History of Mickey Mouse

It is impossible to think about Walt Disney, his movies, theme parks, characters or anything else without thinking of the most famous mouse of all. It feels weird to think of a world without Mickey Mouse, but, before 1928, Mickey Mouse was not even an idea, let alone a ubiquitous piece of pop culture.

The Walt Disney Family Museum has a pretty great summary of the events that led to the creation of the famous mouse. Most people, especially fans of Disney,can tell you about the way Mickey debuted as the starring character in Steamboat Willy. The mouse’s creation began well before that, though.

Before Mickey, Walt Disney’s ticket to real fame was Oswald the Lucky Rabbit. Oswald was the original star of Disney’s completely animated cartoon features. A few bad backdoor deals from a competing animation studio left Disney without legal rights to his star character.

Disney came up with the concept for Mickey on a cross-country train ride immediately following the theft of Oswald. Disney’s animation studios made two animated features, both panned by executives who refused to distribute them.

The debate over the mouse’s birthday raged for years, with the date of Steamboat Willy’s original screening becoming the official birthday of Mickey and Minnie Mouse.

Donald Duck is a little younger, having first appeared in 1934. Goofy debuted in 1932.