Disney's first creation was a cartoon character that he named Oswald the Lucky Rabbit. This rabbit realized some popularity. Walt Disney lost his rights to Oswald to Walter Lantz. With this blow Disney still kept up his search for the right character he wanted. It was in 1928, when Walt Disney took a five-day train trip with his wife Lillian, that he came up with the idea of a cartoon mouse named Mortimer. It is said that Disney actually fashioned the mouse after Oswald the Lucky Rabbit. Whatever the case, his wife rejected the name of the mouse, and Disney ended up changing it from Mortimer to Mickey. When they arrived in California, Disney worked friend Ub Iwerks on creating Mickey Mouse. He made his debut on November 18, 1928, in a black and white cartoon called "Steamboat Willie." It was a talking picture, and Mickey Mouse said his first words, "Hot dog!" It is fascinating to note that Mickey Mouse started out as a wicked, mischievous character that played a cow's teeth like a xylophone in his first movie. He also performed other terrible little tasks as well. This image was soon changed, so that he would appeal to a much wider audience. One of the most noticeable physical differences between the first Mickey Mouse and his modern day appearance include the addition of white gloves on his hands. There were also many other changes as he evolved over the years. Today, Mickey Mouse is normally dressed in red shorts with two buttons on the front, large yellow shoes, and his trademark white gloves. He sports a bulbous black nose, and he has large eyes. The only similarities he has to a real mouse are his large mouse ears, and his long, skinny tail. Other than those features, Mickey Mouse has his own unique look. Mickey's character has changed too, as today, he represents a childlike goodness, and he is well known for his innocent charm. Mickey would never be caught doing anything that was nasty or mischievous now, as he did in his earlier days. Mickey Mouse rose up in stardom quickly, and he soon became a comic book character in 1930 when he starred in his first adventure that was called, "Lost on a Desert Island." Walt Disney wrote the comic strip while Ub Iwerks did the drawings. A man by the name of Floyd Gottfredson eventually took Iwerks' job over, and he continued to draw Mickey Mouse and his friends for many years to come. Mickey soon acquired a girlfriend, a mouse named Minnie, and two nephews named Morty and Ferdie, and a dog named Pluto was also added to the family.
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