Mickey Mouse

Mickey Mouse is a comic animal cartoon character who has become a symbol for The Walt Disney Company. Created in the 1920s by Ub Iwerks, the 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.

Later Mickey history

1930-1950

In his earliest cartoons Mickey was often mischievous and the cartoons sometimes used outhouse humor. As the series became more popular, Disney decided to change his best-known character into a well meaning everyman, and creating mischief was thereafter left to other characters.

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From 1930 until 1950, though the numbers of the comic creators that worked on Mickey increased, the most popular version (considered the "classic" version today) was that of Floyd Gottfredson, who developed Mickey's character, adopted characters from the cartoons, and created many others. Since 1950 the most popular version of Mickey has been that of Italian creator Romano Scarpa, who has further developed Gottfredson's characters and has added many of his own.

Related Topics:
1930 - 1950 - Floyd Gottfredson - Romano Scarpa

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Mickey's most well known supporting characters are his girlfriend, Minnie Mouse; his dog, Pluto; and his best friends, Goofy and Donald Duck.

Related Topics:
Minnie Mouse - Pluto - Goofy - Donald Duck

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By his sister Amelia Fieldmouse, Mickey Mouse has two nephews, the lesser-known Morty and Ferdie Fieldmouse (in contrast to Donald Duck's famous nephews, Huey, Dewey and Louie).

Related Topics:
Amelia Fieldmouse - Morty and Ferdie Fieldmouse - Donald Duck - Huey, Dewey and Louie

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In 1929, Disney created the original Mickey Mouse Club for fans of his character and cartoons, which later formed the basis for a popular 1950's television show (with follow-ups of the same name in 1977 and 1989).

Related Topics:
1929 - Mickey Mouse Club - 1977 - 1989

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Mickey has only starred in one feature film: the "Mickey and the Beanstalk" segment of Fun and Fancy Free (1947). He has also starred in two half-hour theatrical featurettes, Mickey's Christmas Carol (1983, screened in front of a re-issue of The Rescuers) and The Prince and the Pauper (1990, screened in front of The Rescuers Down Under).

Related Topics:
Mickey and the Beanstalk - Fun and Fancy Free - 1947 - Featurette - Mickey's Christmas Carol - 1983 - The Rescuers - The Prince and the Pauper - 1990 - The Rescuers Down Under

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For many years, Mickey Mouse has served as the mascot for The Walt Disney Company, alongside Jiminy Cricket and Tinkerbell.

Related Topics:
Mascot - The Walt Disney Company - Jiminy Cricket - Tinkerbell

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Recent history

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 Blvd.

Related Topics:
November 18 - 1978

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Throughout the decades, Mickey Mouse competed with Warner Bros.' Bugs Bunny for animated popularity. But in 1988, in a historic moment in motion picture history, the two rivals finally shared screen time in the Robert Zemeckis film Who Framed Roger Rabbit. Warner and Disney signed an agreement stating that each character had exactly the same amount of screen time, right down to the semi-second.

Related Topics:
Warner Bros. - Bugs Bunny - 1988 - Robert Zemeckis - Who Framed Roger Rabbit

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Only three people have regularly provided the voice for Mickey (not including theme park attractions and parades): Walt Disney from 1928 to 1947, James MacDonald from 1948 to 1983, and currently, Wayne Allwine, who first voiced the Mouse in Mickey's Christmas Carol in 1983. His most recent theatrical cartoon was 1995's short Runaway Brain, while in 2004 he appeared in the made-for-video features The Three Musketeers and the computer-animated Mickey's Twice Upon a Christmas. He has yet to appear in an original Disney film that wasn't based on classical works.

Related Topics:
Walt Disney - 1928 - 1947 - James MacDonald - 1948 - 1983 - Wayne Allwine - Mickey's Christmas Carol - 1995 - Runaway Brain - 2004 - The Three Musketeers - Mickey's Twice Upon a Christmas

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Many television programs have centered around Mickey, such as the recent shows Mickey Mouse Works and Disney's House of Mouse.

Related Topics:
Mickey Mouse Works - Disney's House of Mouse

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Mickey was the Grand Marshal of the Tournament of Roses Parade on New Year's Day 2005.

Related Topics:
Grand Marshal - Tournament of Roses Parade

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In Disney Interactive and Square-Enix's Kingdom Hearts video game series, King Mickey Mouse presides over Disney Castle alongside Queen Minnie Mouse. Donald Duck is his Court Wizard, while Goofy Goof is the head of the King's royal guard. Mickey only appears briefly in the first game, but is expected to play a much larger role in the sequel, Kingdom Hearts II. He also appears in the Game Boy Advance "semi-sequel", ', in which he aids Riku in finding his way through Castle Oblivion.

Related Topics:
Disney Interactive - Square-Enix - Kingdom Hearts - Queen Minnie Mouse - Donald Duck - Goofy Goof - Kingdom Hearts II - Game Boy Advance - Riku

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Mickey's Voice

A large part of Mickey's screen persona is his famously shy, falsetto voice. From his first speaking role in The Karnival Kid onward, Mickey was voiced by Walt Disney himself, a task Disney took great personal pride in. (Carl Stalling allegedly did some uncredited ADR for Mickey in a few early shorts as well.) However, by 1947, Disney was becoming too busy with running the studio to do regular voicework (and it is speculated his cigarette habit had damaged his voice over the years), and after the Mickey and the Beanstalk section of Fun and Fancy Free, Mickey's voice was handed over to veteran Disney musician and actor Jim MacDonald. MacDonald voiced Mickey in the remainder of the theatrical shorts, and for various television and publicity projects up until his retirement in the mid-1970s. 1983's Mickey's Christmas Carol marked the debut of Wayne Allwine as Mickey Mouse, who is the current voice actor. Allwine is, incidentally, married to Russi Taylor, the current voice of Minnie Mouse.

Related Topics:
Falsetto - Walt Disney - Carl Stalling - ADR - Cigarette - Fun and Fancy Free - Jim MacDonald - 1983 - Mickey's Christmas Carol - Wayne Allwine - Russi Taylor - Minnie Mouse

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