The World of Forgotten Disney

It all Started with a...

In honor of Mickey Mouse's 87th birthday, I bring you fun facts about Mickey and Minnie Mouse. And the short 'Steamboat Willie.'

If you want to use any of the facts, just remember to dedicate to me!

Mickey's full name is Michael Theodore Mouse

Minnie's full name is Minerva Mouse

Both Mickey and Minnie had been once voiced by Walt Disney.

Mortimer Mouse, Mickey's original name and rival, was Minnie's former boyfriend.

Mickey and Minnie's ears always face the same way, no matter which direction they're facing.

Depsite being the most famous cartoon character in the world, Mickey does not yet have his own theatrical film.

Mickey's estimated hight is 2 ft. 3 in. and weighs 23 pounds.

In the Walt Disney Parks and Resorts, Mickey is often referred to by the Cast Members as The Boss or Mr. Mouse.

In the 2011 Disney/Pixar film Cars 2, two characters named Mama Topolino and Uncle Topolino are tributes to Mickey, as Topolino (meaning "little mouse") is Mickey's name in Italian.

In 1933, Mickey Mouse received 800,000 pieces of fan mail.

In the late 1960s, due to the increasing demand for color cartoons on the airwaves, the 1928-1935 black-and-white Mickey Mouse cartoons, much like many other black-and-white cartoons from other studios, were shipped over to South Korea where artists retraced them frame-by-frame in color, causing the degradation in their animation quality and timing. In the early 1990s, The Walt Disney Company created computer-colorized versions of these B&W Mickey Mouse cartoons, which helped preserved the original animation. These digitally-colorized Mickey shorts had aired on anthology shows such as Mickey's Mouse Tracks, Mickey Mouse & Friends, and Donald's Quack Attack on Disney Channel (and later its sister channel Toon Disney).

Mickey has over 290 outfits.

Mickey, or Michael, means "god", and Minnie, or Minerva, means "goddess".

Mickey's inspiration was Oswald The Lucky Rabbit.

Minnie appeared in concept art for Epic Mickey, but did not appear in the actual game herself (nor is she ever mentioned by Mickey). There was also no mention of her in Epic Mickey 2, but she did appear in Epic Mickey: Power of Illusion and appeared in one of the projectors at the end of the second Epic Mickey.

According to Walt Disney, Mickey and Minnie Mouse have never been married on screen. But, in 1933, during an interview with Film Pictorial, Walt said, "In private life, Mickey is married to Minnie... What it really amounts to is that Minnie is, for screen purposes, his leading lady."

Minnie's eyes are usually longer and wider than Mickey's, while her smile is slightly shorter and more closed than his. However, these details weren't used in the earliest cartoon and some comic stories.

It has been officially stated that Minnie shares the same birthday as Mickey Mouse (November 18th). However, this is debatable, as numerous stories that take place on Mickey's birthday do not mention that it is also Minnie's birthday, and vice-versa.

Compared to Daisy, Minnie acts more proper and lady-like.

Minnie appears to not have a hot temper, but is angered easily.

In Japanese Disney theme parks, it is more likely to find Minnie Mouse ears instead of Mickey Mouse ears.

Minnie has over two-hundred outfits.

Steamboat Willie was an animated cartoon released on November 18, 1928. It was the first Mickey Mouse sound cartoon (Mickey had appeared in two earlier cartoons, Plane Crazy and The Gallopin' Gaucho). It was also the first cartoon in history to feature synchronized sound.

The cartoon was written and directed by Walt Disney and Ub Iwerks. The title is a parody of the Buster Keaton film Steamboat Bill Jr. Music for Steamboat Willie was put together by Wilfred Jackson, one of Disney's animators and comprises popular melodies including "Steamboat Bill" and "Turkey in the Straw".

In a test screening from his family and friends, Walt Disney recalls the first public reaction to his new sound Mickey Mouse cartoons.

Steamboat Willie is generally considered to be the first popular cartoon with synchronized sound.

In 1998, the Library of Congress added Steamboat Willie to the National Film Registry.

Steamboat Willie was briefly referenced in the film Saving Private Ryan. After the main characters capture the machine gun nest, a captured German soldier mentions the film. As the soldier's real name is never stated, he is often nicknamed "Steamboat Willie."

The part where the goat eats the music sheets and the instrument, as well as Mickey turning the goat into a phonograph, mirrors an exact event from the Oswald the Lucky Rabbit cartoon called Rival Romeos.

At the beginning of the Bonkers episode "Of Mice and Menace", Steamboat Willie's steering wheel, along with a framed picture of Mickey steering the boat, is shown to be on display at the Toon Museum.

The iconic scene where Mickey is whistling while driving the steamboat was used in the Walt Disney Animation Studios logo. It starts out as a blank piece of paper as lines are drawn onto it, revealing the scene from a basic sketch to the final product.

When I was at Walt Disney World, in 2013, we where at EPCOT and we decided to go on the boat. The captain of the boat started to whistle the iconic steamboat willie theme. Come to find out, he just saw the short the day before!

Hope you enjoy and if you want to use any of the facts, please do and then dedicated it to me. Please.

Thank you all!