LogFAQs > #967062153

MZero posted...

I feel like Mickey is being grossly underestimated here

I think people are sort of conflating recognizability with popularity without really meaning to. It's not that Mickey is the most popular character, or the most frequently appearing, or the one that people spend the most time thinking about. But his sheer degree of penetration, as the brand icon for the largest entertainment company in the world for many, many decades, is just unmatched. I don't think it's going to remain like this forever, but the generations haven't changed over enough yet for that to be true. Way too many 70+ year olds out there who will have no trouble recognizing Mickey but won't know whatever the hell else we're talking about, not to mention cross-culturally he's just fuckin everywhere. It won't be everyone, of course, but the number of characters who match his global penetration isn't many. I don't think he's a clear #1, because I do think some characters like Mario and Superman are still well within the conversation, and because I truly do not know the media landscape of too many countries to make a truly educated guess, but downplaying Mickey would be an error.