Mickey Mouse celebrates his 88th birthday today. And nearly nine decades on, he is still one of the most recognizable characters in the world.
Mickey Mouse debuted in 1928 in the short film Steamboat Willie, the first cartoon where sound and images appeared in synchrony. He would go on to appear in over 130 films, most notably in the animation classic Fantasia (1940).
Mickey would speak his first words (Hot dogs! Hot dogs!) in the 1929 cartoon The Karnival Kid. Before that, he would only whistle, laugh, and grunt. In fact, Walt Disney himself would provide Mickey’s voice for most of the character’s appearances.
The popularity of Mickey Mouse steadily grew during the Great Depression, and by 1932, the Mickey Mouse Club had nearly one million members. It was during this year that Mickey would appear in full colour, on a film animated specially for the 5th Academy Awards ceremony. This short would not see general release. Mickey’s very first public appearance in colour would be in 1935’s The Band Concert.
It has been a long and illustrious career for a humble mouse. Ten Academy Awards nominations -one win-, official Disney mascot, and his likeness has endorsed countless pieces of merchandise, earning its creator a tidy sum.
Happy Birthday Mickey.