The Talking Mickey Mouse
Encyclopedia
The Talking Mickey Mouse, was an animated character toy, created by Worlds of Wonder
in 1986, and based on the Disney character Mickey Mouse
. Worlds of Wonder was also responsible for Teddy Ruxpin
.
was animated by a cassette deck in his back. Mickey moved his eyes, nose, and jaw to a pre-recorded cassette tape, specially coded with animation signals. Mickey told stories of his travels to foreign countries with his pal, Goofy
. The cassettes included a book to follow along.
Worlds of Wonder (toy company)
Worlds of Wonder or WoW was a 1980s American toy company, founded by former Atari employees, including Don Kingsborough and Mark Robert Goldberg.Their products included:* Teddy Ruxpin, a story telling bear, in 1985...
in 1986, and based on the Disney character Mickey Mouse
Mickey Mouse
Mickey Mouse is a cartoon character created in 1928 by Walt Disney and Ub Iwerks at The Walt Disney Studio. Mickey is an anthropomorphic black mouse and typically wears red shorts, large yellow shoes, and white gloves...
. Worlds of Wonder was also responsible for Teddy Ruxpin
Teddy Ruxpin
Teddy Ruxpin is a children's toy talking bear. The bear would move his mouth and eyes while 'reading' stories which were played on an audio tape cassette deck built into his back. It was created by Ken Forsse with later assistance by Larry Larsen and John Davies. Later versions would use a digital...
.
How Mickey Mouse worked
Mickey MouseMickey Mouse
Mickey Mouse is a cartoon character created in 1928 by Walt Disney and Ub Iwerks at The Walt Disney Studio. Mickey is an anthropomorphic black mouse and typically wears red shorts, large yellow shoes, and white gloves...
was animated by a cassette deck in his back. Mickey moved his eyes, nose, and jaw to a pre-recorded cassette tape, specially coded with animation signals. Mickey told stories of his travels to foreign countries with his pal, Goofy
Goofy
Goofy is a cartoon character created in 1932 at Walt Disney Productions. Goofy is a tall, anthropomorphic dog, and typically wears a turtle neck and vest, with pants, shoes, white gloves, and a tall hat originally designed as a rumpled fedora. Goofy is a close friend of Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck...
. The cassettes included a book to follow along.
The stories
Often, Mickey and Goofy are put into the mode of being detectives, when they start out just being normal tourists. The stories always make the two Disney characters more believable, giving them insight to a cartoony, but realistic setting. Many of the things that happen are impossible, but by the end of the story, the two characters give a "thought" that can give inspiration.Available cassettes and books
Worlds of Wonder made 13 stories to animate Mickey. They were:- The Impossible Journey - takes place somewhere in AfricaAfricaAfrica is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
. When Mickey and Goofy receive some magic berries in the mail from famous explorer Dr. Stan Livingstone, they travel to Africa to save him.
- The Magic Boomerang - takes place in AustraliaAustraliaAustralia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
- Mickey gets a mysterious letter from his Uncle Digger asking for help, so Mickey & Goofy come to the rescue.
- The Little Lost Elephant - takes place in IndiaIndiaIndia , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
- Mickey's friend, Rasheed, invites Mickey & Goofy to come visit him. While there, Mickey & Goofy solve the mystery of why the family's baby elephant is so sad.
- The Missing Meatball - takes place in ItalyItalyItaly , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
- Goofy's cousin, Tony, invites Mickey & Goofy to Rome, for the opening of his eatery. Sophia, his boss, decides to create a giant meatball to celebrate. When the meatball goes missing, the pair must search for clues to solve its disappearance.
- The Littlest Viking - takes place in NorwayNorwayNorway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
- While on vacation, Mickey & Goofy hear about a mysterious 'phantom of the fiord' and with the help of an over-excited museum tour guide, Eric, they discover the truth behind this tall tale.
- Goofy's Last Waltz - takes place in AustriaAustriaAustria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
- Goofy accidentally gets hurt dancing, and in a comic twist, now believes he is Johann StraussJohann Strauss IIJohann Strauss II , also known as Johann Baptist Strauss or Johann Strauss, Jr., the Younger, or the Son , was an Austrian composer of light music, particularly dance music and operettas. He composed over 500 waltzes, polkas, quadrilles, and other types of dance music, as well as several operettas...
.
- Secret of the Silver Mine - takes place in MexicoMexicoThe United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
- Donald gets a letter and a map from Uncle Scrooge, wanting Donald, Mickey and Goofy to discover a mine for him before someone else can. The trio discover that the mine is something a little different.
- A Mystery in Paris - takes place in FranceFranceThe French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
- Mickey & Goofy help crack down on a man who is pretending to be the owner of the Eiffel Tower and swindling people out of their money.
- A Moose on the Loose - takes place in CanadaCanadaCanada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
- Mickey & Goofy help a stressed lodge owner solve the mysterious reason that a moose is hanging around the lodge.
- The City Beneath the Sand - takes place in EgyptEgyptEgypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, Arabic: , is a country mainly in North Africa, with the Sinai Peninsula forming a land bridge in Southwest Asia. Egypt is thus a transcontinental country, and a major power in Africa, the Mediterranean Basin, the Middle East and the Muslim world...
(or somewhere in the Middle EastMiddle EastThe Middle East is a region that encompasses Western Asia and Northern Africa. It is often used as a synonym for Near East, in opposition to Far East...
) - Mickey & Goofy are invited to find relics for a museum, while a disgruntled employee tries to foil their chances.
- Follow that Ghost! - takes place in the UK (ScotlandScotlandScotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
region) - Goofy inherits his cousin's castle, but the pair also discover the resident 'Knight Rader' and unravel the mystery behind him.
- The Secret Island - takes place in the UK (one of its islands) - Mickey, Goofy and a stranger learn the value of life when their boat goes down and they are left on a deserted Island. The Professor tells them about pirate treasure, and they join him in the search for it.
- The Great Kite Caper - takes place in JapanJapanJapan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
- When Mickey, Goofy, and Donald enter a kite-flying contest, Donald tries to fly the kite and is launched in the air, riding it. Mickey & Goofy chase the kite, leading to comical accidents as they try to help Donald down from the kite.
Available Extra Outfits
World of Wonder made at least three extra outfits for Mickey. These were sold separately under the WOW label named "Mickey's Costume Closet"- The Sorcerer/Apprentice outfit from Fantasia - Consists of a sorcerer conical hat, sorcerer robe and pointy reddish brown shoes.
- The Slumber/Sleeper outfit - Consists of a bathrobe, slippers, nightshirt and night cap.
- The Bandleader outfit The unverified contents looks to be bandleader Jacket, bandleader hat, blue pants, and brown shoes.