His name wasn’t always Mickey. Walt Disney originally called his cartoon rodent Mortimer Mouse but quickly changed it to the now famous name. Disney recognized how important Mickey was to his ultimate success and often referred to him as "the little mouse that started it all". 

Mickey became a favorite in Disney cartoons, starring in over 100 films.  Disney also created other famed characters like Goofy and Donald Duck but Mickey has always been the top mouse. His fame soared in the 50’s when the Disney produced kid’s television program “The Mickey Mouse Club” debuted and had kids singing the now famous lyrics..” M-I-C-K-E-Y-M-O-U-S-E”, then when Disney launched his flagship theme park Disneyland, Mickey was the central character at the park and the publicity surrounding it. 

Mickey Mouse has become a part of Americana, an icon to generations of children. But you better not tell Donald Duck this.