| Milton Mouse | |
|---|---|
 | |
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Real Name |
Milton Mouse |
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First Appearance |
The Fable of the Goose That Laid the Golden Egg (June 1921) |
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Original Publisher |
Fables Pictures, Inc. |
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Created by |
William Ferguson |
Origin[]
Milton Mouse is an animated character created at Fables Studios for Paul Terry's cartoon series Aesop's Fables (later Aesop's Sound Fables). The character was introduced in 1921.
Terry has been credited with being the first animator to use mouse characters, in the July 26, 1921 film Mice in Council, which told the story of mice tying a bell to a cat's neck. The next film, July 31's Country Mouse and City Mouse, established that Terry's mouse characters wore gloves and boots.
The character of "Milton Mouse" has been credited to Terry employee William Ferguson in 1921. The September 27, 1922 cartoon The Fable of the Romantic Mouse was the first to establish a female mouse character, who in this picture was called Lizzie. Later films called Milton's girlfriend Rita or Mary.
Milton Mouse and his girlfriend appeared in dozens of cartoons made under the supervision of Paul Terry. At first, Milton was a mischievous character trying to find treasure or steal food, in appearances including The Fable of the Fortune Hunters (Nov 1922), The Fable of Cheating the Cheaters (Dec 1922) and The Pearl Divers (July 1923). Later, Milton played the hero, rescuing Rita from villainous cats and other threatening animals, in films including Sink or Swim (Jan 1927), The Big Tent (Sept 1927), Saved By a Keyhole (Nov 1927), Our Little Nell (July 1928), and more.
They both got redesigned in 1929 to bear a striking resemblance to Mickey and Minnie Mouse, which led to them getting a lawsuit from Walt Disney.
Gallery[]
Public Domain Appearances[]
All of the shorts Milton Mouse makes an appearance in are public domain in the US due to the copyright expiring after 95 years or not being renewed.
Some notable appearances are listed below:
Public Domain Film Appearances[]
- The Fable of the Goose That Laid the Golden Egg (June 1921)
- The Fable of the Romantic Mouse (1922)
- The Fable of the Fortune Hunters (Nov 1922)
- The Fable of Cheating the Cheaters (Dec 1922)
- The Pearl Divers (July 1923)
- Sink or Swim (Jan 1927)
- The Big Tent (Sept 1927)
- Saved By a Keyhole (Nov 1927)
- Our Little Nell (July 1928)
- A Close Call (Dec 1929)
- Office Boy (Nov 1930)
- Western Whoopee (April 1930)
- Circus Capers (Sept 1930)