MICKEY MOUSE :
On his way home he came up with the idea of a new character, a mouse. There are many
stories about Walt's having a mouse living in his desk during the days of Laugh-O-Gram in
Kansas City. The thought behind this story was Walt's feelings for animals, and especially
mice, who would gather about his waste-basket when he worked late at night. He would lift
them out of the basket and place them in little cages on his desk. He had one particular
mouse that had become a sort of a friend, and before leaving Kansas City, he carefully
carried him out into a field and let it go.
He christened his new creation ‘Mortimer’. But his wife Lilly refused, saying it
sounded to 'sissy'. Then he himself suggested the name 'Mickey.' Lilly agreed. Thus,
Mickey Mouse, an icon who would become a household name and a friend to millions of
children all around the world, was born. |
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As soon as he reached home, Walt created three cartoons featuring his new character. His
initial efforts to sell Mickey Mouse cartoons were discouraging. Mickey had to compete
with characters like Felix-the cat and Mintz’s Oswald.
One exhibitor, explaining the reason why he was reluctant to book the series, came
straight out with "It's no use, Walt," he said. "Nobody has ever heard of
Mickey Mouse."
Walt had only two words to say: "They will."
The only way he could sustain Mickey Mouse was if he added something new. He came up with
the brilliant idea of synchronizing one of his cartoons with sound. Mickey Mouse made his
screen debut in Steamboat Willie, the world’s first sound cartoon, in New York.
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His initial efforts to sell Mickey were unsuccessful, but he was able to accomplish the task with the help of a person named Pat Powers who provided him with sound equipment and even distributed his cartoons. Within a short span of time, the popularity of Mickey Mouse touched new heights. The cash registers started ringing. There were enough funds to hire the best animators and many more trainees. Within a couple of years, more than one million children joined the Mickey Mouse Club. Famous personalities like Franklin Delano Roosevelt, Mary Pickford, King George V, and the Nizam of Hyderabad were all his fans. Mickey’s star blazed even brighter. Disney himself provided the voice for Mickey.
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Mickey Mouse’s popularity extended not only to cartoon films but also in the
merchandising market. Disney Studio was still in need of more funds, so they decided to
merchandise the character of Mickey Mouse. Fortunately there was an offer from a
manufacturer in New York, who quoted $300 to acquire the license to put Mickey Mouse on
some pencil tablets. Soon the trend of Mickey Mouse merchandising began. Mickey Mouse
dolls, dishes, toothbrush, radio etc. started to spread out in the market. A book on
Mickey Mouse was also published.
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Walt Disney on Mickey Mouse :
Walt said, "When people laugh at Mickey Mouse, its because he’s so human, and
that is the secret of his popularity." He even said, "I hope that we never lose
sight of one thing – that it was all started by a mouse."
"Mickey Mouse to me is a symbol of independence. He was the means to an end. He
popped out of my mind onto a drawing pad 20 years ago on a train ride from Manhattan to
Hollywood at a time when business fortunes of my brother Roy and myself were at the lowest
ebb and deserter seemed right around the corner. Born of necessity, the little fellow
literally freed us of immediate worry. He provided the means for expanding our
organization to its present dimensions and for expanding |
| the medium of cartoon animation towards new
entertainment levels. He spelled production liberation for us." |
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