On 27 October 1954, Walt Disney opened the inaugural episode of Disneyland with this iconic quote: 'I only hope we never lose sight of one thing: it all started with a mouse'. While the Disney Studio did not begin precisely with Mickey (the Alice Comedies and Oswald the Lucky Rabbit predate him), it was the mouse pair that reflected a crucial starting point for the Disney brand; Mickey and Minnie debuted together in 1928, co-starring in the landmark shorts Steamboat Willie and Plane Crazy and coincided with the arrival of sound and color in films, the rise of comic books in print media, and all manner of merchandising that kept the studio afloat during the worst of the Depression and war years. Together they became the most enduring and widely recognised animated characters in global popular culture.

On the other hand, Mickey Mouse has often been used derisively. For some, the character is safe, dull, even boring - emblematic of Disney playing it safe. Though mischievous in the early shorts (particularly in one his most famous roles as the 'Sorcerer's Apprentice'), Mickey’s ascendance as the corporate mascot of the Walt Disney Company (particularly after Walt’s death in 1966) has lent him both an instant recognizability but also a vested interest in keeping his image 'clean'. Mickey has also been invoked pejoratively in the phrase 'Mickey Mouse degrees', demeaning the importance of degrees in fields such as media studies, despite the ongoing importance of the humanities writ large.

This special issue–which will be released in 2028, marking the centenary of Mickey and Minnie Mouse’s official debut–invites scholarly work on Mickey and Minnie Mouse across Disney texts, visual arts, and theme-park environments—canonical or lesser-known, produced by Disney Studios, its subsidiaries, or fans and artists wholly unconnected to the company. Primary sources may include an array of mediums, including comics, television, radio, animation, theme parks, video games and other forms of media. We encourage contributors to critically engage with Mickey and Minnie as cultural icons, commercial phenomena, artistic achievements and symbols of Disney’s evolving brand from interdisciplinary perspectives, including (but not limited to):

  • Historical and archival approaches to their creation, design evolution and early reception;
  • Transnational and transcultural perspectives on the figures of Mickey and Minnie (local adaptations, international reception and non-Western reinterpretations);
  • Gender, race, class and identity (and their intersection) in the representation and merchandising of Mickey and Minnie across decades;
  • Animation techniques, performance and character animation (from rubber-hose to digital eras);
  • Copyright, public domain and the legal and economic life of the characters;
  • Fan cultures, nostalgia, cosplay and participatory practices;
  • Mickey and Minnie as political and ideological symbols (propaganda, diplomacy, consumerism or resistance);
  • The evolution of Mickey and Minnie from role models of romantic courtship to companion-like partnership;
  • Mickey’s and Minnie’s relationship(s) and/or in comparison to other Disney characters;
  • The characters’ role in Disney corporate history and branding strategies;
  • Artistic legacies and appropriations by contemporary artists and designers.

We especially encourage submissions that move beyond canonical US American/Global North perspectives and explore Mickey and Minnie in global, comparative, or marginalised contexts.

Submission Guidelines

Full paper submissions will be expected by 1 May 2027 and should be submitted to the IJDS website’s Pubkit system. When you submit, you will have the opportunity to specify that your piece is for the special issue 'Mickey and Minnie at 100'. Please note that we are open to accepting Articles (6,000-8,000 words), Fresh Perspectives (1,000-3,000 words) and Reviews (1,000 words). The journal uses Harvard referencing and all images should follow copyright and/or fair use laws (as explained in the journal’s Notes for Contributors),

For queries or to discuss potential topics, please contact:

● Joel Gray - Diese E-Mail-Adresse ist vor Spambots geschützt! Zur Anzeige muss JavaScript eingeschaltet sein.

● Dr. Peter Cullen Bryan - Diese E-Mail-Adresse ist vor Spambots geschützt! Zur Anzeige muss JavaScript eingeschaltet sein.

● Dr. Eva Van de Wiele - Diese E-Mail-Adresse ist vor Spambots geschützt! Zur Anzeige muss JavaScript eingeschaltet sein.

URL: https://www.intellectbooks.com/ijds#call-for-papers

[Quelle: Pressemitteilung]