Mickey Mouse is a comic animal cartoon character who has become a symbol for The Walt Disney Company. He was created on November 18, 1928 by Ub Iwerks and voiced by Walt Disney, and the mouse has evolved from being simply a character in animated cartoons and comic strips to become one of the most recognizable symbols in the world. Walt Disney himself voiced Mickey Mouse from 1928 until 1946, when sound effects man James G. MacDonald took over the role. Mickey has been voiced since 1983 by Wayne Allwine, MacDonald's former apprentice. Mickey Mouse debuted on November 18, 1928 in the animated cartoon Steamboat Willie. His comics debut was January 13, 1930 when he got his own comic strip. (The first adventure was Lost on a Desert Island.) The strip was first written by Walt Disney himself (and drawn by Ub Iwerks), but soon Floyd Gottfredson took over the strip and continued to draw it for decades. Related characters Mickey has a girlfriend, Minnie, two nephews, Morty and Ferdie and a dog, Pluto.
