current name. The notorious Mickey Rooney has been stating that Disney was inspired by his name, but later on has been discovered that Disney’s wife, Lilien, came up with it.
Mickey Mouse gained his star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on November 18, 1978. Thus, being the first cartoon character to receive one.
It is considered that Mickey Mouse is more recognizable across the planet than Santa Claus.
Walt Disney was the voice of Mickey Mouse for many years.
The first Mickey Mouse Club was established within a year. The admission would cost a toy or a potato and a penny. The accumulated admission also was offered as a fundraiser for the Salvation Army. Later on, it was declared that the club collected $12 and three truckloads of toys and potatoes, thanks to the excited fresh members.
Though Mickey Mouse is an anthropomorphic character, he has only 4 fingers. Walt Disney stated that five fingers reminded him of a bunch of bananas.
The iconic Mickey Mouse watch was the most purchased items from his merchandise. More than 2.5 million watches were sold from 1939 toward mid-1941.

That’s it for this blog post. Hopefully, you found something new about Mickey Mouse. To celebrate this remarkable cartoon character, we suggest you spread #MickeyMouseBirthday hashtag on social media, share with your creations, whether drawings, crafts, or impressions related to the famous mouse, to bring joy to the world collectively.

Last Updated on November 14, 2019.