20 Fun Facts About Minnie Mouse on Her Birthday!
On January 22nd, 2018, Minnie received her star in front of Disney’s El Capitan Theatre.
She was the sixth Disney character to receive this honor. Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck, Winne the Pooh, Tinker Bell, and Snow White have already received this distinction. To celebrate Minnie’s birthday, here are 20 fun facts about the coveted polka-dotted mouse.
Minnie is a nickname
Minnie is a nicknameHer full name is Minerva Mouse, although she rarely uses it.
Minnie was a man
Well, a man voiced her. Walt Disney was the original voice of Minnie and continued to voice her for about a year. Marjorie Ralston then took over as the voice of Minnie and Minnie has been only voiced by women since.
Minnie has had 7 voices
In her 89 years of animated life, only 7 people have spoken for her. In comparison, Mickey has had 14 different voice actors.
Minnie married Mickey in real life
While the cartoon mice have never officially tied the knot, their voice actors have. Minnie’s current voice actress, Russi Taylor, married Wayne Allwine, who voiced Mickey for 32 years. They remained married until Allwine’s death in May 2009.
Walt Disney believed Minnie and Mickey were married
In a 1933 interview, Walt Disney said, “in private life, Mickey is married to Minnie”.
Minnie was a flapper
A flapper girl was the basis for Minnie’s original design. Minnie wore a short flapper girl dress that showed her knickers. She also wore black stockings.
Her bow wasn’t always in style
In her early years, Minnie wore a hat instead of her signature bow. In 1940, Mickey and Minnie were both redesigned. During this makeover, a large bow replaced Minnie’s hat. They also put bows on her shoes.
Pink and red weren’t always her colors
Minnie didn’t wear red and pink in the earlier cartoons. When the cartoons were in color, Minnie most often wore a combination of blue, green, and black.
Minnie comes from a humble upbringing
Her parents were farmers. Her father’s name is Marcus and her mother doesn’t have a name.
Minnie also has nieces
Donald isn’t the only character with extended family. Minnie has twin nieces, Millie and Melody.
Mortimer is related to Minnie too
He’s her uncle. Kind of weird when you think about all the times Mortimer tried to date Minnie…
She wasn’t the most popular of the Fab Five
In the mid to late 1930s. Mickey’s new sidekicks, Goofy, Donald, and Pluto proved to be more popular than Minnie. Their popularity made her appearances in Mickey cartoons less frequent.
But you can’t keep a good mouse down
Though she didn’t appear in as many Mickey cartoons, she had major roles in other cartoons. In the 1940s, she appeared in Pluto and Figaro cartoons.
Minnie didn’t speak for 12 years
Janet Waldo voiced Minnie in the 1974 Disneyland Record Album, An Adaptation of Dicken’s Christmas Carol, Performed by the Walt Disney Players. Minnie wouldn’t speak again until 1986 when Russi Taylor took over the role.
She didn’t even speak in Mickey’s Christmas Carol
In the 1983 short cartoon, Minnie plays Mrs. Cratchit. The role was silent. However, this appearance did lead to Minnie’s resurgence.
Minnie isn’t only a mouse
Russi Taylor, the voice of Minnie, also voices Huey, Dewey, and Louie. Russi Taylor has a prolific voice acting career. She voices many characters both in and outside the Disney universe.
Pluto was Minnie’s dog first
In the short cartoon The Picnic (1930), Minnie introduces her new dog, Rover, to Mickey. Rover was renamed Pluto and became Mickey’s pet in the short cartoon The Moose Hunt (1931).
But Minnie got another dog
Her name is Fifi the Peke. Fifi and Pluto would go on to have a litter of puppies.
Then she got a kitten
Minnie’s most well-known pet is Figaro, the kitten from Pinocchio. Figaro was Walt Disney’s favorite character in Pinocchio and he wanted to use the character more. Walt made Figaro Minnie’s pet, replacing Fifi’s appearances in Minnie’s cartoons.
Minnie and Mickey have the same birthday
Both of them first appeared in Steamboat Willie on November 18, 1928. However, Mickey tends to get more notoriety on this day than Minnie.
