Mickey Mouse becomes public domain in 2024, brace yourselves for a rubbish horror parody

Mickey Mouse could soon be haunting our dreams, thanks to the character becoming public domain in 2024 – you just know creatives are going to create horror parodies, most of which will be rubbish.

If we know anything, it’s that people just love to take childhood imagery and transform it into something horrific; we’ve seen a murderous Winnie the Pooh, and our fond childhood memories of Monsters Inc. taken away from us. And while some horror parodies have been okay, Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey was so bad it’s good.

Let's watch Disney Illusion Island's trailer to ease those pangs of worry

In short, our memories of Mickey Mouse are about to be ruined.

However, Mickey going all public domain on us isn’t as cut and dry as it may sound. This is because it’s only Steamboat Willie's Mickey Mouse that’s going public rather than the more contemporary depictions we’re familiar with.

According to a Disney spokesperson, “More modern versions of Mickey will remain unaffected by the expiration of the Steamboat Willie copyright, and Mickey will continue to play a leading role as a global ambassador for the Walt Disney Company in our storytelling, theme park attractions, and merchandise.” They add, “We will, of course, continue to protect our rights in the more modern versions of Mickey Mouse and other works that remain subject to copyright.”

Oh, and Disney is keen to remind everyone that if you use Mickey’s likeness in a film and/or game, you’d better make sure it’s clear it isn’t affiliated with them, as Disney will “work to safeguard against consumer confusion caused by unauthorised uses of Mickey and our other iconic characters.”

But when have devs wanting to cash in on the hilarity of a goody-two-shoes character ever cared about that? Exactly – they don’t. Sure, it may get taken down, but we can guarantee a Mickey Mouse horror game that lasts only an hour or so will have a lasting impact on the internet.

Ah, Mickey. Sweet, innocent Mickey, you’re about to become a monster…