Mickey Mouse is Walt Disney’s most famous character. Mickey Mouse was born in Walt Disney’s imagination early in 1928 on a train ride from New York to Los Angeles.
Walt was returning with his wife Lillian Bounds Disney from a business meeting. Disney thought of the name Mortimer Mouse. When he told his wife the name she disliked it, instead she preferred Mickey Mouse.
Mickey was created as a replacement for Oswald the Lucky Rabbit. Since his debut, Mickey Mouse has become an international personality. The Walt Disney Company celebrates his birth as November 18, 1928, upon the release of ‘Steamboat Willie’.
Mickey Mouse was a cheerful rodent in white gloves and red shorts with his girlfriend Minnie Mouse. They debuted in the cartoon short ‘Plane Crazy’, first released on May 15, 1928. Mickey, as portrayed in ‘Plane Crazy’, was mischievous, amorous, and has often been described as a rogue. Mickey starred in dozens of Disney shorts and the 1940 animated feature ‘Fantasia’, becoming one of the world’s best-known cartoon character. Mickey Mouse remains a popular and well-appreciated character who served a valuable purpose by bringing generations of children and adults through the difficult times of the Depression – the War Years. He is the symbol of joy and laughter throughout the world.
The original voice of Mickey Mouse was Walt Disney. Mickey Mouse’s debut movie was ‘Steamboat Willie’. It was the first movie with sound. The movie was shown on November 18, 1928, at Colony Theatre, in New York. The second Mickey Mouse movie was ‘Gallopin Gaucho’. The first Mickey Mouse comic was drawn by Ub Iwerks and published in 1930. The artistic success of the animators was honored in 1932 when an Oscar was presented to Walt Disney for the creation of Mickey Mouse. Mickey Mouse’s popularity spawned a Mickey Mouse Club in 1929, at Fox Dome Theater in Ocean Park, CA. There everyone met every Saturday for an afternoon of cartoons and games in local theaters. The first colored Mickey Mouse cartoon was “The Band Concert” in 1935. The League of Nations awarded Walt Disney a medal for the creation of Mickey Mouse in 1935.
Mickey Mouse moved to Disneyland in 1955 to become a chief host of the theme park, welcoming millions of visitors annually, shaking hands, posing for pictures, and leading the big parades on national holidays. In 1971, he opened the Walt Disney World Resort. In 1983 saw the opening of Tokyo Disneyland. In 1992, Mickey wore a beret for the opening of Disneyland Paris. His other activities include public appearance tours around the world for The Walt Disney Company. One of the finest tributes to Mickey Mouse was given by Walt Disney himself when, on his first television show as he surveyed Disneyland, Walt said, “I hope we never lose sight of one fact that this was all started by a Mouse.”