Walt Disney didn't threaten Rudolph Ising to sue him for Foxy and Roxy looking too similiar to Mickey and Minnie Mouse, he just told him to "cut it out" in the most politest way possible. Though, Ising could have redesigned Foxy and Roxy to look very different, but if he did, maybe Bugs Bunny or the other Looney Tunes wouldn't have existed.
I watched Circus Capers on a 4-disc DVD compilation of public domain animated films. I was so shocked to see a version of Mickey, but not shocked to hear that they were sued for copying Mickey.
@@theothervault This is neet But the part where you say Mickey Mouse is a rip-off confuses me cause there is nothing that straight up proves it sure milton mouse inspired some of mickeys themes but thats no where near rip off territory the two characters look nothing alike also the fact you basically lied about mickey having multiple ripp offs that inspired him insinuating that he is a ripp off even though these other characters came after mickey was made basically disproving your point. If Ive misunderstood this than please tell me
@@theothervault its In the thumbnail the rips offs that inspired mickey mouse and I whacthed the full video there was a point where you said something very similar to that
@@marquesgorham4226 Nah. Again, you're misreading this. Read the video title again: "The Wild Rip-offs & Inspiration That Built Mickey Mouse." I'm clearly calling out rip-offs and inspiration as being 2 different and separate elements that went into establishing Mickey Mouse. In the video, I cover characters and events that inspired Disney's creations. I also cover characters other animators created that clearly rip-off Disney, and how Disney used or threatened to use the law to enforce his copyright over MM. I then ended by saying that it was these events that established MM BOTH in popular culture and in the courtroom. Nowhere did I say that I think MM is a rip-off.
Foxy's gotta be my favorite of the Mickey Mouse rip-offs covered here. I like to imagine that he isn't really dead after his final cartoon, but was simply acting when he was shot. He and his girlfriend got a less Mickey-like makeover just to be safe (which turns out to be their Tiny Toons designs), but they didn't really star in any cartoons after that, and while they are remembered as a shameless attempt to cash in on Mickey and Minnie's stardom and popularity, they're still glad they helped pave the way for future Warner Bros. cartoon stars. Actually, their Tiny Toons designs seem heavily reminiscent of Yakko, Wakko and Dot. I guess this could be explained by the fact that Animaniacs was in development while the Two-Tone Town episode was being made, but I can't help but wonder if they had happened to catch a glimpse of the Warners while they were initially bringing chaos to the lot before they were captured and sealed within the Water Tower in-universe. Hmm...
Well, it was during the rubberhose era. With the exception of Felix, alot of animators and artists couldn't get many of the cartoon character designs different from each other until Betty Boop's arrival (well... once she turned human).
@@mraaronhd My suspicion is that it was the easiest style for teams of animators to get down back when the field of animation was still being explored. As they got increasingly better at animating the characters, they started to broaden out and animate other characters drawn in different art styles and designs.
@kootunesscrewy This is completely untrue: animators in the '20s and early '30s each came up with highly variable, highly personal designs for their cartoons, and it was only in the mid '30s that artists began to standardize their character designs so that they more closely matched the model sheets.
I'm surprised you didn't mention Piggy the first pig star at Warner Bros. "Hittin' the trail for Hallelujah Land" is even set on a steamboat. Plus it has a scene with dancing skeletons in a graveyard. I always felt like it was a big F### you to Walt from his old team.
I dunno. While working for separate studios, Walt and Herman/Ising seemed like they were on good terms with each other, which is why they obliged when Walt contacted them about Foxxy. Walt even hired them to direct one of his Silly Symphony shorts, “Merbabies”, out of thanks for them lending their own animators to “Snow White & the Seven Dwarfs”.
@@yosefdemby8792Bosko was. A lot of people get the early history of Looney Tunes messed up. The history is as follows: Bosko begins the Looney Tunes series, Foxy started the Merrie Melodies series, got killed off, replaced with Piggy who’s retired after two shorts, eventually Goopy Geer lasts three shorts, then retired. Bosko eventually left WB due to contract issues, and Warner created Buddy in his place.
@@yosefdemby8792He was for the Looney Tunes shorts but he never appeared in the Merrie Melodies shorts which was where Foxy and later Piggy came in. Both of whom looked a lot like Mickey.
