10 Facts about the Mouse That Started it All:
1. Mickey’s original name was Mortimer, but Walt’s wife didn’t like it so Walt changed it to Mickey. (We thank Mrs. Disney - Mickey is much easier on the ears!)
2. Walt Disney was the original voice of Mickey Mouse (just as he was the original voice of Minnie, too).
3. In 1944, when the Allied Forces invaded Europe during WWII, one of the code names used was “Mickey Mouse.”
4. Mickey’s very first words were “Hot Dog!”.
5. Mickey has been dressed in over 175 costumes throughout his career.
6. To mark Disneyland’s 50th anniversary, 50 versions of Mickey’s ears were hidden throughout the park. Hidden Mickeys are elsewhere too, such as within feature films like Dumbo and across the other Disney parks.
7. The only Mickey Mouse short to receive an Academy Award was Lend a Paw, in 1941. The irony being that Mickey wasn’t even really the lead role, since the main star was Pluto.
8. Mickey’s signature white gloves first made an appearance in 1929. Supposedly, one reason for adding the white gloves was to allow audiences to distinguish the characters’ hands when they appeared against their bodies, as both were black (Mickey did not appear in color until The Band Concert in 1935).
9. Mickey Mouse’s name has been known to appear fraudulently on voter registration lists, most recently in the 2008 U.S. Presidential Election.
10. On November 18, 1978, in honor of his 50th anniversary, Mickey became the first cartoon character to have a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. The star is located on 6925 Hollywood Blvd.
