On November 18, 1928, the pop culture world was introduced to a now iconic little mouse. Mickey Mouse, created by Walt Disney and Ub Iwerks, made his official debut appearance in the short film Steamboat Willie. Mickey was initially created as a replacement for an earlier cartoon character, Oswald the Lucky Rabbit. After the strong response to Steamboat Willie, Disney released sound versions of Plane Crazy and The Gallopin' Gaucho, which added to Mickey's success and popularity.
Over the years, Mickey has appeared in over 130 films, including The Band Concert, Brave Little Tailor, and Fantasia. Ten of his cartoons were nominated for the Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film, with Lend a Paw winning in 1942. Beginning in the 1930s, Mickey was also featured extensively as a comic strip character. His self-titled newspaper strip, led by Floyd Gottfredson, ran for 45 years. He also appeared in various comic books, such as Disney Italy’s Topolino, MM Mickey Mouse Mystery Magazine, and Wizards of Mickey, and in television series such as The Mickey Mouse Club and The Mickey Mouse Clubhouse. In 1978, Mickey became the first cartoon character to have a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
Since his early years, Mickey Mouse has been licensed by Disney to appear on many different kinds of merchandise, including everything from plush toys and figurines, to t-shirts and mechanical banks. Did you know you have the chance to bring one of those mechanical banks home?
Hake's Americana & Collectibles Auction #221 is open for bidding! This new auction includes plenty of rare and collectible pieces perfect for Disneyana collectors. One such piece is a Saalheimer & Strauss Mickey Mouse tin mechanical bank from the 1930s. This German crafted litho depicts Mickey with one hand on his waist and the other pointing upward, while the back features Mickey with a camera and “Smile Please!” text. Instruction text on the bottom reads, “If You Only Pull My Ear - You Will See My Tongue Appear. Place A Coin Upon My Tongue - Save Your Money While You're Young.” Despite some slight wear, all the aforementioned actions on this example still work well.
Bidding on this exceptional rarity, valued at $20,000, and countless others closes on July 11-13, 2017. Head over to hakes.com to get started on bidding today!