An Early Version of Mickey Mouse Is for the People Now
Mickey Mouse in Steamboat Willie.He’s free! As of January 1, 2024, an early version of Mickey Mouse (as seen in Steamboat Willie and a silent version of Plane Crazy) has entered the public domain. And yes, that means the Minnie Mouse character from those short films is fair game too. In fact, there’s an entire list of 1928 media, including the A. A. Milne book that introduced Tigger and D.H. Lawrence’s Lady Chatterley’s Lover, that is now free for everyone to use and share. But Mickey is getting extra attention today because Disney has been particularly reluctant to let go of him — there’s a reason that the law that extended the copyright period from 75 years to 95 years was nicknamed the Mickey Mouse Act by its opponents.
It’s worth noting that there are some caveats. Later versions of the character still haven’t entered the public domain, so those updated designs are off-limits. Mickey Mouse is also still trademarked, so there are some restrictions around falsely making it seem like your work is an official Disney creation. But for now, the internet doesn’t seem to be bogged down by the fine print. Mickey’s release from copyright has already inspired a horror game from Nightmare Forge Games called Infestation 88. “We thought it was just rodents, but there’s something else in here,” a voice teases in a menacing new trailer. (Clearly, the Winnie-the-Pooh slasher movie didn’t satisfy the world’s appetite to give beloved childhood characters a nasty spin.) And of course, he’s also starring in plenty of NSFW drawings and memes. Below, see how the world is celebrating Mickey in the New Year.
First trailer for ‘INFESTATION 88’, a new co-op horror game where players are hunted by the original Mickey Mouse. pic.twitter.com/jzkZiWiMoo
— DiscussingFilm (@DiscussingFilm) January 1, 2024 @20_years_ago_Happy Public Domain Day Everyone! #MemeCut #publicdomain #steamboatwillie #mickeymouse #itysl #nye #2024
♬ original sound - 15econdreviewsIt took 16 minutes for someone to upload Steamboat Willie to Wikimedia Commons after it entered the public domain pic.twitter.com/UpJpwuyrgQ
— New Liberals 🌐🇺🇦 (@CNLiberalism) January 1, 2024The next 5 years of Steamboat Willie content pic.twitter.com/SoBanKpslO
— ToonHoleChris (@toonholechris) January 1, 2024Gonna start writing a story about Mickey Mouse sucking and fucking his way through an English estate at midnight https://t.co/IdZXuJ7wZK
— Bethy Squires (@BethyBSQU) January 1, 2024Public Domain - Steamboat Willie pic.twitter.com/vVUKFqJFpW
— Box (@boxabot) January 1, 2024Behold my new creation, I call it “Mickey Mouse if he was f*cked up” pic.twitter.com/stEmnslH8o
— Neo The 🇦🇷 (ROAD TO 1M) (@TheRealNeoThe) January 1, 2024Drew like a dark, fucked up version of the mickey mouse mascot haha. Just a glimpse into my dark reality. A full stare into my twisted perspective would make most simply go insane lmao pic.twitter.com/92SqzDWtzB
— miguel🐄 (@itshemiii) January 1, 2024hey check out this new character i came up with pic.twitter.com/olNWfdeiXh
— jenny_tightpants🪑 (@halomancer1) January 1, 2024Related
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