Saw some of these characters on Saturday morning tv long ago. Damn, you never cease to amaze me on the research you do! I always learn something about cinema history.
And then there's Slushy the Bullfrog. Even when I offered him to the webz for free, nobody wanted him. They preferred to use Pepe for everything, even though Pepe's creator didn't like it.
Technically, you wouldn’t really get in trouble if you use the Mickey kind of look considering that back then that how everyone looked in the rubber hose style
If you watched a disney documentary from the late 50´s "history of animation" or something like that, he credits Max Flescher for inventing rotoscope animation.
Oswald has his place rightfully in my whole left sleeve which is black and white cartoons. Near mickey and pete from steamboat in the top disney half ^_^ The bottom/forearm being Fleischer. Ie. betty boop+Bimbo plus a bunch of the skeletons from silly symphonies the skeleton dance (my favourite animation ;P).
Oh boy, ha-ha! Gosh, this is gonna be one swell review from my pal! Gee, thanks Other Vault! Ha-Ha! Gawrsh, they sure do gotta lotta Mickeys around here! Ahyuck!
Oh this is awesome! Ever since Mickey became public domain I've been researching it a lot because i didn't even know Steamboat Willie's domain was coming public. Wow, Now we all own Mickey haha pretty cool. In my research I stumbled across the first ever Mickey coin. If you're into crypto how can you not be excited about Mickey on the Ethereum blockchain! 🤓🎉
Speaking of copying, compare the way Pete looks in the comic strip storyline "Mickey Mouse In Death Valley" to the cat who battles Milton at 8:20 . They both have the same kind of shirt. Am I imgaining things or did some artist at Disney take inspiration from this Milton cartoon when creating this early design for Pete?
I'm surprised that you didn't mention the Warner siblings, Yakko, Wakko, and Dot, from Animaniacs, since so much of their backgrounds are rooted in cartoon history. Much of their initial look comes from rubber hose characters, such as early versions of Mickey and Minnie, or Felix the Cat, or Oswald the Lucky Rabbit. Also, I'm surprised that you didn't mention Oswald, unless that's a separate video.
Never wait for permission to make parody or satire. Dora No More is an example of freedom of speech. Do you want to obey a policy that mandates no satires about anything, until the corporations agree? Never.
I want to know if MM falling into the public domain means that some of these characters can come back. I'd really like to see more of Foxy, and I don't mean that watered-down version of him from that Tiny Toons episode.
I think it all depends on if that specific character is still under copyright or not. The original Foxy enters the public domain in 2026, so you wouldn't have to wait very long.
@@theothervaultNot to worry. Most of the Herman/Ising produced “Looney Tunes” and “Merrie Melodies” are in the public domain already, including all three of Foxy’s shorts. They never bothered renewing their ownership.
@@geoffreyrichards6079 Good to know! Didn't even think to check the copyright renewal status since many of these have been included on the Looney Tunes box sets over the years. Thanks for sharing!
I doubt Harman and Ising or Warner Bros renewed the copyright for Foxy in the first place thus having him there despite the public domain thing makes sense providing the give him a redesign just in case Disney got upset.
Yes. He has gun in "Dognapper" (1934) and "Symphony Hour" (1942). Both made by Disney :). Also Donald Duck in "Mickey's Amateur" (1937) has a tommy gun and shoot to the audience. People forget that Old Disney shorts were wild and not very kid-friendly.
Hmmmm... If you're approaching the term "stolen" purely from a letter of the law legal sense, then you're right. I wasn't being quite so literal, but I'll give that to you. Or are you arguing that the takeover of Oswald (and Walt's animators) by Mintz was completely above board?
All this Homework and research you did and YOU FAILED to mention the most important Part, so THUMBS Down to YOU, Sir! You re still perpetuating the FALSE myth that Walt Disney Created him! Walt did NOT Create him! Ub Iwerks Did! That is a FACT!
Nope. Iwerks is absolutely under-appreciated for his contributions to early Disney, especially in defining the look and animation style of Mickey Mouse. But the character and those early shorts are a collaboration between him and Walt Disney, who guided the overall characterization and persona. To say that MM is the product of a single person is just not accurate. Highly recommend checking out the documentary The Hand Behind the Mouse by Leslie Iwerks - Ub's granddaughter.
