Cartoons have an uncanny way of giving us a rush of nostalgia. It’s a wonderful feeling, isn’t it? Nothing can bring back childhood memories better than our on-screen friends from back when we were kids. Every generation has the same thing to say: They don’t make ’em like they used to. What Flintstones was to us ’90s kids, Dragon Ball Z is to the next one.
But there are certain cartoons that have actually survived generations. Characters that have been loved for years on end. Like Mickey Mouse…
Mickey Mouse is timeless. He is an icon who beautifully embodies Walt Disney’s history and hard work. I mean the man drew the cartoon frame-to-frame by hand! That’s a lot of effort put together just to make kids smile. Animations followed later, but this is how the huge brand was born.
Having said that, on Mickey Mouse Day, here are 14 facts about the character that prove why he’s more of a legend than a cartoon:
1. Mickey Mouse was born on 18th November, 1928, at the premiere of Steamboat Willie in NYC. The first animation with synced sound. He became a star on this day, so Disney dubbed it as Mickey Mouse Day.
His previous two short film appearances were flops.
2. On his 50th anniversary, in 1978, Mickey Mouse became the first cartoon character to receive a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, under the Motion Pictures Category.
Yup, the mouse has a star.
3. Although they never married on-screen, Walt Disney confirmed that Mickey & Minnie are married in private life.
Some celebs just like to keep things private.
4. The two people who gave the voiceovers for Mickey & Minnie were actually married in real life. Wayne Allwine and Russi Taylor tied the knot in 1991 and remained together till Wayne’s death in 2009.
5. The first words Mickey ever said were “hot dogs!” Since he was born in the silent Walt Disney movies era, he evolved when dialogues came into play.
6. Walt Disney had earlier named the mouse Mortimer. But his wife told him that Mickey would work better. The name Mortimer went to Mickey’s arch-rival.
7. Poor Mickey was only given 4 fingers because Walt Disney wanted to save time & money. A 6.5 minute short film needed around 45,000 drawings. In total, that comes to a lot of fingers not being drawn.
Other mice: Hi five, Mickey!
8. Until 1946, Walt Disney voiced the characters of Mickey & his significant other himself. It’s said that his smoking habit & other studio commitments led to him giving up on the role.
The voice changed, but the swag remained.
9. The only animated movie featuring Mickey Mouse to win an Academy Award had him in a supporting role. It was called ‘Lend A Paw’ and was centered around Pluto.
So what? Brad Pitt also appears in supporting roles.
10. Throughout his career, Mickey has worn over 175 outfits!
He has to look good for the camera & for Minnie, who by the way wore over 200 herself!
11. Walt Disney got the idea for Mickey from a trained mouse at his desk.
From taming them to creating them, what a guy!
12. Walt Disney also received an Oscar for creating Mickey Mouse, in 1933.
Mickey has a total of 10 nominations. He knows how Leo feels.
13. Mickey’s full name is Michael Theodore Mouse.
14. The invasion of Normandy on D-Day, in 1944 during World War II, was code named Mickey Mouse by the Allies.
And we feel happy when our significant others keep our names as their FB passwords.
Happy 88th, Mickey!
