Minnie’s Sweetheart

With the launch of Steamboat Willie in 1928, Walt Disney’s Mickey Mouse started steering his way to stardom.  Fans would soon be choosing from scores of products bearing his likeness—but the very first products were intended only as mementoes for Disney studio visitors and friends.  They were soft, stuffed characters designed by Charlotte Clark. When the public clamored for copies, “Uncle Walt” quickly arranged for their manufacture. Then, because their $5 price tag was too high for many Depression-era families, Disney arranged with the McCall Company to produce a 10¢ pattern for sewing at home.