Mickey Mouse
| Character | |
|---|---|
| Name: | Mickey Mouse |
| Occupation: | Various; king, Keyblade master (Kingdom Hearts); corporate executive (South Park) |
| Relationships: | Donald Duck (friend); Goofy (friend); Minnie Mouse (love interest, girlfriend or wife); Pluto (pet dog); Yen Sid (mentor); Riku (friend); Sora (friend); Ansem the Wise (friend); Oswald the Lucky Rabbit ("older brother"); Randy Marsh (business associate) |
| Fandom: | Disney, Mickey Mouse shared universe, Kingdom Hearts, Epic Mickey, South Park |
| Other: | |
| Click here for related articles on Fanlore. | |
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Mickey Mouse is a cartoon character who serves as the mascot of the Walt Disney Company. The character was created in 1928 by Ub Iwerks and Walt Disney at The Walt Disney Studios. An anthropomorphic mouse who typically wears red shorts, large yellow shoes, and white gloves, Mickey is one of the world's most recognizable fictional characters.
The Mickey Mouse & Friends franchise is the fourth-highest grossing franchise of all time, after Pokémon, Hello Kitty, and Winnie-the-Pooh.
Mickey Mouse appears as a Keyblade-wielding warrior-king in the Kingdom Hearts series.
Mickey Mouse as an intellectual property has been a legal and cultural battleground between corporate entities pushing for copyright law, and creators of unlicensed transformative works pushing for free expression.
Fandom
Mickey is appreciated for being a friendly, neighborly, welcoming, adventurous rascal.
On the other hand, Mickey is also a symbol of the "dark side" of The Walt Disney Company and of American culture—representing corporate monopoly, copyright privilege, cultural and economic imperialism, and industries screwing over artists (such as Ub Iwerks). This interpretation of Mickey is featured in "Mickey Mouse in Vietnam", Rat Fink media, The Simpsons, South Park, and other works. He is often portrayed as such in memes and fanworks within fandom and the wider internet.
Ron the Death Eater: Mickey Mouse is a Nice Guy, even downright Adorkable on multiple occasions, but since he belongs to one of the most powerful and (in)famous companies in the whole world, there are many people who portray Mickey as a corrupt capitalist or something worse. There is also the South Park version of him (which is more of a light-hearted parody than anything else), and in many countries that oppose the United States (like Venezuela), putting Mickey ears to any politician the government doesn't like is seen as a sign of a "American bitch".
In the Kingdom Hearts fandom, fans see King Mickey as embodying the absurdity of the series, due to him being a cartoon-stylized rodent playing a serious role among somewhat more realistically proportioned, animesque human teenagers in an epic conflict between light and darkness spanning all existence (and non-existence).
Imagine; succumbing into darkeness. You’ve lost all hope. The pitch blackness grows thicker. Maybe it’s time to give up? All hope is lost. And than you feel the touch of a friend. A friend who is always there for you. His voice high pitch, his gloves envelope your small and fragile hands. “Are you okay?” And you open your eyes and see mickey fucking mouse.[1]
Legal issues
Like all major Disney characters, Mickey Mouse™ is not only copyrighted but also trademarked, which lasts in perpetuity as long as it continues to be used commercially by its owner. So, whether or not a particular Disney cartoon goes into the public domain, the characters themselves may not be used as trademarks without authorization.
Because of the Copyright Term Extension Act of the United States (sometimes called the 'Mickey Mouse Protection Act' because of extensive lobbying by the Disney corporation) and similar legislation within the European Union and other jurisdictions where copyright terms have been extended, works such as the early Mickey Mouse cartoons will remain under copyright until at least 2023. However, some copyright scholars argue that Disney's copyright on the earliest version of the character may be invalid due to ambiguity in the copyright notice for Steamboat Willie.
The Walt Disney Company has become well known for protecting its trademark on the Mickey Mouse character—whose likeness is closely associated with the company—with particular zeal. In 1989, Disney threatened legal action against three daycare centers in the Orlando, Florida region (where Walt Disney World is a dominant employer) for having Mickey Mouse and other Disney characters painted on their walls. The characters were removed, and the newly opened rival Universal Studios Florida allowed the centers to use their own cartoon characters with their blessing, to build community goodwill.[4]
The earliest depiction of Mickey Mouse is due to enter the public domain in 2024, namely the Steamboat Willie cartoon. Later versions will remain protected. Furthermore, the company holds various trademarks on the character, which don't expire.[5]
Use in copyright defense
The copyrights and trademarks on Mickey Mouse have been used to combat copyright abuse. There are bots that crawl Twitter for popular artwork to put on t-shirts without permissions. Some people have struck back by tricking these maligned bots into taking Disney's assets, hoping to unleash Disney's lawyers on them.
- Artwork in which the text explicitly invites legal action, with a write-up in the Columbia Journal of Law & the Arts and an overview on Tumblr.
- Tumblr posts featuring other examples
- Another write-up on Tumblr
Shipping
As a cartoon anthropomorphic rodent, Mickey Mouse may lack the sex appeal that would normally pique the interest of shippers as a community.
In both official materials and fan works, he is often portrayed in romantic contexts with his canon love interest, Minnie Mouse (despite sharing the same surname, no officially acknowledged consanguinity). Real-life couples often wear matching Mickey-and-Minnie merchandise.
Within the Kingdom Hearts fandom, MickeyRiku is a popular crack pairing.
Fan works
Meta
Memes
- Buff Mokey Mouse on Know Your Meme
- Father… I Crave Cheddar on Know Your Meme
- It's a Surprise Tool That Will Help Us Later on Know Your Meme
- Suicide Mouse on Know Your Meme
- Will You Fight? Or Will You Perish Like A Dog? on Know Your Meme
- Abandoned by Disney on Know Your Meme
Fan art
- Jorge Gutierrez - Mouse
Animation
- "Short Subject" AKA "Mickey Mouse in Vietnam"
- Animations by Ethereal Snake
Fan fiction
These are the three main AO3 fandom tags for Mickey Mouse, despite there being many more.
- Mickey Mouse (2013 cartoon)
- Mickey Mouse and Friends (1994 cartoon)
- Mickey Mouse Sound Cartoons (Short Films)
There are several relevant categories on FanFiction.Net
- Mickey Mouse & Friends stories and crossovers
- Curated list of stories featuring Mickey Mouse and Friends.
- Epic Mickey stories and crossovers
- House of Mouse stories and crossovers
- Mickey, Donald, Goofy: The Three Musketeers stories and crossovers
Minute Mickey / Quickie Mickey
Minute Mickey or Quickie Mickey is an art challenge started by Jerrod Maruyama. The goal is to draw Mickey Mouse in one's own style.
- #QuickieMickey on Twitter
- A Quickie Mickey by Jerrod Maruyama on Instagram
- A Quickie Mickey on MattCanDraw
External Links
Fan Communities and Archives
Fan sites
Resources
References
- ^ https://freckled-nerd-draws.tumblr.com/post/162213887833/imagine-succumbing-into-darkeness-youve-lost
- ^ https://thatrandombystander.tumblr.com/post/626050171656159232/non-kingdom-hearts-fans-criticisms-of-why-kh-is
- ^ https://cruelfeline.tumblr.com/post/183575242434/thedaybreakpath-disney-ok-you-can-use-mickey
- ^ https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mickey_Mouse
- ^ New York Times: Mickey’s Copyright Adventure: Early Disney Creation Will Soon Be Public Property