This is neet But the part where you say Mickey Mouse is a rip-off confuses me cause there is nothing that straight up proves it sure milton mouse inspired some of mickeys themes but thats no where near rip off territory the two characters look nothing alike also the fact you basically lied about mickey having multiple ripp offs that inspired him insinuating that he is a ripp off even though these other characters came after mickey was made disproving your point. If Ive miss understood this than please tell me
Walt Disney didn't threaten Rudolph Ising to sue him for Foxy and Roxy looking too similiar to Mickey and Minnie Mouse, he just told him to "cut it out" in the most politest way possible. Though, Ising could have redesigned Foxy and Roxy to look very different, but if he did, maybe Bugs Bunny or the other Looney Tunes wouldn't have existed.
Nah I wouldn’t say so. Harman ising would probably still leave since they couldn’t get the bigger budgets they wanted.
@Rajrealepic Yeah, that's true.
I watched Circus Capers on a 4-disc DVD compilation of public domain animated films. I was so shocked to see a version of Mickey, but not shocked to hear that they were sued for copying Mickey.
For real! So easy to see how someone could watch one of the more blatant rip-offs and just assume it was Mickey Mouse.
@@theothervault This is neet But the part where you say Mickey Mouse is a rip-off confuses me cause there is nothing that straight up proves it sure milton mouse inspired some of mickeys themes but thats no where near rip off territory the two characters look nothing alike also the fact you basically lied about mickey having multiple ripp offs that inspired him insinuating that he is a ripp off even though these other characters came after mickey was made basically disproving your point. If Ive misunderstood this than please tell me
@@marquesgorham4226 When do I call Mickey Mouse a rip-off? Yeah, I think you may have misinterpreted what I was saying at some point.
@@theothervault its In the thumbnail the rips offs that inspired mickey mouse and I whacthed the full video there was a point where you said something very similar to that
@@marquesgorham4226 Nah. Again, you're misreading this. Read the video title again: "The Wild Rip-offs & Inspiration That Built Mickey Mouse." I'm clearly calling out rip-offs and inspiration as being 2 different and separate elements that went into establishing Mickey Mouse. In the video, I cover characters and events that inspired Disney's creations. I also cover characters other animators created that clearly rip-off Disney, and how Disney used or threatened to use the law to enforce his copyright over MM. I then ended by saying that it was these events that established MM BOTH in popular culture and in the courtroom. Nowhere did I say that I think MM is a rip-off.
Foxy's gotta be my favorite of the Mickey Mouse rip-offs covered here. I like to imagine that he isn't really dead after his final cartoon, but was simply acting when he was shot. He and his girlfriend got a less Mickey-like makeover just to be safe (which turns out to be their Tiny Toons designs), but they didn't really star in any cartoons after that, and while they are remembered as a shameless attempt to cash in on Mickey and Minnie's stardom and popularity, they're still glad they helped pave the way for future Warner Bros. cartoon stars.
Actually, their Tiny Toons designs seem heavily reminiscent of Yakko, Wakko and Dot. I guess this could be explained by the fact that Animaniacs was in development while the Two-Tone Town episode was being made, but I can't help but wonder if they had happened to catch a glimpse of the Warners while they were initially bringing chaos to the lot before they were captured and sealed within the Water Tower in-universe. Hmm...
This is what always happens. Whoever ends up winning popularity, their theft of ideas goes unnoticed
Well, it was during the rubberhose era.
With the exception of Felix, alot of animators and artists couldn't get many of the cartoon character designs different from each other until Betty Boop's arrival (well... once she turned human).
But why was that though? Any explanation why?
@@mraaronhd Was it some kind of design trend?
@@kaylemathewcomendador6964 idk.
@@mraaronhd My suspicion is that it was the easiest style for teams of animators to get down back when the field of animation was still being explored. As they got increasingly better at animating the characters, they started to broaden out and animate other characters drawn in different art styles and designs.
@kootunesscrewy This is completely untrue: animators in the '20s and early '30s each came up with highly variable, highly personal designs for their cartoons, and it was only in the mid '30s that artists began to standardize their character designs so that they more closely matched the model sheets.
