Mickey Mouse:
Walt Disney's most famous character, made his screen debut on November 18, 1928, as star of the first sound cartoon, Steamboat Willie. Mickey Mouse was born in Walt Disney's imagination early in 1928 on a train ride from New York to Los Angeles. Walt was returning with his wife from a business meeting at which his cartoon creation, Oswald the Rabbit, had been wrestled from him by his financial backers. Only 26 at the time and with an active cartoon studio in Hollywood, Walt had gone east to arrange for a new contract and more money to improve the quality of his Oswald pictures. The moneymen declined, and since the character was copyrighted under their name, they took control of it.
"So I was all alone and had nothing," Walt recalled later. "Mrs. Disney and I were coming back from New York on the train and I had to have something I could tell them. I've lost Oswald so, I had this mouse in the back of my head because a mouse is sort of a sympathetic character in spite of the fact that everybody's frightened of a mouse including myself" Walt spent the return train ride conjuring up a little mouse in red velvet pants and named him "Mortimer," but by the time the train screeched into the terminal station in Los Angeles, the new dream mouse had been rechristened. Walt's wife, Lillian, thought the name "Mortimer" was too pompous and suggested "Mickey." A star was born!
Minnie Mouse made her film debut in "Steamboat Willie" on November 18, 1928. She appeared in 73 cartoons with Mickey Mouse (her boyfriend) and Pluto. Being a popular character at the Disney theme parks, in 1986 they declared it "Minnie's Year", giving her much-deserved recognition. The first voice of Minnie Mouse was Marcellite Garner, from the Ink and Paint Department at the Disney Studio. Afterwards there were several others from that department, and currently the voice is supplied by Russi Taylor. Minnie Mouse has two nieces, Melody and Millicent, who appeared in a few comic book stories. Favorite sayings: "Why, hello!" "Aren't you sweet!" "Yoo-hoo!" "Oh, Mickey ..."
Goofy:
The character whom we know today as Goofy first appeared six decades ago in Mickey's Revue (1932). Then a bit player (as an obnoxious "laugher" in a barnyard audience), he sported whiskers and square spectacles and was called Dippy Dawg.
Walt often described the type of physical humor used in the Walt Disney Studio's cartoons as being "goofy," and with Orphan's Benefit (1934), that name officially stuck to this affable character. But Goofy's personality really began to take shape in the 1935 cartoon Moving Day, in which animator Art Babbitt built up Goofy's role and gave his character definition. And thus, a new Disney star was born.
Donald Duck:
Donald debuted in the cartoon The Wise Little Hen June 9, 1934. His first appearance in comics was in the adaptation of the Silly Symphonies comic series.
Donald lives in Duckburg with his three nephews Huey, Dewey and Louie. Other than that his most important relatives are his uncle Scrooge McDuck, his cousin Gladstone Gander, and Grandma Duck.
Probably the only time he refers to his mother in a story by Carl Barks is in Walt Disney Comics 57 where he has disguised himself and says: "My own mother wouldn't know me now!"
He has a girlfriend, Daisy Duck.
There is nothing in the works of Carl Barks that indicates what Donald's birthday is.
Daisy Duck:
Daisy, had her debut as Donna Duck in "Don Donald" (1937), but became known as Daisy in "Mr. Duck Steps Out" (1940). She went on to make 14 film appearances. Daisy had three nieces in comic book stories: April, May, and June. They first appeared in Walt Disney's Comics & Stories #149 (February 1953).
A woman who knows her mind, she expects to be treated right: candy, flowers, a night on the town. If Donald won't toe the line, she's not afraid to offer an ultimatum. "Until you develop a more pleasant personality, I don't want to see you again." Threats notwithstanding, she's confident that Donald will always be back, faults and all. In fact, given the choice between keeping him for herself just as he is, or sharing him with the rest of the world, she makes her feelings for Donald very clear. "Me, me, me, me ... ME!" Daisy wouldn't have it any other way. Favorite sayings: "Well, I never!" "Oh, Donald ..."
Pluto:
Pluto was Mickey's faithful dog and companion. He starred in 48 of his own cartoons, but also appeared along with Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck in many of their cartoons. Pluto was created as an actual dog character, with no speaking voice, as opposed to Goofy, who was created as a human character. The dog who would eventually evolve into Pluto made his debut as a bloodhound in the Mickey Mouse cartoon "The Chain Gang" in 1930. Later that year he appeared as Minnie Mouse's dog, Rover, in "The Picnic," and the following year finally became Mickey's dog Pluto in "The Moose Hunt." Favorite sayings: "Grrr ..." "Snort!" "Sniff, sniff, sniff ..." "Bark! Bark!"
