Mickey Mouse as Icon: Taking Popular Culture Seriously

tanding in front of Cinderella’s castle at Walt Disney World is a statue of two figures, one tall and one short, holding hands like parent and child. The tall figure is a representation of Walt Disney himself, evoking memories for baby boomers who watched him as the genial narrator of Disney’s Sunday evening television show. The smaller figure, the child, is Mickey Mouse, including those trademarked ears that have come to symbolize all things Disney. Mickey is now an icon of American culture, and the statue points to the fullness of what he has come to represent, beyond items featuring Mickey Mouse to a wide array of other cartoons, movies, theme parks, merchandise, and an entire global communications corporation. Mickey and other cultural icons deserve the attention of scholars, clergy, educators, and civic leaders, because such icons help us understand ourselves, revealing some of the desires and beliefs of a large portion of the population. These icons also represent shaping influences in our culture, sometimes as rivals of formal religions and sometimes in dialogue or agreement with religious perspectives. This essay will first discuss the importance of giving attention to popular culture and then will focus upon Mickey Mouse as an example, to illustrate how investigation of an icon can prompt reflections on society’s needs, desires, and values. In the case