Its nice to see people knowing about Milton Mouse
Glad to see so many people appreciating him now. Such an unexplored pocket of history!
Milton mouse Such a little guy 🤗🤭
Miltonnn less goo
Beurenites Unite
13:11 a literal mob hit by Walt Disney lol
Its so crazy how early Mickey is nothing like the wholesome one we know now
They Kinda Look Like These Pizza Tower Character References
Milton Mouse - Fake Peppino
Mickey Mouse/SteamBoat Willie - Peppino
Oswald is public domain too.
I can't believe you don't have more subscribers. One of the absolute best pop culture channels on here. Hope you keep doing what you're doing, bro.
Wow - thanks so much! I'm just always glad when people enjoy my stuff.
What's funny is that Milton Mouse came first, so its funny there was even a lawsuit anyway
Milton redesign look to much like Mickey and his girlfriend look like minne
What a great history, thank you. I'd seen a few of these shorts but this puts a lot of them into context really well.
Love hearing that this helped!
I'm surprised you didn't mention Piggy the first pig star at Warner Bros. "Hittin' the trail for Hallelujah Land" is even set on a steamboat. Plus it has a scene with dancing skeletons in a graveyard. I always felt like it was a big F### you to Walt from his old team.
I dunno. While working for separate studios, Walt and Herman/Ising seemed like they were on good terms with each other, which is why they obliged when Walt contacted them about Foxxy. Walt even hired them to direct one of his Silly Symphony shorts, “Merbabies”, out of thanks for them lending their own animators to “Snow White & the Seven Dwarfs”.
Bosko wasn't the first star?
@@yosefdemby8792Bosko was. A lot of people get the early history of Looney Tunes messed up. The history is as follows: Bosko begins the Looney Tunes series, Foxy started the Merrie Melodies series, got killed off, replaced with Piggy who’s retired after two shorts, eventually Goopy Geer lasts three shorts, then retired. Bosko eventually left WB due to contract issues, and Warner created Buddy in his place.
@@walkerphillips2818Yeah it's pretty easy history to follow if people just pay attention.
@@yosefdemby8792He was for the Looney Tunes shorts but he never appeared in the Merrie Melodies shorts which was where Foxy and later Piggy came in. Both of whom looked a lot like Mickey.
I remember seeing some of these on tv a long time ago as a kid. I just don't remember when and where.
Saw some of these characters on Saturday morning tv long ago. Damn, you never cease to amaze me on the research you do! I always learn something about cinema history.
Much appreciated!
And then there's Slushy the Bullfrog. Even when I offered him to the webz for free, nobody wanted him. They preferred to use Pepe for everything, even though Pepe's creator didn't like it.
Technically, you wouldn’t really get in trouble if you use the Mickey kind of look considering that back then that how everyone looked in the rubber hose style
Mickey isn't the first to use that style anyway.
Krazy kat is king/queen.
📹📹
Ui, Higbee. I didn’t expect to see you here!
Max flischer actually invented rotoscoping and the first cartoon with sound and disney stole the credit
If you watched a disney documentary from the late 50´s "history of animation" or something like that, he credits Max Flescher for inventing rotoscope animation.
Yay you know about Oswald too❤️
You better believe it!
Oswald has his place rightfully in my whole left sleeve which is black and white cartoons. Near mickey and pete from steamboat in the top disney half ^_^ The bottom/forearm being Fleischer. Ie. betty boop+Bimbo plus a bunch of the skeletons from silly symphonies the skeleton dance (my favourite animation ;P).
Illuminating. Can't wait t find what's coming next from the Other Vault!
Thanks!
I like that you brought up the 2st cartoon since it’s my favorite of the first 3 released
So you're telling me, Mickey's first three cartoons were all parodies
0:37 why he have a tail like that ain’t no mouse
5:59
This is fine
0:30 Interestingly, the mouse in this clip was from a Krazy Kat from 1916. 11-12 years before Oswald and Mickey! I'm amazed you know about this
Foxy and Roxy are my favorite Mickey and Minnie clones.
😊
Did you know that the episode where they appear on Tiny Toons inspired Animaniacs? It's kind of wild how that worked out
No, I didn't...And I'm a fan of animation history!
