As of 2026, Mickey Mouse is actually 97 years old. His official "birthday" is recognized as November 18, 1928, which marks the premiere of the animated short Steamboat Willie at the Colony Theatre in New York City. While Walt Disney had created an earlier version of the character in the silent short Plane Crazy earlier that year, Steamboat Willie was the first to find a distributor and featured synchronized sound, catapulting Mickey to global stardom. This means Mickey will celebrate his centennial (100th birthday) in 2028. It is a common misconception that he is younger, often because people forget to advance his age each year or confuse his debut date with other Disney milestones. Notably, as of January 1, 2024, the 1928 version of Mickey Mouse entered the public domain, though Disney still holds the trademark for the character as a brand identifier and maintains the copyright for all subsequent "modern" versions of Mickey. His age remains a point of celebration at Disney parks worldwide, with 2026 being a "countdown" year toward his historic 100th anniversary.