"A Mickey Mouse Cartoon"

Release Date (July 31, 1929)

Running Time 7:40

Synopsis

Mickey's selling hot dogs at the fair and heckling rival barker Kat Nipp; later, he serenades "shimmy dancer" Minnie with the help of two rowdy cat pals.

Characters

Mickey Mouse

Minnie Mouse

Kat Nipp

Credits

Director : Walt Disney

Music : Carl Stalling

DVD

Disney Treasures : Mickey Mouse in Black and White

Vintage Mickey

Television

The Ink and Paint Club : #2 : Mickey Landmarks

Technical Specifications

Color Type : Black and White

Animation type : Standard

Sound mix : Mono ; Cinephone

Aspect ration : 1.37 : 1

Negative format : 35mm

Print format : 35mm

Cinematographic process : Spherical

Original language : English

Released by Celebrity Productions, Inc.

Gallery

Click on the thumbnail for the full-sized picture

Comments

Mickey Mouse says his first words, "Hot Dog!"

This short is a milestone not for any artistic reason, but for the merchandising. It features a scene (shown above) where Mickey tips his ears to Minnie. Inspired by this scene, storyman Roy Williams invented what is probably the most recognizable piece of Disney merchandise ever; the Mickey Mouse ears hat.

From Moe Hare : When it comes down to what are the best black and white Mickey Mouse cartoons,this happens to be one of them because of the rich history behind this short.For starters, this is the very first cartoon in which Mickey speaks and it was Disney's first musical director (of Warner Bros.LT/MM fame) Carl Stalling who did Mickey's voice in this cartoon."The Karnival Kid" contains many gags used from the "Oswald The Lucky Rabbit" which made that series successful and it's use of the rubber-hose style animation made famous by legendary animator Bill Nolan."The Karnival Kid" is one cartoon that every cartoon collector should have in it's video collection.

From Jerry Edwards : At a carnival, hot-dog vendor Mickey offers Minnie, a "shimmy dancer," some free lunch. Much later that night, Mickey and two cats serenade her. A disgruntled awakened neighbor hits the cats with a thrown bed pan and clobbers Mickey with the bed. One fun gag is at the start of the cartoon, where Clarabelle Cow is shown floating in the air with balloons tied to her tail. She blows on a party favor, which shows a scary face after it unfurls.

From jasonC : I don't know much about the history of these old Disney cartoons (but I am learning a lot from this site). But I do know when I am seeing something great, and I watch the Ink and Paint Club. Maybe I'm just part of the "politically incorrect" backlash of the past few years, but I think it is really refreshing to see Mickey's angry outbursts, like when he ruins that guy's stage act and spanks the baby hotdog. Even the uncaring way in which Mickey orders the hotdog to its death in the bun. No matter what this Mickey does, it seems disarmingly cute. I could watch it all day. And that is the genius in these old cartoons (which I think many dismiss as "charming".) This cartoon doesn't appear to have been made with an eye towards sanitized reality geared at protecting children, rather I'd say it embraces a view of the world as an inherently dangerous place full of strange and selfish characters. And it shows us this world in a friendly, caring, affable, affectionate way. So in the end I think it gives me (as an adult) a great lesson in dealing with the realities of life and keeping a smile on my face. I would put "The Karnival Kid" in my top-ten-ever cartoons list. The portrayal of Mickey is complex and great. And the style of the animation is riveting - primitive, but done by hand, comprehensible, I can visualize a person drawing it, and polished to a high sheen.

From Ryan : This is definitely one of my favorite shorts. First of all, it's an important milestone in Mickey's career. He says his first words. I liked the scene where Mickey is teaching the hot "dogs" tricks. "Sit up! Roll over! Speak!" With that, the hot dogs bark. Minnie takes a big coin out of her nylons. This is a pretty darn big coin if you ask me. It also appears that Minnie needs to shave her legs before her next performance as we see small hair follicles on them. The Arabian tune played when Kat Nipp is singing about Minnie the Shimmy Dancer is all too familiar. I just would be interested in knowing the name of it. It did get sort of annoying when the two alley cats (one of them looked like a cat who lives at my grandma's farm) were singing "Sweet Adeline."

From Milton Knight : Delightful short with eccentric animation and humor that would disappear from Mickey's films all too soon. Small movements are nearly gags in themselves, as when Mickey stops running and his trouser buttons fly ahead of him. By the way, the "shimmy" theme is called "Streets of Cairo".

From Mike : A fun little short. I remember when I was a wee lad watching this. The only thing I could successfully remember was the hot dogs being told "sit!" "stay!"

Once again, after getting "Mickey Mouse in Black and White", I must say.......this short has become one of my most watched. Nostalgia? could be. Maybe it's just a darn good short.

On another note, the monkey who played the drums was awesome!

From Bill : This is a great short because it portrays Mickey at his finest: bold, brash and not afraid to do what has to be done. He also speaks for the first time. It's a shame that this kind of bold humor in Mickey's films began to decline as he became more of an "icon" or company symbol. Even the animation, which today would be considered "primitive" gives this and all the early shorts a great charm missing from todays high-tech toons.

From Gijs Grob : In this wonderfully witty film Mickey works as a hot dog seller at the fair, where Minnie is a shimmy dancer. The film is split in two parts: in the first Mickey sells living(!) hot dogs and gives one to Minnie. When the unlucky weenie is not very cooperative, Mickey spanks him! The second part is introduced by a titlecard 'later that night', which melts before the scene starts. Here Mickey offers Minnie a serenade with help of two cats singing 'Sweet Adeline'. This film is particularly important because Mickey and some other characters speak and sing with perfect lip synchronization. Nevertheless, a lot of the characters' action remains typically silent pantomime.

From Chris Perdue : I don't really have anything to add to what's already been said, but I agree with Ryan. I enjoy the bit where he is training the hot dogs and you have to think it's kind of cute when Mickey is spanking the hot dog for not just sitting there and allowing itself to be eaten alive. Other than that, it's not a great short in my opinion, but it is, as has been stated above, one of Mickey's landmarks and therefore interesting to watch. The fact that the characters actually begin to speak at this point is significant to me because, though I have enough sight to understand what is happening on the screen, I am legally blind and dialog enhances the experience for me. So while I do enjoy later shorts more, I think this one is interesting and should not be forgotten when discussing or showing Mickey's landmarks.

From Katelyn : Somebody posted this short on You Tube not long ago...I'm glad because I can't find it anywhere else! I forgot how incredibly funny Disney cartoons were in the early days. Mickey yelling "Hot dogs! Hot dogs!" was just too cute.

Referenced Comments

All Wet (1927)

Mickey's Follies (1929)