Mickey Mouse
The name "Micky" redirects here. For the mouse toy with this name, see the Performo Toy Company.Pejorative use of Mickey's name
* "
Mickey Mouse" is a slang expression meaning small-time, amateurish or trivial.
** In 1984, just after a game in which
Wayne Gretzky's
Edmonton Oilers beat the
New Jersey Devils 13-4, Gretzky is quoted as saying to a reporter, "They're putting a Mickey Mouse operation on the ice. It's ruining hockey."
** In the 1996
Warner Bros. film
Space Jam,
Bugs Bunny derogatorily referred to
Daffy Duck's idea for the name of their basketball team ("the Ducks", as in the
Mighty Ducks) as a "Mickey Mouse organization."
* In schools a "
Mickey Mouse course" is a class where very little effort is necessary in order to attain a good grade and/or one where the subject matter of such a class is not of any importance in the labour market. [
1]
*Musicians often refer to a
film score that directly follows each action on screen as
Mickey Mousing (also
mickey-mousing and
mickeymousing).
* "
Mickey Mouse money" is a derogatory term for foreign currency, often used by Americans to describe indigenous currency in a foreign country in which they are traveling. The term also refers to fake banknotes, especially in UK. (Disney theme parks and resorts have an actual kind of Mickey Mouse money,
Disney Dollars. This money is worthless outside the park, which may be the origin of the expression.)
* In
Finland, the software company
Microsoft is often derogatorily called "
Mikkisofta" ("
Mickey Software").
* In card games, it is common for a "
Mickey Mouse hand" to be played for instructional purposes. In such a hand all cards of all players that would normally be concealed are displayed, to demonstrate to new players the rules and procedures of the game.
* In
motorsport, short road courses with tight corners, short straightways and no overtaking spots are sometimes called "Mickey Mouse tracks".
* In
Cockney rhyming slang, a "
Mickey" refers to a Liverpudlian or Liverpool FC supporter (ie. Mickey Mouser =
Scouser).
Many people have believed erroneously that the Mickey Mouse character is protected only by
copyright. In fact, the Mickey Mouse character, like all major Disney characters, is protected as a
trademark, which like all trademarks lasts in perpetuity as long as it continues to be used commercially by its owner. Whether or not a particular Disney cartoon goes into the
public domain, the characters themselves will remain protected as trademarks from unauthorized use.
The
Walt Disney Company has become well known for protecting its
trademark on the Mickey Mouse character, whose likeness is so closely associated with the company, with particular zeal. Disney chose not to sue
Paul Krassner for publishing
Wally Wood's illustration of
The Disneyland Memorial Orgy in the underground newspaper
The Realist in 1967, and didn't pursue legal redress until a bootleg blacklight poster appeared. In a protracted case in the 1970s, Disney sued underground cartoonist
Dan O'Neill for his comic book
Air Pirates, even going so far as to request the court press criminal charges.
In 1935,
Romanian authorities
banned Mickey Mouse
films from
cinemas after they feared that children would be scared to see a ten-
foot mouse in the
movie theatre.
*
Greek:
Μίκυ Μάους*
Bulgarian:
Мики Маус*
Danish:
Mickey Mouse*
Dutch:
Mickey Mouse*
Estonian:
Miki Hiir *
Finnish:
Mikki Hiiri*
French:
Mickey*
German:
Micky Maus*
Hebrew:
מיקי מאוס*
Indonesian:
Miki Tikus*
Italian:
Topolino*
Japanese:
ミッキーマウス (
Mikkī Mausu)
*Mandarin Chinese: 米老鼠/米奇老鼠 (Milaoshu/Miqi Laoshu
, means "Old-mouse Mi")
*Norwegian: Mikke Mus
*Icelandic: Mikki Mús
*Polish: Myszka Miki
*Portuguese: Mickey Mouse (it would translate to "Rato Mickey", but that name is never used)
*Russian: Микки Маус
*Serbian: Мики Маус (Miki Maus)
*Spanish (Spain): Mickey Mouse/El ratón Mickey/El ratón Miguelito
*Spanish (Chile): El raton Mickey
*Spanish (Mexico): Mickey Mouse/El raton Mickey
*Swedish: Musse Pigg
*Turkish: Miki Fare'
* In
1934,
The Encyclopedia Britannica gave Mickey Mouse his very own entry.
*
Walt Disney was given a special
Academy Award in
1932 for the creation of Mickey Mouse.
* In
2003, Mickey Mouse came in at number 128 on
VH1's
200 Greatest Pop Culture Icons list.
* Mickey was originally going to be named Mortimer. However,
Lillian Disney did not like that name.
* A
1990 survey found that
Nintendo's mascot
Mario, was more recognizable among children than Mickey in the
USA.
Notable Mickey Mouse cartoons and appearances
*1928:
Plane Crazy*1928:
The Gallopin' Gauncho *1928:
Steamboat Willie*1929:
Mickey Mouse Works*1929:
Haunted House*1930:
The Chain Gang*1931:
Mickey's Orphans*1932:
The Grocery Boy*1933:
The Mad Doctor*1934:
The Orphan's Benefit*1935:
Mickey's Service Station*1935:
The Band Concert*1936:
Thru the Mirror*1937:
Lonesome Ghosts*1938:
Mickey's Trailer*1938:
Brave Little Tailor*1939:
The Pointer*1940:
The Sorcerer's Apprentice segment of
Fantasia*1941:
Lend A Paw*1941:
The Little Whirlwind*1942:
Mickey's Birthday Party*1942:
Symphony Hour*1947:
Mickey's Delayed Date*1947:
Mickey and the Beanstalk segment of
Fun and Fancy Free*1948:
Mickey and the Seal*1953:
The Simple Things*1983:
Mickey's Christmas Carol*1988:
Who Framed Roger Rabbit (cameo)
*1990:
The Prince and the Pauper*1995:
Runaway Brain*
Minnie Mouse, best known as the fellow Disney character, often portrayed as Mickey's significant other in animated shorts and features.
*
Pluto, a
canine character of the Disney series who is often portrayed as Mickey's dog in the animated shorts and features.
*
Mickey Mouse universe, the phenomenon that has spawned from the Mickey Mouse series and other related characters.
*
Mouse Museum, a
Russian museum featuring artifacts and memorabilia relating to Mickey Mouse.
*
Mickey Mouse Adventures A short-lived comic starring Mickey Mouse as the protagonist.
*
Hidden Mickey, a phenomenon featuring throughout Disney films, theme parks and merchandise involving hiding images that are similar to a silhouette of Mickey's head and ears, another trademark of the Disney series, in non-related places.
*
Celebration Mickey, a two foot tall, 100 lb., 24-karat gold authentic Mickey Mouse sculpture, designed by Disney artist Marc Delle and produced in 2001 to commemorate Walt Disney's 100th birthday. Certified an authentic and one-of-a-kind piece by Disneyland Resort, it is the largest gold sculpture ever cast in the history of the Disney Company.
*
Disney's Mickey Mouse character page*
Mickey Mouse Info Page*
Toonopedia: Mickey Mouse*
A list of Mickey's short films*
"Celebration Mickey" $4 Million Gold Sculpture*
Mickey Mouse advertising pinbacks zh-yue:米奇老鼠
