Mortimer Mouse is the King of Disney!
Wait, don't you mean Mickey Mouse?
Mortimer Mouse was Mickey Mouse’s original name...but there is a reason why he is not known as Mortimer Mouse anymore.
Yes! For those who do not know, Walt Disney created Mickey Mouse after the creation of Oswald the Rabbit. Disney lost the rights to Oswald from Universal, and from there Mickey Mouse was born. Walt Disney created Mickey Mouse on a train ride from Hollywood to Manhattan after the loss of Oswald the Lucky Rabbit. According to Diane Disney Miller, “it was on this long ride that dad conceived of a new cartoon subject, a mouse who was refined and further developed by Ub Iwerks and given a name by my mother”. Even though Walt wanted the mouse's name to be Mortimer, Walt’s wife Lillian did not like the name, and mentioned to Walt Mickey. Walt then created the character Mortimer, a rival to Mickey in the short Mickey's Rival in 1936. Mickey Mouse was a collaboration between many members of the Disney family.
Walt had trouble gaining traction for Mickey Mouse. It took 3 different shorts to finally gain traction for the mouse. The first short was known as Plane Crazy, an adaptation on Charles Lindbergh ride across the Atlantic. The second cartoon featured Gallopin’ Gaucho. Both short films were given their chances but failed. It was the third short film Steamboat Willie that finally took off. It was this cartoon that gave Walt the traction he needed to start his company. On November 18, 1928, Steamboat Willie premiered at New York’s Colony Theater. This gave Walt the beginning funds for his incredible empire. Steamboat Willie was one of the most shorts to include sound. Walt received a 2-week sum of $1,000. In comparison to today, that is $16,041.52.
From there, the growth of Mickey continued. Mickey Mouse has been trademarked for Walt Disney Company. Mickey has then been a part of Disney in many different areas. From movies, television, theme parks, cruise lines, and so much more!
The current outfit for Mickey Mouse has been a stable since 1935. When you think of Mickey Mouse in a film or show, you would originally think of Mickey in his yellow shoes, red shorts with yellow buttons, and his iconic white gloves. However, to get to the current Mickey design, we had to go through the first phase of Mickey mouse…black and white. It was in 1935, Mickey was brought into color. Before then, Mickey had eyes that were bug and small.
Mickey Mouse has been the most iconic character in the Disney World character collection through his time from his shorts to films. Now, you can find Mickey Mouse everywhere you turn. He is in Disney World and Disneyland, Tokyo Disney, Disneyland Paris, and so many more. Even though he has been through so many different phases of designs, Mickey is always there. “I hope we never lose
sight of one thing-it all started with a mouse”. This was a famous quote from Walt himself and it truly defines who Mickey is…an icon.
"I hope we never lose sight of one thing-it all started with a mouse" -Walt Disney
Hmm, its interesting to think how things would be different if Walt Disney hadn't listened to his wife about the name change. Mortimer does not seem as friendly as the name Mickey.