10 major cartoon characters entering the public domain between 2024 and 2034
Mickey Mouse finally entered public domain on January 1, 2024, thanks to the copyright on the 1928 animated short “Steamboat Willie” having expired. (Minnie Mouse and the film’s version of Pete also entered public domain.) As I wrote in a previous post, this is a good thing: copyright shouldn’t be infinite, and even a famous character like Mickey entering public domain is how copyright is supposed to work. It also means various movies, music, books, etc. that also came out in 1928 can now enter public domain, without being handcuffed by some massive conglomerate protecting a cartoon character.
That said, as I figured, a lot of the usage of “Steamboat Willie” Mickey so far has been in various “edgy” one-shot jokes/memes/parodies, most of which would’ve already been protected under parody/fair use even before 2024. (That said, Ruben Bolling’s “Tom the Dancing Bug” has seen pretty hilarious usage of Mickey.) The best extensive usage I’ve seen so far has been “Mousetrapped,” a comic strip by Randy Milholland (the artist on the current “Popeye” newspaper strip) that uses the “Steamboat Willie” Mickey to tell a new storyline. The strip sees Mickey interact with not only Minnie, but also various silent film-era cartoon characters also now in the public domain.
Still, Mickey entering the public domain brings up the question: what cartoon characters enter the public domain next? Below is a list of 10 major cartoon characters entering the public domain over the next decade, with the year they enter the public domain in parentheses. Note these are the earliest versions of the characters entering public domain; like “Steamboat Willie” Mickey, they likely won’t have most of their familiar modern aspects. (So while you can use 1938 Superman when he enters public domain, you’ll have to wait another two decades before you can show or mention his cousin, Supergirl.)