😅
Thanks for sharing that!
😊👍
4:28
That was actually done before in 1924.
Time to watch this, been waiting. ❤
Oh boy, ha-ha! Gosh, this is gonna be one swell review from my pal! Gee, thanks Other Vault! Ha-Ha!
Gawrsh, they sure do gotta lotta Mickeys around here! Ahyuck!
Hope it lived up to expectations!
@@theothervault Oh, it certainly did!
Oh this is awesome! Ever since Mickey became public domain I've been researching it a lot because i didn't even know Steamboat Willie's domain was coming public. Wow, Now we all own Mickey haha pretty cool.
In my research I stumbled across the first ever Mickey coin. If you're into crypto how can you not be excited about Mickey on the Ethereum blockchain! 🤓🎉
So glad you enjoyed this!
Funnily enough, all these knockoff characters are in the public domain as well.
Speaking of copying, compare the way Pete looks in the comic strip storyline "Mickey Mouse In Death Valley" to the cat who battles Milton at 8:20 . They both have the same kind of shirt. Am I imgaining things or did some artist at Disney take inspiration from this Milton cartoon when creating this early design for Pete?
I wonder how many people will just make cartoons with Mickey Mouse in the future.
Damn I didn’t know that old cartoon have blood in it.
Totally. These older pre-code cartoons got wild!
fascinating, i'd be curious what other classic characters will be entering public domain in the next 5-10 years, and how they got their starts
Thanks! Might have to cover this in a future video...
i'd definitely be interested in seeing in, really like your content@@theothervault
I will be going to disneyland soon.
And can't the disney company buy the domain back.
I'm surprised that you didn't mention the Warner siblings, Yakko, Wakko, and Dot, from Animaniacs, since so much of their backgrounds are rooted in cartoon history. Much of their initial look comes from rubber hose characters, such as early versions of Mickey and Minnie, or Felix the Cat, or Oswald the Lucky Rabbit.
Also, I'm surprised that you didn't mention Oswald, unless that's a separate video.
Did you not watch the full video? Oswald is mentioned AND shown around the 1:40-1:48 mark as part of Mickey's creation story.
The Animaniacs were actually directly inspired by the Foxy episode of Tiny Toons, fun fact. So that's a pretty direct connection if you ask me
Oh hi 👋 I literally came across a game called Mouse on steam today so this is perfect timing 😂
Æsop? That has a special character
Milton mouse looked like Mickey before Mickey and they still got sued what the hell?
Wild, right? Though I'm guessing they would have been fine if they had stuck to the original designs.
Never wait for permission to make parody or satire. Dora No More is an example of freedom of speech. Do you want to obey a policy that mandates no satires about anything, until the corporations agree? Never.
All of these are wild-
You content is so underrated
Thanks! I'm just glad whenever anyone like my stuff.
He’s been stolen.
Surprised you didn’t include Bosko on the list. Then again, Bosko was created and copyrighted before Mickey.
I want to know if MM falling into the public domain means that some of these characters can come back. I'd really like to see more of Foxy, and I don't mean that watered-down version of him from that Tiny Toons episode.
I think it all depends on if that specific character is still under copyright or not. The original Foxy enters the public domain in 2026, so you wouldn't have to wait very long.
@@theothervaultNot to worry. Most of the Herman/Ising produced “Looney Tunes” and “Merrie Melodies” are in the public domain already, including all three of Foxy’s shorts. They never bothered renewing their ownership.
@@geoffreyrichards6079 Good to know! Didn't even think to check the copyright renewal status since many of these have been included on the Looney Tunes box sets over the years. Thanks for sharing!
Fun fact: Bosko was copyrighted in January 1928, before Mickey Mouse was even conceived.
I doubt Harman and Ising or Warner Bros renewed the copyright for Foxy in the first place thus having him there despite the public domain thing makes sense providing the give him a redesign just in case Disney got upset.
Can you imagine Mickey with a gun? 😂
My old school leather jacket had mickey with a gun.
Yes. He has gun in "Dognapper" (1934) and "Symphony Hour" (1942). Both made by Disney :). Also Donald Duck in "Mickey's Amateur" (1937) has a tommy gun and shoot to the audience. People forget that Old Disney shorts were wild and not very kid-friendly.
