Public access to non-speaking versions of Mickey Mouse and Minnie from 1928 has been granted in the United States following the expiration of Disney’s copyright. These iconic characters have soon been turned into non-fungible tokens (NFTs).
Alexander Taub, the co-founder of Truth Labs, a Web3 company known for projects such as Goblintown, Illuminati, and The 187, was the first to unveil a collection featuring the now publicly available Mickey Mouse character.
The collection comprises 2,000 NFTs featuring the Mickey Mouse version from the 1928 animated short film “Steamboat Willie,” whose copyrights lapsed on January 1, 2024.
The release occurred on the NFT minting platform Manifold.xyz and was officially announced through a post on X (Twitter).
The minting process for each NFT, priced at $2, started precisely at midnight and quickly sold out within a few hours of the release.
Post-minting, NFTs from the collection achieved a floor price of up to 0.199 ETH, approximately $470, on secondary marketplaces like OpenSea.
OpenSea data shows that the Steamboat Willie public domain collection currently holds the top position among the most trending collections in the last 24 hours.
While this event marks the inaugural NFT minting of Steamboat Willie Mickey Mouse after the copyright expiration, it is not the first time the character has been the focus of a collection.
In 2021, the digital collectible platform Veve collaborated with Disney to launch the “Steamboat Willie” Mickey Mouse NFT collection, commemorating some of Mickey Mouse’s most memorable moments.
Disney has been actively involved in the Web3 domain, beginning its foray in 2021 with a collaboration with Veve to launch its inaugural NFT collection named “Golden Moment.” This collection showcased some of Disney’s beloved characters and stories.
In a more recent development in November 2023, Disney partnered with Dapper Labs, the creator of NBA Top Shot, to launch “Disney Pinnacle,” a Web3 platform dedicated to NFTs.
