Minnie Mouse No Longer Needs Mickey, Disney Confirms

You’d know those red and white polka dots anywhere! Minnie Mouse is practically as iconic as her longtime love, Mickey Mouse, The Walt Disney Company’s icon. Over 100 years, there’s hardly been a time when the famous mice were separated.

As Walt Disney expanded his animation studios, the “Fabulous Five” emerged: Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse, Donald Duck, Goofy, and Pluto. Five iconic hand-drawn characters would define millions of childhoods, inspiring laughter and imagination. Though Walt Disney Animation Studios, Pixar, Marvel Studios, and Lucasfilm now encompass hundreds of characters, there’s a particular nostalgia in the classics.

Things change a lot in a century. As society changed, so did the characters on screen. Now more than ever, The Walt Disney Company focuses on diverse representation and inclusion in its films, television shows, and theme parks. The Walt Disney Archives recently acknowledged how two of its most iconic female characters, Minnie Mouse and Daisy Duck, have evolved over time.

Inside the Magic recently visited Disney100: The Exhibition in Chicago, Illinois. Two versions of this touring exhibit will travel the world for five years as part of the Disney100 Celebration, visiting cities like Berlin, Germany; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; London, England; and Kansas City, Missouri.

The exhibit includes interactive experiences, hundreds of props, historical artifacts, and a detailed retelling of The Walt Disney Company’s history. The first of ten galleries focuses on Walt Disney creating Mickey Mouse and his friends after losing the rights to Oswald the Lucky Rabbit to Universal Pictures.

Soon after Mickey came Minnie and the rest of the Fab Five. While not officially part of the lineup, Walt Disney Archives added her to its “Mickey’s Pals” list in a poster describing the characters’ changing personalities.

Both Minnie Mouse and Daisy Duck are described as independent leaders who don’t need Mickey or Donald to succeed. Minnie is defined as an equal “global ambassador for the Disney Parks” alongside Mickey.

“Walt observed Mickey as ‘sharing his spotlight with many new personalities,’” Minnie Mouse’s description reads. “In early films Minnie Mouse often played a damsel in distress, allowing Mickey to be the hero. However, she’s always had an independent attitude.”

Daisy Duck, who debuted as “Donna Duck” in Don Donald (1937), underwent a personality shift in recent years. Though she was always confident, Disney intentionally made the beloved character more self-reliant.

“She is flirty and confident, and in recent years has displayed an independent and liberated stance,” the sign reads.

Tickets to experience 100 years of Disney history at Disney100: The Exhibition are available here. Who knows where the Fab Five will be in another century?

What should Minnie Mouse, Daisy Duck, and the rest of the Fab Five do next? 

This post is originally appeared on Inside the Magic.