It’s Mickey’s 86th Birthday

Without boasting a single grey hair, Mickey Mouse, the oldest and also the most popular Disney character turns 86 today. Known as the ‘Famous Mouse’ for Walt Disney and the official mascot for the company, the character has establishes itself as a symbol of happiness and a hallmark of Disney’s success and catalytic growth over the decades.

Over the years, Mickey has retained its unique appeal through the same colored clothes which include red shorts with large white buttons, white gloves and large yellow shoes through which it captivated the masses.

If we look back at the history of this phenomenal character that has adorned the screen for decades, we cannot help but wonder about its history and how it has helped Disney earn a name. A lesser known fast is that Mickey Mouse was primarily created to replace an old Disney character named Oswald “The Lucky Rabbit”. Early pictures of him bear a striking resemblance with that old character. This cartoon character was featured initially in the short film named as Steamboat Willie on 18th November 1928, which was among the initial cartoons featuring sound effects.

Before that, Mickey Mouse first appeared in single test screening of a cartoon named Plane Crazy. This bewitching cartoon character appeared in more than 130 films, including Brave Little Tailor in 1938 and Fantasia in 1940. An interesting thing to note is that nearly all the cartoons of Mickey were feature length films while primarily most of them were short films. Mickey Mouse has the privilege to have a star on the Hollywood walk of fame and became the first cartoon character who has gained this opportunity.

Via researchomatic.com

In accordance to Mickey Mouse’s birthday celebration, Disney channel is presenting Mickey themed programming in which a new birthday themed episode of ‘Mickey Mouse Clubhouse’ will be aired. Back-to-back episodes of the same along with a variety of other cartoons featuring Mickey Mouse will be aired after every half an hour on account of its birthday on Disney channel.