Cower and be afraid: Seventy-five years ago today, Mickey Mouse was unleashed upon the world in "Steamboat Willie."

The Associated Press notes the passing of time: "The years have dulled Mickey’s personality, a result of him becoming the corporate face of a multibillion-dollar entertainment empire. In the process, Mickey also has become a cultural Rorschach test — a symbol of American optimism, resourcefulness and energy or an icon of cultural commodification and corporate imperialism."