On what date is Mickey Mouse’s official birthday traditionally celebrated?

Mickey Mouse’s official birthday is traditionally celebrated on November 18.

The date comes from the 1928 release of Steamboat Willie, the Mickey Mouse cartoon that became his first widely distributed sound film. Steamboat Willie premiered on November 18, 1928, at Universal’s Colony Theater in New York City.

Mickey had appeared in the silent cartoons Plane Crazy and The Gallopin’ Gaucho before that date, but those films reached audiences later. Disney therefore uses November 18 as the character’s standard birthday and anniversary date.

This distinction explains why Mickey’s birthday is not always treated as the date of his first production or first completed film. The November celebration is a publicity and character milestone linked specifically to Steamboat Willie. Minnie Mouse also made her screen debut in that same landmark cartoon.