Mort Gerberg shares this memory of his encounter with John and Shel Silverstein outside the gates of Disneyland in 1966. From John Wilcock, New York Years.

Above, The Mickey Mouse Club, circa 1930. Below, Mickey's first appearance, a May 15, 1928, test screening of the cartoon Plane Crazy. The film wasn't picked up by a distributor and as a result we celebrate Mickey's birthday on November 18 because that day in 1928 was the first public appearance of the mouse, in Steamboat Willie (below).

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Got a spare 12 bucks? If you’re a fan of the Mouse and you live someplace other than California, Nevada, and Arizona, then you might have fun with this collapsible umbrella that appears to be normal — a solid color — when you open it. When the heavens open and the raindrops fall, they bring out a silhouette of Walt Disney’s best pal on the fabric. Fun, but not in the sun... and it looks like this: Read the rest

I've always wanted a Mickey Mouse watch. This model is on sale for $18 on Amazon, and looks better than more expensive ones. Until I can afford this Masonic watch (which David and I have both been coveting for a couple of decades) this will do the job.

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What you are about to see is a bunch of stultifyingly counterfeit Disney characters performing at a concert where Dear Leader, Jr. of North Korea, Kim Jung Un, was in attendance. I'm wondering if he was, perhaps, slightly underwhelmed.

Bonus: right smack in the center of an "Oh SNAP" bullseye. The following is an image of several "rejected" designs for Mickey Mouse, a most beloved creation of Walt Disney because he'd always considered the happy little rodent a reflection of himself. Warning: one of these Mickeys has a penis. Read the rest