Mickey's Surprise Party
Encyclopedia
Mickey's Surprise Party is a 1939 Walt Disney
commercial cartoon that promotes Nabisco
products. It stars Mickey Mouse
, Minnie Mouse
, Pluto
, and Fifi. This is the first cartoon of Mickey Mouse with his current design. This is notable for being the first Disney commercial sponsoring a company, and one of two Disney cartoons to be in the public domain
.
s to impress Mickey. As she leaves, her dog
, Fifi, accidentally knocks popcorn
into her batter while chasing a fly
. Minnie, none the wiser, puts the batter in the oven. Minnie then prepares for the visit, as does Fifi. Mickey and Pluto then arrive. Minnie accepts Mickey's flowers, but Fifi rejects Pluto's bone
. Unfortunately, Minnie has baked the cookies too long, burning them. As she takes them out, the corn
starts popping, but not before Pluto eats one, leading to him having a exploding cookie stuck in his belly
. Minnie is then seen crying on the couch, saying that she wanted to bake cookies just like Mickey's mom
. Mickey tries to reasure her, saying "My mother used to burn
them all the time!" She continues to cry
, however, which leads to Fifi crying too. Mickey suddenly had an idea, and leaves with Pluto. When they come back, they have several Nabisco
products, including: Ritz Crackers
, Oreo
s, Lorna Doone
, Barnum's Animal Crackers, Social Tea
biscuits, Fig Newton
s (Mickey's favorite), and Milk Bones
(which Fifi accepts). The film ends with Minnie kissing Mickey all over his face. The cartoon fades to "The End", which fades to the Nabisco logo
.
Walt Disney
Walter Elias "Walt" Disney was an American film producer, director, screenwriter, voice actor, animator, entrepreneur, entertainer, international icon, and philanthropist, well-known for his influence in the field of entertainment during the 20th century. Along with his brother Roy O...
commercial cartoon that promotes Nabisco
Nabisco
Nabisco is an American brand of cookies and snacks. Headquartered in East Hanover, New Jersey, the company is a subsidiary of Illinois-based Kraft Foods. Nabisco's plant in Chicago, a production facility at 7300 S...
products. It stars Mickey Mouse
Mickey Mouse
Mickey Mouse is a cartoon character created in 1928 by Walt Disney and Ub Iwerks at The Walt Disney Studio. Mickey is an anthropomorphic black mouse and typically wears red shorts, large yellow shoes, and white gloves...
, Minnie Mouse
Minnie Mouse
Minerva "Minnie" Mouse is an animated character created by Ub Iwerks and Walt Disney. The comic strip story "The Gleam" by Merrill De Maris and Floyd Gottfredson first gave her full name as Minerva Mouse. Minnie has since been a recurring alias for her. Minnie is currently voiced by actress Russi...
, Pluto
Pluto (Disney)
Pluto, also called Pluto the Pup, is a cartoon character created in 1930 by Walt Disney Productions. He is a light brown , medium-sized, short-haired dog. Unlike Goofy, Pluto is not anthropomorphic beyond some characteristics such as facial expression...
, and Fifi. This is the first cartoon of Mickey Mouse with his current design. This is notable for being the first Disney commercial sponsoring a company, and one of two Disney cartoons to be in the public domain
Public domain
Works are in the public domain if the intellectual property rights have expired, if the intellectual property rights are forfeited, or if they are not covered by intellectual property rights at all...
.
Plot
Minnie bakes cookieCookie
In the United States and Canada, a cookie is a small, flat, baked treat, usually containing fat, flour, eggs and sugar. In most English-speaking countries outside North America, the most common word for this is biscuit; in many regions both terms are used, while in others the two words have...
s to impress Mickey. As she leaves, her dog
Dog
The domestic dog is a domesticated form of the gray wolf, a member of the Canidae family of the order Carnivora. The term is used for both feral and pet varieties. The dog may have been the first animal to be domesticated, and has been the most widely kept working, hunting, and companion animal in...
, Fifi, accidentally knocks popcorn
Popcorn
Popcorn, or popping corn, is corn which expands from the kernel and puffs up when heated. Corn is able to pop because, like sorghum, quinoa and millet, its kernels have a hard moisture-sealed hull and a dense starchy interior. This allows pressure to build inside the kernel until an explosive...
into her batter while chasing a fly
Fly
True flies are insects of the order Diptera . They possess a pair of wings on the mesothorax and a pair of halteres, derived from the hind wings, on the metathorax...
. Minnie, none the wiser, puts the batter in the oven. Minnie then prepares for the visit, as does Fifi. Mickey and Pluto then arrive. Minnie accepts Mickey's flowers, but Fifi rejects Pluto's bone
Bone
Bones are rigid organs that constitute part of the endoskeleton of vertebrates. They support, and protect the various organs of the body, produce red and white blood cells and store minerals. Bone tissue is a type of dense connective tissue...
