“When people laugh at Mickey Mouse, it’s because he’s so human; and that is the secret of his popularity. I only hope that we don’t lose sight of one thing — that it was all started by a mouse.” – Walt Disney

Mickey Mouse, one of the most recognizable cartoon characters in the world, turns 85 today and we thought it appropriate to take a little time to say, “Happy Birthday, Mickey!”

First created by Walt Disney in 1928, Mickey Mouse pretty much took the world by storm after his appearance in “Steamboat Willie,” the first-ever distributed Mickey Mouse cartoon made with synchronized sound. His appearance captured the imaginations of audiences worldwide with his mischievous anti-hero personality that paved the way for appearances in over 130 films.

Throughout the years, Mickey’s increasing popularity led to his image being toned down to more of a flawed everyman rather than a rambunctious trouble-maker and it further endeared him to fans young and old. No doubt, Mickey’s distinction as the world’s most famous cartoon character of all time is unquestioned and his popularity continues to this day.

A trip to Disneyland (our BTM crew often gets spoiled there) can easily prove to anyone that Mickey still dominates the landscape and has the ability to bring a smile to anyone. Even if you’ve never been to a Disney Park, Mickey can easily be found elsewhere. He’s been merchandised on everything from writing pads (his first appearance on a consumer product) to wristwatches to plush talking dolls. Nowadays, visits to Disney theme parks around the world will also bring you face-to-face with a real-life talking Mickey that you can meet and greet and take a picture with. Always at the forefront of technology, Disney Imagineering has managed to bring more animated life and magic to Walt’s original creation and the result is quite amazing. You can check out some of Mickey’s interactivity with park guests here:  http://youtu.be/0zGinhf2EoI

Mickey is so popular, in fact, that his image even appears in a crater on the far-off planet Mercury! Not convinced about that one? Okay, we admit it’s a bit of stretch, but you can check it out for yourself by reading about it at this link. Makes us wonder what geographic features, if any, are on Pluto!

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2160260/Image-Mickey-Mouse-formed-craters-Mercury-shame-wasnt-Pluto.html

As Mickey goes forth within the next 15 years to reach his 100th birthday, it’s most likely his popularity will only increase. He’s currently winning over young fans with a new cartoon series on Disney Channel which will be airing a new episode today, Nov. 18th (8/7c), called Potatoland. The seven-minute cartoon finds Mickey, Donald and Goofy on a road trip to Idaho to fulfill Goofy’s lifelong dream of visiting what he fondly remembers as Potatoland theme park.

As part of Mickey’s birthday tribute, Mickey Mouse toons will air every half hour beginning at 1:25/12:25c, leading up to the premiere of Potatoland. Also debuting throughout the day will be special birthday messages to Mickey from the stars of Austin & Ally, Dog With a Blog, Jessie and Shake It Up. The daylong celebration kicks off with back-to-back episodes of Disney Junior’s Emmy-nominated series Mickey Mouse Clubhouse(10:30 a.m./9:30c to 1 pm/12 c). Potatoland will also be available on WATCHDisneyChannel.com, the WATCH Disney Channel app for smartphones and tablets, Disney.com and iTunes the day after the Disney Channel premiere.

In honor of Mickey’s Birthday, we present a great Disney Mickey Mouse cartoon. From 1928, the original “Steamboat Willie”.  Scroll down further for some fun facts about the world’s favorite mouse!

 

 

Some Fun Facts about Mickey Mouse 

 

Mickey officially debuted in the short film Steamboat Willie (1928), one of the first sound cartoons.

 

 

Mickey does not actually speak until The Karnival Kid in 1929 when his first spoken words were “Hot dogs, Hot dogs!”

 

 

Mickey became the first cartoon character to receive a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame on November 18, 1978, in honor of his 50th birthday. The star is located on 6925 Hollywood Boulevard.

 

 

One of the most iconic Mickey Mouse products of all time is the Mickey Mouse wrist watch. The first one was produced by the Ingersoll-Waterbury company in 1933, and it was sold for $2.95. The company presented Walt Disney with the 25-millionth Mickey Mouse watch in 1957.

 

 

The creation of Mickey Mouse earned Walt Disney an honorary Academy Award in 1932.

 

 

Mickey was given his own entry in the Encyclopedia Britannica in 1934.

 

 

Mickey appeared in color for the first time in The Band Concert, which premiered on February 23, 1935.

 

 

In 1955, Mickey made his television debut on The Mickey Mouse Club.

 

 

Mickey was born out of necessity when Walt discovered he had lost the rights to his previous character, Oswald the Lucky Rabbit.

 

 

Walt originally wanted to call Mickey ‘Mortimer Mouse’, and it was changed to ‘Mickey Mouse’ when Walt’s wife Lillian said she felt that ‘Mortimer’ sounded too pompous and suggested another name that personified the qualities of fun and humbleness.

 

 

Mickey and Minnie were married in real life!  Wayne Allwine took over the voice acting for Mickey Mouse in 1977. He was only the third person to ever voice Mickey (Walt Disney himself was the first one). He voiced Mickey until he died in 2009, doing it for 32 years! Actress Russi Taylor began performing for Minnie Mouse in 1986 and still does so to this day, making her the longest lasting performer for Minnie Mouse. The two got married in 1991 and remained together until Wayne died in 2009!

 

 

He may not have been on the front lines, but Mickey played his own small part during WWII. Intelligence officers used “Mickey Mouse” as a password on many occasions.

 

 

If Disney really wanted to be accurate, they would consider Mickey’s birthday May 15. That’s the day his first cartoon, Plane Crazy, was released. Plane Crazy didn’t really connect with test audiences and wasn’t picked up for distribution. Steamboat Willie changed all of that.