Over the last 90 years, a simple combination of three circles has managed to be the defining icon to capture audiences across generations. Originally created simply as a replacement for a character lost to a business deal gone bad, the leader of the club has gone on to be a symbol of happiness for fans around the world. The legendary Mickey Mouse celebrates his 90th birthday on November 18, 2018.

Mickey was the creation of Walt Disney and Ub Iwerks, and was the result of the necessity to create a new character after Walt no longer had the rights to his previous character, Oswald the Lucky Rabbit. Oswald had been created by Disney’s animation studio for producer Charles Mintz, and Oswald cartoons were distributed through Universal; Walt struck out on his own after Mintz cut costs and essentially held Oswald hostage in the process. That experience caused Walt to form a new studio, and also to hold on to the rights to his characters going forward as well. But with a new studio and no characters, new ones had to be conceived – so Iwerks, among other animators, began sketching different animals. A mouse was eventually decided on, originally named Mortimer Mouse by Walt, before having his first name changed to Mickey after some insistence by his wife, Lillian.

Mickey’s design was created by Iwerks with a focus on circles for the sake of making him easy to animate, though it was clear that the round appearance was also appealing to audiences from the get-go. Notably, his ears were (and are) always circular regardless of what direction he was facing; these ears on their own have since become quite iconic.

Iwerks began secretly animating the initial Mickey Mouse cartoons while still technically under contact with Disney at Universal. The first three cartoon shorts produced were Plane Crazy, The Gallopin’ Gaucho, and Steamboat Willie. Plane Crazy actually saw a small test screening in May 1928, though the audience was remarkably unimpressed with it, and Walt couldn’t find a distributor. Steamboat Willie, though it was the last of the initial three to be completed, was the first to meet audiences thanks to Walt finding a distributor, and Mickey was introduced to the world on November 18, 1928.

A scant few minutes long – clocking it at just seven minutes and 42 seconds – Steamboat Willie was a technical marvel for the time, as it was one of the first cartoons to ever feature synchronized sound. The story follows Mickey, who works on a steamboat under the stern captain Pete, as he gets up to antics on the boat. After picking up livestock at Podunk Landing, the boat also picks up Minnie Mouse, and Mickey and Minnie play music on the boat, even using some of the livestock as makeshift instruments. Pete, unamused by this, puts Mickey back to work, peeling potatoes.

The cartoon short was an instant success, especially with its use of synchronized sound – while Fleischer Studios had already done sound cartoons before, they were unable to keep it synchronized for the entire film. This allowed for the distribution of The Gallopin’ Gaucho and Plane Crazy in addition to several additional Mickey Mouse cartoons to enter development. Early standouts included The Barn Dance (marking the first time Mickey was turned down by Minnie, in favor of Pete), The Opry House (which was the debut of Mickey’s now-signature white gloves), and The Karnival Kid (which was the first time Mickey actually spoke). Iwerks’ last film at Disney’s studio before he left to start his own was 1930’s The Cactus Kid.

Mickey also started appearing in newspaper comic strips shortly after his debut, with the scripts handled by Disney and artwork by Iwerks. Notable contributors included Floyd Gottfredson, Manuel Gonzalez, Merrill De Maris, Bill Walsh, and many others. These strips ran regularly until 1994. There were full-fledged comic books focused on Mickey as well, with titles including Walt Disney’s Comics and Stories, though Mickey also graced Dell’s Four Color in the ‘40s.  

Walt and his other animators would continue to work on Mickey cartoons throughout the 1930s, and the character’s popularity soared during this decade; the Mickey Mouse Club would reach more than a million members by 1932. That year also marked the first Academy Award nomination for the character, for Mickey’s Orphans. Walt would also receive an honorary Academy Award for his creation of the character. Though Mickey’s popularity was eventually matched by the likes of Popeye, and even another Disney creation with The Three Little Pigs, he held steady, and the introduction of Donald Duck as an ill-tempered rival helped writers keep things fresh with new cartoons.

