Fact Check: Was Mickey Mouse originally named Mortimer? Creation of popular Walt Disney character's moniker explored

Ever since the copyright license on Steamboat Willie expired in January 2024 and the 1928 version of Mickey Mouse became public domain after 95 years, as per Screenrant, there has been a lot of buzz surrounding the character. While many have found creative ways to utilize the character, others dug deep into his past and claimed that his original name was Mortimer.

These claims are accurate, as evidenced by Bob Thomas' Walt Disney biography, Disney: An American Original, and several interviews. Disney initially named his creation Mortimer but immediately changed his name to Mickey due to the disapproval of his wife, as per Disney Singapore.

However, Mortimer Mouse was later introduced as Mickey's rival.

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Mickey Mouse was once Mortimer Mouse

Way back in 1928, an animated short named Steamboat Willie was released, launching the career of the much-loved cartoon rodent Mickey Mouse. The mouse with a high-pitched voice and his girlfriend Minnie made their way into the lives of fans across the globe, entertaining children as well as adults.

Although nobody can imagine calling Mickey by any other name today, his original name was quite different. He was initially called Mortimer Mouse. This was confirmed by the fact-checking website Snopes, which received confirmation from Walt Disney Family Museum, Communications & Media Relations Specialist, Caroline Quinn.

Quinn told the outlet that Mickey's origins as Mortimer were detailed in Bob Thomas' Disney: An American Original, which she said was considered by the museum and Walt's family to be "the most accurate telling of Walt’s life." She also sent the outlet two excerpts from interviews in which Walt mentioned Mortimer.

In a 1959 segment of the Voices from the Hollywood Past radio show, Walt Disney spoke to Tony Thomas and explained that he had decided to create a cartoon mouse as he felt that mice were not overused in the industry. He noted that they had been used but never featured. He said during the interview:

"What would you call him? And the euphony there of 'Mickey Mouse.' I had him 'Mortimer' first and then my wife shook her head and then I tried 'Mickey' and she nodded the other way and that was it."

In a September 1947 New York Times magazine article by Frank Nugent titled, That Million Dollar Mouse, Disney was quoted as saying that he had planned to call his rodent creation, Mortimer. However, he had a change of heart because his "wife suggested Mickey and that sounded better."

However, there are a couple of other characters in Disney lore named Mortimer. Just like Mickey, they are in fact, both mice and make multiple appearances alongside each other in various cartoons. One of them is a popular recurring character and Mickey's rival and the other one is Minnie's uncle.

The first Mortimer Mouse made his debut in the 1936 Disney short, Mickey's RivalI, where he competed with Mickey for Minnie Mouse. The official Disney Fandom wiki page describes him as an "arrogant, lecherous, yet charismatic shyster." Mortier also made recurring appearances in Mickey Mouse Works, House of Mouse, Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, and other projects.

The second Mortimer Mouse is Minnie Mouse's uncle, a Death Valley ranch-owning cattle farmer. The wiki page reports that Mortimer made his debut in a 1930 comic strip titled Mickey Mouse in Death Valley.

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Now that Steamboat Willie is in the public domain, many creative individuals have taken it upon themselves to develop their own Mickey Mouse projects. This includes an upcoming horror movie titled, Mickey's Mouse Trap and a Mickey Mouse horror game called, Infestation: Origins.