“Who’s the leader of the club that’s made for you and me?” No doubt you can immediately answer that question, you might even sing it. As 2018 marks the 90th Birthday of Mickey Mouse, there is no better time to track the history of this beloved cultural phenomenon. 

While many people consider Steamboat Willie to be the first Mickey Mouse film, they would only be half correct. During 1928, the silent film Plane Crazy was given a test screening to a select audience. Unfortunately, the project failed to pick up a distributor and was placed on the back burner. Later that year, Steamboat Willie, the third animated short to be produced, was released and became an enormous success. This success led to the official release of Plane Crazy as a sound cartoon in 1929. 

Plane Crazy follows Mickey Mouse’s attempts to emulate Charles Lindbergh and fly a plane. After convincing his sweetheart Minnie Mouse to join him, Mickey spends the entire flight trying to steal a kiss. He even goes so far as to tip the plane, unfortunately for him Minnie knows some maneuvers as well. In true cartoon fashion, Minnie manages to parachute to the ground using her bloomers. 

The cartoon even features a brief appearance of a cow named Carolyn, who would later become Clarabelle Cow. Ub Iwerks was the sole animator working on the cartoon, and spent two weeks drawing over 700 images a day. When the cartoon was released as a sound cartoon it featured a soundtrack by Carl W. Stalling. Plane Crazy currently plays in a continuous loop in the Main Street Cinema at Disneyland in California. 

But did you know Disneyland isn’t the only place you can share in the history of this iconic animated short? Diamond Comic Distributors President and CEO Steve Geppi recently donated over 3,000 items from his personal collection to the Library of Congress. A selection of pieces from this donation are currently on display through February 11, 2019, in the Great Hall of the historic Thomas Jefferson Building.

One such piece is the original storyboards detailing the story layout and action for the 1928 animated film, Plane Crazy. This signature item in the collection represents the birth of one of animation’s most iconic characters. Along with the Plane Crazy storyboard, this multimillion-dollar gift includes comic books, original art, photos, posters, newspapers, buttons, pins, badges and related materials, and select items. 

For more information on the Stephen A. Geppi Collection of Comics and Graphic Arts visit loc.gov.