As far as American pop-culture icons go, Mickey Mouse is, in a word… indestructible. The rotund rodent might have taken a back seat for the company in recent years, but that's just a drop in the ocean for one of the world's most recognisable cartoon characters. 

Ever since his debut in 1928's Steamboat Willie, Mickey has found himself in everything from countless mountains of merchandise to theme parks, video games and even bizarre war propaganda during World War 2.

Today is the Big Mouse's birthday, a time honoured tradition at Disney that's been celebrated for several years now. Despite this massive legacy, perhaps his most enduring contribution to the world of entertainment took place far before Disney became a household name. This is the story of a visionary animator, an uncompromising film studio, a rabbit and of course, a very specific mouse.

Like every good story in Hollywood, this one starts with someone screwing over someone else. 

Back in the mid-1920s, animator Walt Disney and his older brother Roy had successfully set up the Disney Brothers Cartoon Studio. Initially working with producers Winkler Pictures, the Disneys tasted initial success with Alice Comedies, before Universal Studios joined in and asked Disney to make a new show. This project then became Oswald The Lucky Rabbit. 

via Gfycat

While Disney did not earn much from Oswald, his character was an instant hit upon release, bolstering the young animator to approach the bigwigs at Universal. Confident that he had the upper hand due to his cartoon's popularity, Walt Disney walked right in and asked the executives for a budget raise.

Unsurprising by Hollywood executive standards, Disney was in for a rude shock. Not only was his request binned, he was told that Winkler Pictures CEO, Charles Mintz, had poached away several members of Disney's animation team. Universal had the clout to do this because they retained the rights to use Oswald, and to add further insult to injury, told Walt that he could stay on the project if he took a 20 percent pay cut.

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There are no two ways about it - Walt Disney was absolutely furious.

Disney's response to this well-planned backstabbing was to do two things. First, he vowed to never settle for less than complete ownership of his characters. Secondly, he sought out one of his oldest friends - animator Ub Iwerks. Both men had sailed the rough seas of early-era animation together, and Iwerks was the only one that Disney could rely on at the time.

Their first efforts at making a new character were good, but not quite enough for Disney. During these manic, late-night brainstorming sessions, both artists came up with several designs, some of which were saved for later projects.

Caption: Horace Horsecollar & Clarabelle Cow - two early creations of Iwerks' and Disney's, 1931.

One day, while travelling on a train headed to California, inspiration struck Walt. He produced a few simple drawings and along with Iwerks, carried out a series of anatomical adjustments to the original Oswald formula - after shortening the ears, lengthening his nose and stuffing him up a little, the duo stepped back and checked out their work - the rabbit was now a mouse.

© Disney

This startling new creation was initially named Mortimer, much to Walt's wife's distaste. She then suggested the name we've all come to know and love - Mickey.

Fresh off the illustration table, Mickey Mouse certainly had a lot to prove. Disney's first Mickey shot, 1928's Plane Crazy wasn't the runaway hit they were hoping for. Even the second film, The Gallopin' Gaucho, failed to pick up distributors. Like several things in life however, third time's the charm.

Steamboat Willie is more than just Mickey's public debut. Back in the 1920s, the silent film era was just beginning to be influenced by the advent of synchronised sound, and on watching Alan Crosland's The Jazz Singer, Walt became committed to becoming a pioneer with this revolutionary new technology.

© The Jazz Singer's theatrical poster, 1927.

Naturally, some doubt accompanied the process, as few thought that a sound cartoon would seem believable enough. A test audience consisting of Disney employees and their families was set up, with live sound being produced in the very same room. Whistles were blown. Pots and pans were struck in timing with the slapstick actions of the characters, while Walt himself provided the grunts, squeaks and other unintelligible voices required. This was clearly a man absolutely devoted to his work, and who believed in it like no one else.

In one of his earlier interviews, Walt said, “The effect on our little audience was nothing less than electric. They responded almost instinctively to this union of sound and motion. I thought they were kidding me. So they put me in the audience and ran the action again. It was terrible, but it was wonderful! And it was something new.”

The film was picked up for distribution and ran for two weeks - for which Disney was paid $1,000, or roughly $15,000 in today's money. Cartoons at the time were played before main shows at the cinemas - Steamboat Willie happened to be the cartoon of independent feature film, Gang War. 

Steamboat Willie is perhaps one of the most important pieces of visual art ever made, while Gang War is all but forgotten today.

The cartoon's success brought Disney substantial fame, critical reviews and made the mouse a much-beloved cartoon icon. Soon, Disney set his sights on the next great masterstroke of his career - marketing. Walt quickly started up a line of Mickey merchandise, and within two years the Mickey Mouse Club, a fan club for children, was up and running.

© Disney sold his Mickey plush dolls in the form of 35-cent sewing kits, so that even poor children could own one.

Through the decades that followed, Mickey has been a pretty upstanding, honest and generally likeable character (unlike his famous contemporary, Donald Duck). He's done everything from edutainment shows for toddlers, obtain the powers of a mighty wizard, fought against Nazis and even lost his girlfriend Minnie to a long chain of tough guys - but he always finds a way, usually through cleverness and sheer determination, to save the day.

© Walt Disney's last photo taken at Disneyland.

Sounds a lot like an old animator we knew. Happy birthday, Mickey Mouse!

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