Who's Who Wednesday: Minnie Mouse

      I think everyone knows Minnie Mouse, but few of us know much more about her than being a loyal friend to Mickey with her characteristic red and white polka dot dress, white gloves and too big shoes.  Well, that's what Who's Who Wednesday is all about.  Giving fans a more in depth look at the characters and folks that make up the Disney com

munity.         Minnie was created by Ub Iwerks along side Mickey.  Her given name is Minerva Mouse.  She first appeared in a comic strip in 1930 called "Mr. Slicker and the Egg Robbers".  Appearing with her in this strip were her parents, Marcus and Margie Mouse and grandparents, Marshall and Matilda. Minnie appeared on screen in Mickey's famous, "Steamboat Willie". This is where we first see Mickey vying for her companionship. Black Pete also appears here and is the villain that also wants Minnie's attention. Poor Minnie always seems to be a damsel in distress. Mickey always comes along to save her from such things as being abducted by Pete, nearly drowning at sea, being held hostage by an escaped gorilla and even being rescued by firefighters from a burning building under the direction of Chief Mickey in the short film "The Firefighters".       Like Mickey, Minnie also has a pet dog. His name is Rover. In several later short films, Minnie also has a black and white kitten named Figaro that we first saw in Pinocchio.        Minnie's popularity began to wane with the introduction of characters like Donald and Goofy.  She started a comeback in the 1980s and even appeared as the lead in several short films.  Minnie was initially voiced by Walt Disney himself but then Marcellite Garner took over from 1930-1938.  Minnie is now voiced by Russi Taylor, who just happens to be the widow of Wayne Allwine, who provided the voice of Mickey from 1977 until his death in 2009.        Minnie can be seen all over the Disney parks on merchandise, in parades and in various castle shows alone or with her trusty friends. Her memorabilia is sought after by little girls everywhere. And of course, behind every great man (Mickey), there stands a great woman (Minnie), that helped him get there!       Come back next week to see how Donald Duck almost took over Mickey's fame.