Mickey Mouse, racist

[Jeet Heer]

When I teach my students about racism in the early 20th century, I often
show them Mickey Mouse comic strips from circa 1929 or 1930 -- which are
filled with images of the Mouse fighting canabalistic ooga-booga African
natives. The sight of the iconic and beloved MM in this context really comes
as a shock to students and is very effective as a teaching tool. I've often
wanted to do a course kit collecting such images, not just of Africans but
also other racial and ethnic groups. Of course, Disney would never grant
permission to reprint such stuff. They've gone out of their way to surpess
the more horrid material they churned out.  This is one reason why the
Supreme Courts decision in Eldred versus Ashcroft (upholding a law allowing
Disney to hold onto their copyright for another 20 years) is such a drag. It
allows Disney to continue to white-wash (if you will) their past.
Jeet
----- Original Message -----
From: Doug Henwood <dhenwood at panix.com>
To: lbo-talk <lbo-talk at lists.panix.com>
Sent: Friday, February 07, 2003 12:43 PM
Subject: Mickey Mouse, racist


> New York Post [Page Six] - February 7, 2003
>
> Mickey rat
>
> HISTORIANS, Disney fans and racists alike will be clamoring for the
> latest piece of Mickey Mouse memorabilia hitting the auction block.
> Walt Disney's racist views were widely overlooked during his
> lifetime, and many today are unaware of them. But a case in point is
> the item online collectibles dealer momentsintime.com is offering: a
> copy of "The 1932 Mickey Mouse Annual," featuring heavy use of the
> N-word. In one scene, the world's most famous mouse and his galpal
> Minnie are in the jungle fighting "fierce n- - - - -s." The natives
> are depicted as having enormous lips and eyes. The rare book,
> published in Britain, is selling for $54,000.