When many people think of Disney, Mickey Mouse will come to mind. After all, Walt Disney did say "it all started with a mouse". Here are some fun facts about the lovable Mickey Mouse.
First Appearance
In 1928, he made his first public appearance in Steamboat Willie. This was a very short film, which lasted less than eight minutes. This was also when Minnie Mouse made her first public appearance as well. The duo did appear in Plane Crazy before Steamboat Willie, but that was just a test screening.
Speaking
Speaking of Steamboat Willie, this was one of the first cartoons to have sound. Mickey was the first cartoon character to ever speak, but it wasn't until 1929 that his first words were "hot dogs" in The Karnival Kid.
Voice
Walt Disney was the first one to voice Mickey Mouse. He was the one who first gave Mickey a fun, lovable personality. Since then, there have been several other voice actors that have brought Mickey to life, including Jimmy MacDonald, Clarence Nash, Wayne Allwine, and Les Perkins. The current voice of Mickey Mouse is provided by Bret Iwan. Wayne Allwine, who voiced Mickey from 1977 until his death in 2009, was married in real life to Russi Taylor, who was the voice of Minnie Mouse.
Hollywood Walk of Fame
On November 18th, 1978, Mickey Mouse became the first ever cartoon character to have a spot on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. He was one of the 1,700 stars on the famous walk.
Original Name
Originally, his name was not Mickey, it was Mortimer Mouse. Walt’s wife, Lillian Disney, didn’t feel like Mortimer was a good fit for his personality, so she suggested Mickey. It is much easier to remember and is a better fit for his personality.
Disney Cruise Line
In the early days, Mickey was drawn in black and white, but he is now known for his red shorts and yellow shoes. If you take a vacation on Disney Cruise Line, you might notice that the lifeboats match these colors. They did this on purpose. Disney worked very closely with authorities to come up with colors that resemble Mickey's clothes while still meeting nautical guidelines. After the colors were approved, other cruise lines took on these designs as well for their lifeboats.
Mickey For President
Although this might sound crazy, Mickey Mouse is the most common write in candidate for president. In every presidential election, he receives votes to become the next president of the United States. The question is who would be his vice president.