From pencil cases and keyrings to clothing and toys, Mickey and Minnie have always been a part of pop culture.
A global icon, providing inspiration for fashion and art as well as cinema and TV, Mickey Mouse epitomises Walt Disney’s vision of life – fun, optimistic and full of hope. In short, the stuff childhood dreams are made of.
So it’s no surprise that those famous ears are now synonymous with the magical Disney theme parks, which as a child I longed to visit but never got the chance. Instead I got a piece of the magic with a plethora of Mickey and Minnie products that the buzz around #Mickey90 has reminded me of.
Here’s my top five Mickey memories – what are yours?
- DEAR MICKEY – These A6 size glossy thank you notes featured Mickey sporting an oversized suit with tails and a cane – retro! Generation text probably won’t understand that it was once cool to have a penpal and send actual handwritten letters in the post, but it was one of my favourite pastimes and these Mickey notelets scored me some serious penpal cool points!
- MIC-KEYRING – As I never got to go to Disneyland (I’m not bitter, honest!) my commiseration prize was a piece of bona fide Mickey Mouse merch – a keyring bought for me all the way from the mouse mecca by a good friend. It was sported proudly on my school rucksack for a long time afterwards!
- HEAD-TO-TOE MICKEY – Mickey and Minnie’s style has inspired everyone from Dolce & Gabbana to high street chains H&M and Zara – the latter proving that Mickey never goes out of fashion with special Mickey90 collections this year.
But it was back in the 80s and 90s Mickey really took off as a fashion icon, and my cropped red Minnie Mouse jumper with polka dots was a firm favourite, along with many a pair of Minnie Mouse frilly ankle socks and Mickey Mouse pyjama onesies. He’s still a permanent fixture in my wardrobe in the form of an oversized grey Mickey logo sweatshirt stolen off an old boyfriend.
- COLLECTIBLE KITSCH – In the vintage and retro explosion of the 90s my friends and I would spend weekends scouring our local charity shops and markets for vintage kitsch to decorate our rooms or add to our wardrobes.
I couldn’t call myself a proper collector but I was particularly fond of a squidgy Donald Duck figurine from the 70s or 80s that had that worn, nostalgic look and feel of a bygone time when toys were simpler and children more easily pleased…
- AND MORE… – Not to be forgotten are the many sticker sets, pencil cases, pen toppers and a very cute Minnie Mouse Filofax which made me feel very grown up. Can you tell I was a stationery addict?! It doesn’t matter that I didn’t keep any of it – childhood is about treasuring the memories and all those little bits of Disney magic were enough to make me feel like Mickey and Minnie were a constant, happy feature of my younger years!
The Posh Paws #Mickey90 collection is available to buy from Amazon, Debenhams and Forbidden Planet.