He used it often in the comics by Floyd Gottfriedson from around 1931 to The Mid-1940's
There's literally a cartoon called Two Gun Mickey from 1934.
This music at the very beginning..
.....ive heard it before. Once before. What is it?
Foxy the pirate fox a cartoon?!
Just what Is that song used at the start of the video? it is a certified bop!
I Don't Get the Lesson - Lalinea Remix
Jumpcare warning at 0:52
Hell😊
@@tanukigamergirl3366 huh? Is the emoji supposed to be the “o”?
What is that charter called at 0:52
2:03 HA CHA CHA
1:14 VOLDEMORT VOLDEMORT OOH VOLDY VOLDY VOLDEMORT
Is this actually where mickey got his gloves or not?
What's the name of the cartoon at 0:30?
Krazy Kat and Ignatz Mouse at the Circus (1916)
Yup! @luizfernandocanaloficial9511 called it correctly.
Only the steamboat willy version
NO!!!!!!! BRING OUR MOUSE FRIEND BACK!!!!!! WE CANT AFFORD HORROR MOVIES ABOUT HIM!!!!!!!!🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬
Hardcore mickey fan
disney lied to us
Foxy’s girlfriend 12:47
foxy looks nice.
Lucky Wabbit
I love Mickey Mouse and it is okay if he was inspired by someone else great artist inspire one other
Rip Walt Disney
Rip Ub Iwerks
And now mickey has his own cryptocurrency called Steamboat Willie? Incredible stuff.
Yeah - I guess that was inevitable, too...
Is it weird that I like foxy from Merrie Melodies?
Anyone not surprised that Mickey Mouse ripoff something else
0:30 No. those are ripoffs
The first one is actually older, being from an 1916 cartoon
Milton…
Was Oswald actually created by Walt Disney?
yes
Love everything about $MICKEY Mouse
13:17 NnYaAaagGGgHhh
Oswald was not stolen. From the beginning he was legally owned by Universal.
Not stolen by Universal, but by his production partner who not only poached the cartoon, but also most of Walt's annimation team.
@@theothervault No. They chose to leave on their own free will.
@@theothervault From the start Charles Mintz was the one who legally owned the distribution rights to the series.
Hmmmm... If you're approaching the term "stolen" purely from a letter of the law legal sense, then you're right. I wasn't being quite so literal, but I'll give that to you. Or are you arguing that the takeover of Oswald (and Walt's animators) by Mintz was completely above board?
@@theothervault It was underhanded, I admit.
6:35 actually, Krazy Kat is canonically non-binary, so calling them a “he” is kinda wrong
Non-binary is not a thing. He is a he. He was created by the creators as a male cat.
I thought they were gender-fluid.
#DisneyDiva
Milky mouses
😄 *promo sm*
All this Homework and research you did and YOU FAILED to mention the most important Part, so THUMBS Down to YOU, Sir! You re still perpetuating the FALSE myth that Walt Disney Created him! Walt did NOT Create him! Ub Iwerks Did! That is a FACT!
Nope. Iwerks is absolutely under-appreciated for his contributions to early Disney, especially in defining the look and animation style of Mickey Mouse. But the character and those early shorts are a collaboration between him and Walt Disney, who guided the overall characterization and persona. To say that MM is the product of a single person is just not accurate. Highly recommend checking out the documentary The Hand Behind the Mouse by Leslie Iwerks - Ub's granddaughter.
This is neet But the part where you say Mickey Mouse is a rip-off confuses me cause there is nothing that straight up proves it sure milton mouse inspired some of mickeys themes but thats no where near rip off territory the two characters look nothing alike also the fact you basically lied about mickey having multiple ripp offs that inspired him insinuating that he is a ripp off even though these other characters came after mickey was made disproving your point. If Ive miss understood this than please tell me
Its not great, its horrible. MICKEY Mouse falling into public domain is the biggest tragedy in history.
Silence Disney executive :).
Well to me, It is great. Go complain about it. Its already done and too late. Popeye, you're next.
Actually terrible take
Later versions of Mickey Mouse are still under copyright. Only the version used in “Steamboat Willie” is now in the public domain.
How?