Mickey’s first official appearance in a color cartoon was 1935’s The Band Concert, which is still considered one of the most influential cartoons ever. Donald overtook Mickey in terms of popularity towards the end of the ‘30s, leading to a redesign of Mickey that saw him being slightly more pear-shaped rather than circular, and his face being recolored to a flesh tone rather than true white.

Mickey made his first feature-length film appearance in 1940’s Fantasia, in what is easily the most famous segment of the film and one of Mickey’s most memorable adventures of all time. In “The Sorcerer’s Apprentice,” Mickey uses the magic contained within the hat of his master in order to enchant brooms to do his chores for him, but finds that he is unable to truly control the power within the hat, and things go awry very quickly.

By the early 1950s, Mickey had stopped appearing in the film cartoon series – his last appearance being in 1953’s The Simple Things – and shifted to television, with the debut of The Mickey Mouse Club in 1955. The show was hosted by songwriter Jimmie Dodd. Dodd was joined by the Mouseketeers, a group of youths who performed a number of different musical and dance numbers in the show. Dodd also notably wrote the show’s theme song, the “Mickey Mouse March,” which has since gone on to essentially become Mickey’s personal theme. Each day of the week had its own special theme, such as “Fun with Music Day,” “Circus Day,” or “Anything Can Happen Day.” Though The Mickey Mouse Club proved to be popular, ABC cancelled it after just four seasons after being unable to reach an agreement with Disney regarding a renewal. The show has since been revived a handful of times over the years, with the most notable revival being the 1989 All-New Mickey Mouse Club, which helped launch the careers of Britney Spears, Justin Timberlake, J.C. Chasez, Christina Aguliera, Keri Russell, and Ryan Gosling.

Other successful Mickey-focused television series have included House of Mouse, Mickey Mouse Works, Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, and Mickey and the Roadster Racers. Of course, the famous mouse also returned to theaters a number of times over the years, in films such as Mickey’s Christmas Carol and Who Framed Roger Rabbit.

Most recently, a new series of Mickey Mouse cartoon shorts has been produced for the Disney Channel (though they’re also regularly posted online), with a return to the mischievous and stubborn Mickey that was so often seen during his earliest years. This particular lineup of toons also features a simplified look somewhat reminiscent of his original appearance, with a white face (rather than flesh-colored) and a focus on over the top expressiveness.

On top of the films, cartoons, and comics, Mickey has also appeared in a number of video games over the years, ranging from platformers (Disney’s Magical Quest, Castle of Illusion Starring Mickey Mouse) to action (Disney’s Epic Mickey) to roleplaying (Kingdom Hearts).

And then, of course, there’s the merchandising. Since even his earliest years in black and white films, Mickey has appeared on virtually every kind of merchandise out there – plush toys, action figures, alarm clocks, watches, porcelain figures, bicycles, phones, shirts, purses, and (obviously) the famous mouse ear hat. Whether gracing the noggin of a Mouseketeer or adorning the cap of a young Disney theme park-goer, the two circles are instantly recognizable as Mickey’s ears. About 40% of Disney’s revenues for consumer products are derived just from Mickey Mouse merchandise.

Thanks to all of this and more, Mickey remains one of the single most recognizable characters of all time. Some studies have shown that upwards of 98% of children 11 and younger are at least aware of Mickey and who he is.

Mickey has received the highest possible honors for a cartoon character in his nine decades of entertaining. In 1978, Mickey became the first cartoon character to have a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. He’s received 10 nominations for the Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film, with one win (Lend a Paw in 1941). He also became the first cartoon character to serve as Grand Marshal for the Tournament of Roses Parade, in 2005.

Mickey Mouse has showed virtually no signs of slowing down over the last 90 years in terms of his popularity or the stories he has to tell. He’s entertained generations of children and adults in that time, and has taught them the power of kindness and earnestness as much as he has shown an occasional mischievous or naughty side. Whether you’ve received a remarkably sincere hug from him at a Disney theme park or just enjoyed laughing along with him on television, one thing is for sure – Mickey Mouse is an entertainment icon. Here’s to another 90 years!