Mighty Mouse Profile
History
He was created by storyteller I. Klein as a super-powered housefly named "Superfly," but the studio head at the time, Paul Terry,
changed the character into a mouse. Mighty Mouse first appeared in 1942 in a theatrical animated short titled "The Mouse
of Tomorrow". The original name of the character was Super Mouse, but it was soon changed to Mighty Mouse when
Paul Terry learned that another character (Superman) with the same name was being published in Detective Comics.
Mighty Mouse, like Superman, originally wore a blue costume with a red cape but over time this changed to a yellow
costume with a red cape. As with other imitations of Superman, Mighty Mouse's super powers allowed him to fly, and
made him incredibly strong and invulnerable to damage. He has used his "X-ray vision" in at least one cartoon,
and has even used a super-hypnosis that even allowed him to command inanimate objects
as well as turn back time. Other cartoons have him leaving a red contrail as he flies which he can manipulate
like a band of solid flexible matter when he desires it.
Mighty Mouse was originally voiced by Roy Halee, although Tom Morrison did Mighty's voice later on.
The early, operatic Mighty Mouse cartoons often portrayed Mighty Mouse as a ruthless fighter. He would dole out a
considerable amount of punishment, subduing the cats to the point of giving up their evil plan and running away.
Mighty Mouse would then chase down the escaping cats, and continue beating them mercilessly, usually hurling or punching
them miles away to finish the fight. A favorite move is to sudden fly up to just under a much larger opponent's chin and
thrown a blinding flurry of punches that leaves the defeated enemy reeling.
Mighty Mouse had two mouse girlfriends named Pearl Pureheart (in the cartoons) and Mitzi (in the comics during the 50s
and 60s), and his arch-enemy was an evil villain cat named Oil Can Harry (who originated as a human in the
earlier Terrytoons
as the enemy of Fanny Zilch). These characters were created for a series of Mighty Mouse cartoons that spoofed the old
cliffhanger serials of the days of silent film; the cartoons usually began with Mighty Mouse and Pearl Pureheart already
in a desperate situation, as if they were the next chapter of the serial. The characters often sang mock opera songs
during these cartoons. Mighty Mouse was also known for singing "Here I come to save the day!" when flying into action.
Mighty Mouse's hometown is Mouseville, populated mostly by little toon mice.
Mighty Mouse was not extraordinarily popular, but he did become a cultural icon after Paul Terry sold the Terrytoon
cartoon library to broadcast television. Mighty Mouse cartoons became a staple of children's TV programming for a period
of over thirty years, from the 1950s through the 1980s.
Now after reading all of that, don't you think you should buy the darned shirt?!
