In 1935, a young animator named Fred Moore gave Mickey his first makeover. The original Mickey Mouse Club aired from 1955 to 1959 and starred an array of talented youngsters, many of whom still perform and reunite today.The cast included 39 kids and three adults, and the show was aimed at children ages three to 14. Minnie's full name is Minerva.. 8. Mickey is the first cartoon character to have a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.. 9. It is said that Disney actually fashioned the mouse after Oswald the Lucky Rabbit. There’s no real “canon” for Disney characters, so I won’t say it’s true… but it’s not entirely false. 7. Disney later used a character named Mortimer Mouse as Mickey's Rival in 1936. Mickey was originally going to be called Mortimer Mouse. 2. 3. The mouse was a national fad by the end of the year, and it wasn't long before the real genius of Walt Disney kicked in: marketing. The name of Mickey was actually taken from Mickey Rooney. Whatever the case, his wife rejected the name of the mouse, and Disney ended up changing it from Mortimer to Mickey The 'Mickey Mouse Club' Original Mouseketeers. The creation of Mickey Mouse's name is sort of ambiguos in nature. Mickey’s original name was Mortimer, but Walt’s wife didn’t like it so Walt changed it to Mickey. Mickey Mouse's original name was Mortimer but Lillian, Walt's wife, convinced him to change 'Mortimer' to 'Mickey.' 10 Facts about the Mouse That Started it All: 1. Mickey Mouse is a cartoon character who has become an icon for the Walt Disney Company.Mickey Mouse was created in 1928 by Walt Disney and Ub Iwerks.He was voiced by Walt Disney from 1928–1946 theatrically, and again from 1955–1959 for the original ABC TV The Mickey Mouse Club,Daily's Pets television series. Walt Disney took a five-day train trip with his wife Lillian, that he came up with the idea of a cartoon mouse named Mortimer. (We thank Mrs. Disney - Mickey is much easier on the ears!) Mickey Mouse Almost Had a Different Name and It's ... this wasn't Mickey's original name. Walt Disney was the original voice of Mickey Mouse (just as he was the original voice of Minnie, too). Walt quickly started up a line of Mickey merchandise, and within two years the Mickey Mouse Club, a fan club for children, was up and running. Walt Disney dreamed up several different mouse characters before coming up with the classic Mickey design.