Adult Swim Brazenly Makes Public Domain Mickey Mouse Its ‘B**ch’
Photos 18696436 © Razvanjp and 156554960 © Isaac F. Leach | Dreamstime.com
Disney’s Mickey Mouse has been released into the wild for all the cool cats to chase, and in typical Adult Swim fashion, the network has given a cheeky nod to this significant moment in cartoon history. On January 1, 2024, the Steamboat Willie version of Mickey, a character who’s been steering the animation boat since 1928, officially floated into the public domain.
Adult Swim, never one to miss a beat (or a joke), aired a short but snarky tribute to the iconic character.
Its clip was paired with a slogan reading, “public domain b**ch,” with a familiar face grinding up against the sign. More than a flash in the plan, this move is a statement. While the Steamboat Willie version of Mickey Mouse is now up for grabs, the modern Mickey—you know, the one who’s more than just a nautical enthusiast—remains safely tucked under Disney’s copyright umbrella.
Adult Swim didn’t have to do Disney like this ðŸ˜ðŸ’€ pic.twitter.com/Z9MSbhGvHj
— Physical Media President (@PhysicalMedia_) January 9, 2024
Adult Swim, known for its edgy and often audacious content, has blended this moment into its tapestry of unconventional media. Its approach to welcoming its rival’s poster boy into the public domain is as on-brand as it gets, walking that fine line between irreverence and homage.
The release of this particular version of Mickey Mouse into the public domain has opened the floodgates to a myriad of creative interpretations, from the dark corridors of horror movies to the oft-brutal realms of video games. It’s an interesting twist in the tale of a character who’s been a cultural mainstay for nearly a century.
As of now, the name “Mickey Mouse” itself is still a no-fly zone in the public domain airspace since it is still trademarked by the House of Mouse. Adult Swim’s variant, as identical as it looks to the beloved character, shall therefore remain known as “Public Domain B**ch.”
[via GamesRadar and AV Club, images via various sources]
