Angel: Well guys, we haven't met the characters that supposedly started it all! Come on out, Mickey!
Mickey: Hello everyone! Thanks Angel, it's nice to know we are remembered!
Angel: It's not a problem! Hey, where's the rest of the crew?
Minnie: Right here!
Goofy: Yuup!
Daisy: We're right behind you.
Donald: I still don't want to do this.
Pluto: Woof!
Angel: Did you all know that Mickey first started out as a rabbit named Oswald the Lucky Rabbit? He was a hit. However, Universal Pictures told Disney that they had hired away all of his employees and taken the rights to Oswald. Kinda sad, right?
Minnie: Tell them about Mortimer!
Angel: Alright! So they told Disney that he could stay only if he took a lower salary. Naturally, he refused, so he and his only loyal animator Ub Iwerks went through long nights of brainstorming to come up with a replacement for Oswald.
Daisy: And they came up with Mortimer the Mouse!
Angel: That's right! They shortened the ears, added some padding to his belly, and vóila! Mortimer was born!
Mickey: He didn't last, though. There were tons of tales as to why the name changed, but the most popular one was that Walt Disney's wife didn't like the name and suggested a change.
Angel: And Mickey was ready for his first debut. The first two films didn't draw any attention, but Steamboat Willie was a hit! People loved it.
Daisy: Mickey was a national fad by the end of the year. Walt was quick in the clever marketing business. Before long, there was a line of Mickey merchandise and a Mickey Mouse fan club for kids.
Angel: And Mickey's first makeover came in 1935 from a young animator named Fred Moore. By 1937, Disney Studios was producing 12 Mickey Mouse short films a year. Disney himself was the voice of Mickey.
Minnie: Did you know that Mickey posed with every US president since Harry Truman except for one?
Angel: That's right! Lyndon Johnson never visited a Disney theme park.
Mickey: That's a history lesson for you!
Goofy: Aw shucks, is it already time to go?
Angel: Oh! It is, my good friends. So book a visit, guys! Or maybe go back in time and watch some of those shorts! This is my way of giving you a history lesson.
Mickey: Alright, kids! Gotta say Toodles!
Minnie: Toodles!
Daisy: Toodles!
Donald: Toodles.
Goofy: Toodles!
Pluto: Aroo!
Angel: It's the Mickey Mouse Clubhouse! See you soon!
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