Mickey Mouse turns 90: some secrets of Disney's most famous mouse

The universal Disney icon, Mickey Mouse, first appeared on November 18, 1928 in 'Willy and the Steamboat' (Steamboat Willie).

In these 90 years this nice mouse has become not only the pioneer of the Disney factory, but also in the icon of millions of children. As a birthday gift, we tell you all its secrets.

Amazing! Mickey Mouse turns 90 and is still as young. It is true that in these years it has become more round and has become a little more famous (archifamoso) and that has been wearing the same clothes all this time.

It is to see the silhouette of two big black mouse ears and we immediately think of Mickey and, therefore, Disney. Despite the years, it continues to conquer millions of children, generation after generation. But how did the drawing come about? And the character? Did you know that he was born with another name?

Born of a rabbit

How do you read it! In 1927, Walt Disney created a character called 'Oswald, the Lucky Rabbit' for Universal Picture, a studio he worked for. With its round white face, a large button nose and black and flaccid ears, it was an instant hit with its animated series. A year later, Disney tried to renegotiate the contract for his Disney Bros company, but Universal responded by keeping Oswald's copyright.

So Disney and one of the animators who remained by his side, Ub Iwerks, worked on the rabbit until he was turned into a mouse. In fact, it is discussed whether the first idea of ​​the animated mouse (which was basically the same as Oswald, but with round ears instead of long ones) was from Disney (who was afraid of mice) or Iwerks.

His original name was very different

Some sources indicate that the famous mouse was going to be called Mortimer at first, but that Lillian Disney did not like the name and baptized him as Mickey Mouse. But the story is not confirmed. Moreover, in 1936 they created Mortimer Mouse, Uncle of Minnie (Mickie's female alter ego).

Was born mute

Mickey's first appearance took place on May 15, 1928 in 'Plane Crazy', a silent short film (as were all Disney movies then). It was a failure, like its sequel, so Disney decided to bring to the screen "Steamboat Willie" (Willy and the steamboat), the first animation with synchronized music and sound effects.

The film premiered in New York on November 18, 1928 and was an instant hit. Disney itself took care of the vocal effects of his first short films and It was the voice of Mickey Mouse until 1947.

The madness is unleashed: gold medal, comics, games ...

The fame of * In 1935, the American League of Nations rewarded Disney with a gold medal, declaring Mickey "international symbol of goodwill".

  • In January 1930 he was adapted to the comic in a press strip with a Disney script and drawings by Iwerks.

  • During the 1930s the market was flooded with products related to the character, from children's toys and wristwatches to a diamond bracelet designed by Cartier.

  • Today the Disney empire is almost unbeatable: theme parks (a Walt Disney dream) have been followed by cruises, film studios, music, theater, television. It has been growing and buying competitors and today includes: Walt Disney Pictures, Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures, Walt Disney Animation Studios, Disneynature, DisneyToon Studios, Walt Disney Theatrical, Walt Disney Television Animation, LucasFilm, Marvel Studios or 21st Century Fox.

And everything was born with a mouse!

In Italy, they don't like Mickey

In most countries we know it as Mickey Mouse (with some variations), except in Italy, where it is known as Topolino.

The Topolino (little mouse) comic was created in 1932 by Mario Nerbini, four years after Walt Disney drew Mickey Mouse, according to Hello Giggles.

Nerbini felt the success that mouse cartoons were producing in the United States and decided to try his luck in Italy. It became a battle of rights over the mouse, but there was an agreement because Topolino managed to keep his name in Italy under the Disney brand.

If you want to meet the full story of this character, we encourage you to watch this video.

Anniversary Collection

Clothing and gift firms have wanted to honor the most famous rodent of all time, taking out new collections.

And how could it be less, Disney has also launched the Mickey Mouse Memory collection, with the most emblematic styles of the last decades lived by Mickey.

Photos | iStock, Waltdisney.org, Disney