We’ve talked a lot about all the interesting changes happening in Disney World this year.
The Disney Dining Plan has returned, all-day park hopping is back, and now Mickey Mouse is in the public domain — wait, what?
Yes, as of January 1st, 2024, Steamboat Willie, the first iteration of Mickey Mouse, is officially in the public domain. This means that anyone in the world can now use Steamboat Willie in anything they want without any legal repercussions.
And what has Adult Swim done? They’ve created a new video bumper on YouTube that includes language that Steamboat Willie, as he was originally created, would never be associated with. Be advised — the YouTube video below has a curse word on the thumbnail.
So how else has Steamboat Willie been used out of his original context since the beginning of the year? Well, there’s a Steamboat Willie horror movie on the way (we’re not kidding), so…prepare for that.
Oh, and there’s a horror Mickey Mouse video game being released, too. Nightmare Forge Games has shared that they will be creating a 1-4-player survival-horror co-op game featuring our favorite mouse.
And this is likely just the beginning for public domain Steamboat Willie. Be sure to stay tuned to AllEars for all the latest Disney news!
See what other popular characters entered the public domain a few years ago
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What character are you excited, or dreading, to see go into the public domain? Tell us in the comments!
It doesn’t seem fair that a company can lose a property that it has spent so much effort to maintain.