| Minnie Mouse | |
|---|---|
 | |
|
Real Name |
Minnie Mouse |
|
First Appearance |
Plane Crazy (1928) (production) |
|
Original Publisher |
Pat Powers (Celebrity Productions) |
|
Created by |
Walt Disney |
Origin[]
Minnie Mouse is an animated anthropomorphic mouse character created by Walt Disney. She is the longtime girlfriend of Mickey Mouse, known for her sweet disposition, pillbox hat adorned with a flower, a dress revealing her white bloomers, and high-heel shoes. Inspired by flapper girls of the 1920s, Minnie first appeared in the short Steamboat Willie, released on November 18, 1928. Her first spoken words, "Yoo-hoo!", has become a signature catchphrase synonymous with the character.
Public Domain Appearances[]
Public Domain Animated Appearances[]
- Plane Crazy (1928)
- Steamboat Willie (1928)
- The Galloping Gaucho (1928)
- The Barn Dance (1929)
- The Opry House (1929)
- When the Cat's Away (1929)
- The Plowboy (1929)
- The Karnival Kid (1929)
- Mickey's Follies (1929) – includes the song “Minnie’s Yoo‐hoo”
- Mickey's Choo-Choo (1929)
- Wild Waves (1929)
- All Together (1942)
- Out of the Frying Pan and Into the Firing Line (1942)
Public Domain Comics Appearances[]
- Mickey Mouse in Death Valley (1930)
- Mr. Slicker and the Egg Robbers (1930)
Gallery[]
Minnie Mouse in Plane Crazy (1928)
.webp "The gallopin gaucho 3large (1).webp (66 KB)")
Minnie Mouse in The Galloping Gaucho (1928)
.png "Minnie in Steamboat willie (1928).png (69 KB)")
Minnie Mouse in Steamboat willie (1928)
Minnie Mouse in Mickey’s Choo-Choo (1929)
Notes[]
- As of 2025, only Minnie's earliest animated appearances in 1928-1929 & two WWII propaganda films from 1942 are in the public domain.
- The comic strip story-lines Mickey Mouse in Death Valley & Mr. Slicker and the Egg Robbers are in the public domain due to a lack of renewal for his debut and for strips beyond Jan 13-18 published in 1930.
- Despite her name being in the title and being predominantly mentioned in the song performed, Minnie Mouse does not appear in the public domain short Minnie's Yoo Hoo from 1930.
- "Minnie Mouse" is still held as a trademark by the Walt Disney Company. This means that although Minnie can legally be used within a work of fiction, it cannot be advertised in a way that makes it appear as if it's a Disney-endorsed product, and Minnie cannot be used for consumer goods such as food and toys.
- All Together and Out of the Frying Pan and Into the Firing Line were WWII propaganda films that fell in the public domain due to being wartime films made for the US government.
- Despite Out of the Frying Pan and Into the Firing Line being in the public domain, elements of the short, including Pluto and Minnie's more modern design, will remain under copyright until 2026 and 2035 respectively.
- Milton and Rita Mouse from the Aesop's Fables cartoons 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.