Mickey Mouse made his public debut in the cartoon Steamboat Willie on November 18, 1928 -81 years ago.

November 18, 1928 is widely recognized as Mickey Mouse’s birthdate as it was the day that Steamboat Willie-the first Mickey Mouse cartoon with synchronized sound-was released.

Mickey was created as a replacement for Oswald the Lucky Rabbit, an earlier cartoon character created by the Disney studio for Charles Mintz of Universal Studios.

Over the years, Mickey Mouse has evolved from black and white to full color appearing in everything from TV shows to video games.

As a special celebration, children celebrating their own birthday on the day they visit the Disneyland theme park in California between now and Christmas will get in for free.

Happy Birthday Mickey!

Mickey Mouse Turns 81