Mickey Mouse is an Academy Award-winning cartoon character. The anthropomorphic mouse was created by Ub Iwerks and made his first appearance in Plane Crazy in 1928. The Walt Disney Company celebrates his birth as November 18, 1928 upon the release of Steamboat Willie. Walt Disney voiced Mickey Mouse from 1928 until 1946, when sound effects man Jimmy MacDonald took over the role. Since 1983 Mickey is voiced by Wayne Allwine. Over the years, Mickey Mouse appeared in animated cartoons, comic strips, and video games, and he became an icon of The Walt Disney Company