Fun Facts About Everyone’s Favorite Mouse Happy Birthday to Mickey Mouse! Walt Disney’s iconic character turns 91 today (November 18) and we’re celebrating with some fun facts.  Mickey Mouse made his debut on November 18th, 1928 in the animated short, “Steamboat Willie” at the Colony Theatre in New York City. It was the first animated cartoon to feature synchronized sound. A seven-minute Mickey Mouse cartoon could have over 10,000 drawings that would take anywhere from six months to a year to complete. Mickey’s first live stage show, “Mickey Mouse Ideas” happened in 1931.

The Mickey Mouse watch is the most popular piece of merchandise with 2.5 million watches sold in the first two years of production. It was said that Mickey was Walt Disney’s alter-ego and he was patterned after Charlie Chaplin.