subject: How Mickey Mouse Came To Be [print this page] Mickey Mouse isn't as young as he looksMickey Mouse isn't as young as he looks. In fact he is over eighty years old. Walt Disney invented him on a train to LA. Walt had just lost his rights to Oswald the Rabbit, and doodled some sketches of Mickey Mouse, and this was why and how Mickey Mouse was born.
He started out as Mortimer Mouse, but the name was 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 quickly started up a line of Mickey Mouse merchandise, and in the following two years, a Mickey Mouse fan club was opened for children. By the year 1937, Mickey had had a face lift, and Disney Studio's was producing approximately twelve Mickey Mouse shorts a year. Disney himself provided Mickey's high pitched voice.
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. Mickey Mouse hasn't released any new movies in a while, but he is still much loved and adored by all ages.