. Unfortunately, Minnie has baked the cookies too long, burning them. As she takes them out, the corn
Corn
Corn is the name used in the United States, Canada, and Australia for the grain maize.In much of the English-speaking world, the term "corn" is a generic term for cereal crops, such as* Barley* Oats* Wheat* Rye- Places :...
starts popping, but not before Pluto eats one, leading to him having a exploding cookie stuck in his belly
Abdomen
In vertebrates such as mammals the abdomen constitutes the part of the body between the thorax and pelvis. The region enclosed by the abdomen is termed the abdominal cavity...
. Minnie is then seen crying on the couch, saying that she wanted to bake cookies just like Mickey's mom
MOM
-Mother:* Mom , is a term used predominantly in North American English speaking countries in reference to a mother, the female parent* Soccer mom, demographic group of women with school-age children, a term used in North America-Other:...
. Mickey tries to reasure her, saying "My mother used to burn
Burn
A burn is an injury to flesh caused by heat, electricity, chemicals, light, radiation, or friction.Burn may also refer to:*Combustion*Burn , type of watercourses so named in Scotland and north-eastern England...
them all the time!" She continues to cry
Cry
Cry usually refers to crying, the act of shedding tears.Cry may also refer to:* Cry, Yonne, a commune in France* CRY , worldwide non-profit organization-Songs:* "Cry" , 1951...
, however, which leads to Fifi crying too. Mickey suddenly had an idea, and leaves with Pluto. When they come back, they have several Nabisco
Nabisco
Nabisco is an American brand of cookies and snacks. Headquartered in East Hanover, New Jersey, the company is a subsidiary of Illinois-based Kraft Foods. Nabisco's plant in Chicago, a production facility at 7300 S...
products, including: Ritz Crackers
Ritz Crackers
Ritz Crackers are a brand of snack cracker introduced by Nabisco in 1934. Outside of the United States, the Ritz Cracker brand is made by a subsidiary of Kraft Foods. They are circular in shape, salted lightly on one side, and have a small scalloped edge...
, Oreo
Oreo
Oreo is a trademark for a popular sandwich cookie by the Nabisco Division of Kraft Foods. The current design consists of a sweet, white filling commonly referred to as 'cream' or 'creme', sandwiched between two circular chocolate or golden cookie pieces....
s, Lorna Doone
Lorna Doone
Lorna Doone: A Romance of Exmoor is a novel by Richard Doddridge Blackmore. It is a romance based on a group of historical characters and set in the late 17th century in Devon and Somerset, particularly around the East Lyn Valley area of Exmoor....
, Barnum's Animal Crackers, Social Tea
Social Tea
Social Tea is the brand name of a tea biscuit owned by Nabisco International. First owned by Bakers of South Africa, the biscuits were a popular brand in both South Africa and the United Kingdom, before being bought out by Nabisco in 1972. The biscuits are now available in the United States and...
biscuits, Fig Newton
Fig Newton
The Fig Newton is a Nabisco trademarked version of the ancient fig roll pastry filled with fig paste. Their unusual shape is a characteristic that has been adopted by many competitors including generic fig bars sold by most supermarkets.-History:...
s (Mickey's favorite), and Milk Bones
Milk-Bone
Milk-Bone is a brand of dog biscuit. It was created in 1908 by the F. H. Bennett Biscuit Company, which operated a bakery on the Lower East Side of New York City. Originally named Maltoid, the biscuit was a bone-shaped treat made from minerals, meat products, and milk...
(which Fifi accepts). The film ends with Minnie kissing Mickey all over his face. The cartoon fades to "The End", which fades to the Nabisco logo
Logo
A logo is a graphic mark or emblem commonly used by commercial enterprises, organizations and even individuals to aid and promote instant public recognition...
.
Trivia
- Walt Disney hated the idea of public commercials for some reason, and swore he would not do one until then.
- This is the only Mickey Mouse cartoon, and one of only two Disney cartoons in general to be in the public domain, and is freely distributed across online video websites such as YouTubeYouTubeYouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....
. - The cartoon was shown at the 1939 New York World's Fair1939 New York World's FairThe 1939–40 New York World's Fair, which covered the of Flushing Meadows-Corona Park , was the second largest American world's fair of all time, exceeded only by St. Louis's Louisiana Purchase Exposition of 1904. Many countries around the world participated in it, and over 44 million people...
. - Despite being in the public domain, this cartoon was included in the VHS release The Spirit of MickeyThe Spirit of MickeyThe Spirit of Mickey is an American 1998 animated direct-to-video anthology film, produced and released by Walt Disney Home Video on July 14, 1998...
, with all the Nabisco packaging replaced by generic products.
Bibliograghy
- Neal Gabler, Walt Disney: The Triumph of the American Imagination (2006), p. 406.
- Disney Shorts - "Mickey's Surprise Party"