Mister Trouble never hangs around when he hears this mighty sound. “HERE I COME TO SAVE THE DAY!” That must mean that Mighty Mouse is on his way!

Everyone loves Mighty Mouse. But how many know the real story behind the creation of this cartoon icon? Now it can be told! The secret story behind the origins of Mighty Mouse.

It all started back in 1942. The country was at war (maybe you heard about it; it was in all the papers) and America needed a hero, a champion. That champion was Paul Terry, the mastermind of Terrytoons. Paul called a meeting of his top brains: cartoonists, gag men, character designers, animators and so on. Some of the greatest talents in the field were assembled in one conference room. They sent out for coffee and donuts and started a brainstorming session that would change life as we know it.

“Gentlemen,” said Terry (he always called them “gentlemen”), “America is at war. We’re in the midst of a crisis the likes of which the world has not seen since the last time we had a World War, a number of years ago. It’s time we did something about it.” All the great cartoon talents at the table nodded their heads in agreement.

“We need something to keep America’s spirits up, especially the kids.” The group tensed as one, knowing what was coming next. “Here’s where you come in…” continued Terry.

“We, and by ‘we’ I mean you, need to put our heads together and come up with a great idea, something which will cheer up America’s children and keep them entertained. Now I want you to think: What do kids like?”

A rumble went through the room as if everyone were mumbling the word rhubarb at once. Then shouts were heard.

“Candy! Kids love candy!” cried a man in the back.

“Good. Somebody write that down. What else?” asked Terry.

“Cake! They like cake, too!” screamed a veteran animator.

“What else? Anybody?” Terry probed.

“Operetta!” hollared a voice from the corner of the room.

“That’s it!” Terry exclaimed as he leapt to his feet, spilling his coffee. “Operetta!”

And so it was decided to base a series of cartoons on the theme of operetta. After all, the films of Jeanette MacDonald and Nelson Eddy were perpetually popular with the popcorn crowd. It was a natural!

After that, somebody decided to rip off Superman and dress up a mouse in a cape. The rest is history!

To listen to the Mighty Mouse theme, click the link below.

Mighty Mouse