Mickey Mouse and a couple of his friends set to become public domain next year

In a very short amount of time, the earliest version of the Walt Disney Company’s iconic mascot will become a part of the public domain.

Mickey Mouse, who debuted in the 1928 short film Steamboat Willie, will become public domain on Jan. 1, allowing artists and filmmakers to make content based on the earliest version of the character. It comes 95 years after the short film was released, which is how long a copyright can be held on a character after it debuts.

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“This is it,” said Jennifer Jenkins, a director of Duke’s Center for the Study of Public Domain. “This is Mickey Mouse. This is exciting because it’s kind of symbolic. I kind of feel like the pipe on the steamboat, like expelling smoke. It’s so exciting.”

(Charles Sykes/Invision/AP)

Mickey entering the public domain next year means creators can only use the earliest version, meaning any public domain content based on Mickey Mouse can only use his Steamboat Willie version. This means that Mickey will not be able to talk, as the character did not speak any actual words in the short film.

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Steamboat Willie also led to Minnie Mouse’s debut, meaning she will also become public domain in 2024. Likewise, Tigger the tiger, a friend of Winnie the Pooh, will join his honey-loving friend in the public domain come Jan. 1.

Winnie the Pooh became public domain on Jan. 1, 2022, allowing content creators to make whatever they wanted using the earliest version of the character. As a result, a horror film titled Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey was released in February.