Minerva "Minnie" Mouse Is A: Series

Minerva "Minnie" Mouse is a funny animal cartoon character created by Ub Iwerks and Walt
Disney. She was first drawn by Iwerks in 1928, as was Mickey Mouse. The comic strip story "The
Gleam" (published January 19May 2, 1942) by Merrill De Maris and Floyd Gottfredson first gave
her full name as Minerva Mouse; this full name is seldom used.
The comic strip story "Mr. Slicker and the Egg Robbers" (published September 22December 26,
1930) introduced her father Marcus Mouse and her unnamed mother, both farmers. The same story
featured photographs of Minnie's uncle Milton Mouse with his family and her grandparents Marshal
Mouse and Matilda Mouse. Her best known relatives, however, remain her uncle Mortimer Mouse
and her twin nieces, Millie and Melody Mouse, though most often a single niece, Melody, appears. In
many appearances, Minnie is presented as the girlfriend of Mickey Mouse, a close friend of Daisy
Duck,[3] and a friend to Clarabelle Cow.
Contents
[hide]
1 Origins of the character
2 Minnie's Yoo-Hoo
3 Damsel in distress
4 Introduction of a pet
5 Waning years
6 Contemporary appearances
7 Television
8 Minnie as a queen and princess

o
8.1 Kingdom Hearts series
8.2 Mickey, Donald, Goofy: The Three Musketeers
9 Disney on Ice
10 Voice actors
11 Appearances in cartoon shorts

o
11.1 1920s
11.2 1930s
11.3 1940s
11.4 1950s
11.5 1980s
11.6 1990s
11.7 Television appearances
12 References
13 External links
Origins of the character[edit]
Concept art from early 1928; the drawings, which are the earliest of Mickey Mouse, also show a female version
of the character (lower right), from the collection of The Walt Disney Family Museum.
In 1928, Walt Disney and Ub Iwerks created Mickey Mouse to act as a replacement to his previous
star Oswald the Lucky Rabbit. But Mickey could not fill the void alone. Among the few consistent
character traits Oswald had developed before moving on to Universal Studios was his near-constant
pursuit of potential sweethearts. So for Mickey to have a chance to emulate his predecessor at
flirting, someone had to replace Oswald's many love interests. This replacement to Miss Rabbit,
Miss Cottontail, Fanny and an uncertain number of unnamed nurses and dancers was to become
Minnie Mouse.
Minnie was designed in the fashion of a "flapper" girl. Her main outfit consisted of a short flapper girl
dress that often revealed her distinctive patched knickers. In the 1929 cartoon The Karnival Kid it
was also revealed that she wears black stockings which were also fashionable among flapper girls.
Her shoes are probably her most distinctive article of clothing. For comedic effect, she wears oversized high heeled pumps that are too big for her feet. Her heels often slip out of her shoes, and she
even loses her shoes completely in The Gallopin' Gaucho. When she walked or danced, the clip clop
of her large pumps were usually heard clearly and often went with the rhythm of the music that was
played in the background. Along with Mickey, she was redesigned in 1940. Her hat was replaced
with a large bow, and bows were added to her shoes as well. Her eyes were also given more detail.
Throughout the forties and fifties, her look and personality became more conservative. Minnie almost
always wears red or pink, but in her early appearances she could be seen wearing a combination of
blue, black or green (when not depicted in black and white).
Minnie's early personality is playful, musical and flirtatious. She often portrays an entertainer like a
dancer or a musician that Mickey is trying to win the affection of. Part of the comedy of these early
shorts is the varying degree of success Mickey has in wooing Minnie. Unlike later cartoons after the
redesign, Minnie often becomes a damsel in distress that Mickey tries to rescue. She is also subject
to a lot of slapstick and rubber hose animation gags. Over the course of the thirties, Minnie's and
Mickey's relationship solidified and they eventually became a steady couple.
Minnie first appeared in Plane Crazy.[4] Minnie is invited to join Mickey in the first flight of his aircraft.
She accepts the invitation but not his request for a kiss in mid-flight. Mickey eventually forces Minnie
into a kiss but this only results in her parachuting out of the plane. This first film depicted Minnie as
somewhat resistant to the demanding affection of her potential boyfriend and capable of escaping
his grasp.
Their debut however featured the couple already familiar to each other. The next film featuring them
was The Gallopin' Gaucho.[5] The film was the second of their series to be produced, but the third to
be released, and was released on December 30, 1928. We find Minnie employed as the Cantina
Argentina, a bar and restaurant established in thePampas of Argentina. She performs the Tango for
Mickey the gaucho and Black Pete the outlaw. Both flirt with her but the latter intends to abduct her
while the former obliges in saving the Damsel in Distress from the villain. All three characters acted
as strangers first being introduced to each other.
But it was their third cartoon that established the definitive early look and personality of both Mickey
and Minnie, as well as Pete. Steamboat Willie,[6] was the third short of the series to be produced but
released first on November 18, 1928. Pete was featured as the Captain of the steamboat, Mickey as
a crew of one and Minnie as their single passenger. The two anthropomorphic mice first star in
a sound film and spend most of its duration playing music to the tune of "Turkey in the Straw".
Minnie's Yoo-Hoo[edit]
Her next appearance was arguably more significant. Mickey's Follies (June 26, 1929),[7] featured the
first performance of the song "Minnie's Yoo-Hoo". "The guy they call littleMickey Mouse" for the first
time addresses an audience to explain that he has "Got a sweetie" who is "Neither fat nor skinny"
and proudly proclaims that "She's my little Minnie Mouse". Mickey then proceeds in explaining his
reaction to Minnie's call. The song firmly establishes Mickey and Minnie as a couple and expresses
the importance Minnie holds for her male partner. Soon it would become the theme song to all of
their series.

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Minerva "Minnie" Mouse is a funny animal cartoon character created by Ub Iwerks and Walt

1 Origins of the character

8 Minnie as a queen and princess

8.1 Kingdom Hearts series

8.2 Mickey, Donald, Goofy: The Three Musketeers

11 Appearances in cartoon shorts

11.7 Television appearances

Origins of the character[edit]

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