Mickey Mouse turns 80 today.
18 November 1928 is Mickey’s official birthday, according to the Walt Disney Company. That’s the date of the cheerful rodent’s first public appearance in the cartoon short Steamboat Willie (below).
Nowadays, of course, he is Chairman Mouse, the icon and ambassador for all things Disney. You’ve come a long way, Mickey, thanks to grit, determination, and big ears. We look forward to celebrating your 100th in 2028.
(Side note for animation buffs: Mickey was born in the same month and year as Osamu Tezuka, the “Walt Disney of Japan.” Tezuka, according to legend, saw Disney’s Bambi 80 times before his death in 1989.)