AT 65, most people would be ready to put up their feet and enjoy a life of leisure. But Mickey Mouse is no ordinary pensioner. He has a higher profile than Michael Jackson and a wider appeal than Coca-Cola.
When Mickey made his celluloid debut on November 18, 1928, in the animated film Steamboat Willie, no one, least of all creator Walt Disney, could have guessed he would become the most recognised face in the world. The cartoon mouse captured the hearts of audiences around the world, but it has been the clever and relentless marketing of the Mickey Mouse image that has kept people entranced.
Officially available in Hong Kong from 1989, Mickey and his cartoon cronies can be found on everything from hair clips to shoes, biscuits and candies; from bed linen and towels to CDs and cassettes; from magazines and story books to school supplies and stationery. Watches are a favourite as are Mickey Mouse T-shirts and baseball caps.
Mickey - the mouse and the merchandise - has changed over the years. In his youth, he was, well, a rodent. Thin rat-like arms protruded from his pear-shaped body and his attire did little to add to his image. Had he been called Mortimer, as originally planned, the story may have ended there. But the rough edges were smoothed by giving him more human qualities, white gloves and shoes. As his career blossomed, so did his persona.
He lost his crazy characteristics and became a more bland, fun-loving, courteous, even shy, mouse. In fact, Donald Duck was introduced as an outlet for the mischievous behaviour Mickey had exhibited during his adolescence.
Mickey's big break came when he stepped off the silver screen and into Disneyland. He got his own television programme, The Mickey Mouse Club, in the mid-1950s and devoted less and less time to film appearances. By 1953, Mickey had retired from the big screen to concentrate on marketing, making a brief comeback in the 1983 film Mickey's Christmas Carol, and again in 1990 for a short feature film based on Mark Twain's novel The Prince and the Pauper.
