He's Cute, He's Lovable, He's Mickey Mouse
Believe it or not, Mickey Mouse young as he looks, is over eighty years old. He was conceived by Walt Disney on a train to LA. Walt had just lost the rights to Oswald the cartoon rabbit and that must have inspired him to draw his first sketches of Mickey Mouse.
Mortimer Mouse was Mickey Mouse's first name, but this soon changed. There are a number of stories doing the rounds as to why the name changed, but the most popular belief is that Walt's wife didn't like the name. Although Mickey Mouse has put on some weight over the years, he still sports the same outfit that he wore back in 1928.
Mickey Mouse could have easily just become another cartoon character alongside Betty Boop and Popeye, but instead he became one of the most beloved characters in the world.
What lead to Mickey Mouse's meteoric rise to stardom could only have been his cheerful, optimistic and resilient character, as well as the fact that he is very cute and lovable. It is also believed that Mickey Mouse achieved stardom because Walt Disney gave him a voice. At that stage most films where silent, and Mickey's first three films were also silent. Walt Disney spent all he had on creating three Mickey Mouse cartoons with soundtracks, included in this first set was Steamboat Willie. It was difficult, as the musicians had to keep time with the cartoon, and the money ran short, but with Walt's perseverance, the job was finally done.
The first two cartoons got no attention, but Steamboat Willie was a success and got a lot of attention when it premiered at New York's Colony theater on the 18th of November 1928. Within months some new Mickey Mouse shorts were produced including Plane Crazy. Mickey's rise to stardom had begun and the mouse was a national fad in no time at all.
Walt, very cleverly, started up a line of merchandise for Mickey Mouse items, and a fan club also came into being. By the year 1937, Mickey had had a face lift, and Disney Studio's was producing approximately twelve Mickey Mouse shorts a year. Mickey's voice is in fact the voice of Walt Disney.
Mickey Mouse's cheerful face is one of the most recognizable images in the world today, and he even tops Santa Clause in this department. He hasn't released a movie in a while, but that doesn't diminish his popularity one bit.
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