Smarting from the loss of his popular Oswald the Rabbit character and much of his staff, a young Walt Disney spent the better part of a railroad trip from New York to LA working on a new character-not a rabbit but a rodent. Disney had the perfect name-Mortimer Mouse. His wife thought otherwise and Mickey Mouse was born.

Working with Ub Iwerks, Disney spent six weeks co-directing Mickey and Minnie Mouse's first big screen adventure. On May 15, 1928, the duo debuted in Plane Crazy, with Mickey attempting to emulate Charles Lindbergh. It tested regionally, but didn't secure a distributor. Disney and Iwerks tried again with The Gallopin' Gaucho, but lack of interest prevented its release. Disney needed something to make his character stand out; it was time to make Mickey talk.

Released on November 18, 1928, Steamboat Willie featured a synchronized soundtrack with Disney himself as Mickey. Plane Crazy and The Gallopin' Gaucho were re-released with added sound, followed by dozens of new adventures. Audiences were smitten with this new hero.

As his popularity grew, Mickey became less a prankster than a noble friend and role model to children. He was also a cultural phenomenon, with cartoons, books, comics, and feature films chronicling his exploits. His image appeared on glasses, dolls, buttons, masks, clocks, jewelry, milk bottles, lamps and cereal boxes. By the 1940s, Mickey was already a beloved American icon-an everyman, and by default, everymouse.

Mickey's fame was so widespread that during World War II, the Nazis used images of Mickey to mock American culture. Mickey survived and flourished, and with the advent of television his popularity took another leap forward. Eager to capture a late afternoon children's audience, ABC brought The Mickey Mouse Club to television on October 3, 1955; the club had first formed in 1929 to promote theatrical cartoons. The show's stars were a group of children known as Mouseketeers who were about the same age as their audience. Kids were encouraged to wear the official Mouseketeer hat, a black beanie with Mickey ears. By year's end, Mouseketeers Annette Funicello and Cubby O'Brien were household names and Benay-Albee Novelty Company had shipped 550,000 beanies. By early 1956, the show had 16.5 million viewers and a huge selection of licensed merchandise on store shelves.

The Mickey Mouse Club didn't just sell Disney merchandise. Mattel sponsored three commercials daily for a year, defying the conventional wisdom that toys were purchased only by adults at Christmas. Mattel's success inspired other companies to follow suit, taking the first steps toward a year-round toy market.

For four years the Mouseketeers sang and danced, and all of America knew the words to the show's theme song: "Who's the leader of the club/That's made for you and me/M-I-C-K-E-Y/M-O-U-S-E!" At Geppi's Entertainment Museum, Mickey takes the center spot in our "When Heroes Unite" gallery.