Mickey Mouse was created in 1928 by Walt Disney, also gave Mickey his voice. The now famous mouse has evolved from being simply a character in animated cartoons and comic strips to become one of the most recognizable symbols in the world.
Walt Disney got the inspiration for Mickey Mouse from his old pet mouse he used to have on his farm. "Mortimer Mouse" had been Disney's original name for the character before his wife, Lillian convinced him to change it, and ultimately Mickey Mouse came to be.
In May, 1928 Mickey's first appearance in Plane Crazy apparently failed to impress audiences. Walt Disney could not even find a distributor for the cartoon short.
After a second try with Disney's cartoon, The Gallopin' Gaucho, Walt Disney still had no distributor for his much loved Mickey Mouse.
Disney forged ahead and produced another Mickey short which was released November 18, 1928. Steamboat Willie finally caught the attention of audiences and Mickey Mouse started on his road to fame.
In 1929, Disney began the first of what would later be many Mickey Mouse Clubs, which were located in hundreds of movie theaters across the United States. The Mickey Mouse Club then became a long-running American variety television show that began in 1955, produced by Walt Disney Productions and televised by the American Broadcasting Company, featuring a regular but ever-changing cast of teenage performers.
On November 18, 1978, in honor of his 50th anniversary, he became the first cartoon character to have a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. The star is located on 6925 Hollywood Boulevard.
Mickey's top trademark is his ears, and they have also become a trademark of the Disney company in general. Mickey Mouse's global fame has made him a symbol of The Walt Disney Company and he is widely recognized all over the world.
To learn more about Walt Disney and Mickey Mouse, take a tour of the brand new Walt Disney Family Museum that just opened in the Fall of 2009 in San Francisco, CA.
According to the museum site, The Walt Disney Family Museum was conceived to present the real story of Walt Disney, the man, told by him and others who knew him well. The Museum is located in the Presidio of San Francisco, a former U.S. Army base and now a National Park. The three buildings that house the Museum are on the National Register of Historic Places. Visit the site at http://www.disney.go.com/disneyatoz/familymuseum
Happy 81st Birthday, Mickey Mouse.
Cheryl Phillips
HULIQ.com
Posted November 18th, 2009 by Cheryl Phillips
