[‘The Cheese Trap’ and ‘Fatty Boy’]

THE FIGUREHEAD OF AMERICAN ANIMATION

Original flick book (7.5 x 5.5 x 1cm approx.) stapled to one edge, containing 50pp. of black and white images, printed on both sides with two different storyboards; the first showing Mickey Mouse attempting to push  a secondary character (possibly ‘Fatty Boy’) through an open doorway, and instead being squashed by him; the second showing Mickey using his ingenuity to transform a mousetrap into a springboard, allowing him to get to a large cheese on a high shelf; with the publisher’s information printed to one side; staple rusted but firm; the pages rubbed, particularly to the outer covers, one with a water mark, and a little loss to corners; a scarce survival of a highly ephemeral item, seldom found thus.  

Conceived of as a character by Walt Disney in 1928, the enduring popularity of Mickey Mouse still remains today. Inspired by characters such as Charlie Chaplain and Douglas Fairbanks, Walt was reportedly inspired to create the character after taming a mouse while working in Mississippi. The name was further influenced by Disney’s wife, who suggested the name ‘Mickey’ as a suitable pairing. The first film, Steamboat Willie, was released in 1928, and a series of appearances later followed, including comics, shorts, and of course Fantasia in 1940, one of the earlier films to use colour. 

Flicker Productions Ltd were a specialist London publisher of Flickerbooks in the 1930s who specialised in sporting memorabilia as well as film-frame animation. 

Flipbooks such as these are exceedingly scarce on the open market, owing mostly to their fragility and fervent use throughout this period. It is likely that this flipbook lacks original card covers, though with so few copies surviving this is difficult to verify. 

SKU: 1800174