When was Mickey Mouse created?

An early version of Mickey Mouse entered the public domain this week. But when was the beloved Disney character created?

Mickey Mouse is hugely important to the Walt Disney Company. Making this a bad week for the Mouse House, as their leading mascot – and star of their official logo – is now out of copyright in the U.S. – kind of.

The Mickey Mouse that appears in Steamboat Willie is now public domain, meaning that as long as you avoid infringing on the copyright of more recent versions – with his white gloves, red shorts, and high-pitched voice – you can do what you like with the rodent.

So much so that a pair of scary movies featuring the character – as well as a horror game – have all been announced this week. But where did it all begin?

When was Mickey Mouse created?

Mickey Mouse was created by Walt Disney and Ub Iwerks in 1928, debuting in two animated shorts – Steamboat Willie, and Plane Crazy.

The duo had previously created a character called Oswald the Lucky Rabbit, but when Universal took control of their invention, they decided to craft a character that they could own outright. And so Mickey was born.

The character was originally called Mortimer Mouse until Walt’s wife Lillian convinced her husband that Mickey was the right moniker. Voiced by Walt himself during those early years, the character was originally extremely mischievous, though over time that aspect of his personality was toned down.

Mickey mainly appeared in animated shorts, with 10 of his cartoons being nominated for Academy Awards. They’d often feature his love Minnie Mouse, dog Pluto, and friends Donald Duck and Goofy.

Mickey also appeared in The Sorcerer’s Apprentice segment of Fantasia, which remains one of Disney’s most acclaimed movies. While taking the character back to his roots, the Disney logo now features the Steamboat Willy version of the character.

What are the Mickey Mouse horror movies?

With that early iteration of Mickey Mouse now in the public domain, two horror movies featuring the character are set to his screens in 2024.

Mickey’s Mouse Trap is a slasher set in an amusement arcade. A trailer dropped this week (see above), with the movie releasing in March. A horror movie actually titled Steamboat Willie focuses on a sadistic mouse killing passengers on a ferry. That’s set to shoot this Spring.

To read more about Mickey’s Mouse Trap, click here, and for the lowdown on Steamboat Willie, head here. While more characters, movies, books and shows entering public domain can be found here.