Radical changes are nothing new for Disney, especially recently. Disney is making big changes quickly. However, oftentimes there is always a strong rationale behind their decision to make the changes that they do. This is especially true with the breaking Disney news that Mickey Mouse will soon have human ears.
In a shocking announcement, Disney has revealed that they will be giving Mickey Mouse human ears. Yes, you read that right. The iconic mouse with his distinctive round ears will soon be sporting a pair of human ears. This new look for Mickey can be seen above and later in the article.
Mickey Mouse made his debut in 1928, which is truly a historical day. He continues to be the most popular animated character of all time. Over the years he has gone over many visual changes in appearance. However, the addition of human ears to Mickey Mouse is the most significant change ever made to the mouse.
Why is Disney Giving Mickey Mouse Human Ears?
Mickey Mouse has the most iconic ears of all time. This is how Disney sells millions of Mickey Ears a year, despite the new change that bans those ears in the park as we reported here. Now Disney is giving Mickey human ears for two reasons, legal concerns and to generate additional revenue. However, this isn’t without criticism.
From a legal standpoint, this goes back to our report here that Disney will be changing their official mascot from Mickey to Figment. As we mentioned in that article, “The copyright protection on Mickey Mouse is set to expire in January 2024. This means that Mickey Mouse will exist in the public domain and anyone can use him.” However, if Disney changes Mickey’s ears, this will be sufficient enough to allow them extended protection on Mickey Mouse. This way, they may be able to keep Mickey as their mascot, if they want.
From a revenue standpoint, a new look for Mickey Mouse means additional revenue through new products. Every Mickey branded item will need a full revamp to change Mickey from his iconic look to his new look with human ears. This has a huge market potential to sell additional products to consumers who have what will soon be considered “classic” Mickey Mouse toys and apparel. Disney knows that consumers will want to buy Mickey Mouse items with the updated ears as soon as it comes out. This allows them to generate more money.
Additional Details on This Breaking Disney News
There is no set date when Disney will officially switch the classic Mickey Mouse with two black ears over to the new Mickey Mouse with human ears. We expect the change to be made in the next few weeks. Currently, Disney is celebrating their 100th anniversary, so it fits that they would make this massive change to Mickey in such a celebratory year for the company.
Mickey Mouse with human ears will take over every single Mickey Mouse out there. This applies to the character in the park, Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, other Disney shows and movies with Mickey, and all Mickey merchandise. This is truly a revolutionary change for the most popular cartoon character of all time. Disney updates Mickey periodically to refresh him but has never done this significant of a change.
We asked Disney fans about their opinion on this change. Very few were on board with Disney changing Mickey Mouse’s ears to human ears. In fact, most were outraged by it. However, oftentimes Disney doesn’t care what their guests think, which is evident here. Because of that, they are going full steam ahead and changing the future of Mickey Mouse forever.
What do you think of Mickey Mouse getting human ears? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!
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