Mickey Mouse
Mickey Mouse was Walt's most famous character. His first big screen debut was Steamboat Willie on November 18th, 1928. Mickey Mouse has become and international personality whose success laid the financial foundation upon which Walt Disney built his creative organization. Besides being the personification of everything Disney, Mickey has become one of the most universal symbols of the Twenieth Century. Mickey was born in Walt's imagination late in 1928 on a train ride from New York to Los Angeles. Disney wanted to name him Mortimer but his wife told him to call him Mickey instead. He played everything from fireman to giant killer, cowboy to inventor, detective to plumber. Technically and artistically Mickey cartoons were far superior to other contemporary cartoons and gave life to an entire family of animated characters like Minnie Mouse, Goofy, and Pluto.