Credit: DisneyAmid the beloved character’s entrance into the public domain, a new trend inspired by Mickey Mouse has sparked outrage online.
Not everything has been faith, trust, and pixie dust since the original version of Walt Disney’s Mickey Mouse, who first appeared in the 1928 short Steamboat Willie, entered the public domain on January 1, 2024.
Content creators have quickly taken advantage of the fact that The Walt Disney Company can no longer pursue anyone using the earliest version of Mickey Mouse by featuring him in NSFW artwork and even launching trailers for horror games and slasher movies starring the iconic Disney character. However, a growing trend inspired by Mickey Mouse is much more concerning.
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Multiple reports have revealed an increasingly concerning trend in China, with more owners putting their pets through painful and risky cosmetic procedures to give them “Mickey Ears” to look like the iconic Disney character.
A report by the South China Morning Post stated that leading animal experts are demanding the practice — advertised in some cases for 300 yuan, roughly $40 — be stopped due to the physical pain it causes on the animals and the psychological distress it inflicts, additional to side effects such as self-mutilation.
Two parts comprise the inhumane procedure. The surgical requires an anesthetic and takes about half an hour, while the recovery, involving shaping of the ears to remain upright and the healing, can take from 20 to 60 days.
While the surgery is legal, reputable big city animal hospitals rarely perform this type of procedures on animals. “It is rarely performed in pet hospitals in tier-one cities but is common in dog kennels and breeding facilities. Currently, there are no legal restrictions on this surgery in China. It’s a moral issue,” said Liu Yundong, a dean at Loving Care International Pet Medical Centre in Beijing.
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“As veterinarians, we adhere to the principle of animal welfare and do not advocate these surgeries. The colleagues I’ve encountered are tacitly opposed to such surgeries,” added Liu. The dean also emphasized that, due to its requirement for anesthesia and lengthy and painful recovery, the surgery has an impact on pets, including physical pain and psychological trauma, as well as physical side effects.
The growing trend inspired by Mickey Mouse has sparked outrage online, receiving backlash from many Chinese animal advocates. “Cutting tails, cutting ears – are these pet owners sick? Where does this market demand even come from?” Asked one person, another added, “If they think it’s cute, they should try cutting their own ears like that.” Another commented that this trend did not involve love for the pets but rather animal abuse.
The Walt Disney Company can do nothing to help stop this inhumane trend since, as Liu Yundong explained, the practice is being carried out in mostly unregulated establishments.
As for Mickey Mouse entering the public domain, the entertainment megacorporation promised to pursue anyone illegally using modern versions of Mickey Mouse or making it appear that Disney authorizes Steamboat Willie’s art. “Ever since Mickey Mouse’s first appearance in the 1928 short film Steamboat Willie, people have associated the character with Disney’s stories, experiences, and authentic products,” a spokesperson told The Associated Press. “That will not change when the copyright in the Steamboat Willie film expires.
“More modern versions of Mickey will remain unaffected by the expiration of the Steamboat Willie copyright…,” they continued. “We will, of course, continue to protect our rights in the more modern versions of Mickey Mouse and other works that remain subject to copyright.”
Minnie Mouse entered the public domain with her partner, Mickey, earlier this year, while other characters that we know as the “Fab 5” will follow, entering the public domain by the end of the decade. Next year, Pluto will enter the public domain, followed by Donald Duck and Goofy in 2029.
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