It's Mickey Mouse's Birthday - He's 81

He's old enough to be your great grand-mouse.

Break out the bubbly and get the cake batter ready. Everyone's favorite cartoon rodent, the squeaky-voiced Disney icon Mickey Mouse, celebrates another birthday today. He's 81 years-old.

Even though he had appeared in a cartoon called Plane Crazy six months earlier, Mickey Mouse's birthday is generally recognized as November 18, 1928, when he appeared in the short animation Steamboat Willie.

Since then he's become the foundation of the gargantuan Disney empire, and is arguably the creative father of most cartoon characters to come out of the last century.

Still, even as Mr. Mouse plods into his mid-eighties, he looks remarkably sprite and agile. Also, you'd think after all these years, and especially with his susceptibility to pneumonia now, he would have learned to put on a shirt.

Still, shirtless and all, Mickey keeps his full-time job as Master of Ceremonies at the Walt Disney theme parks around the world. We're guessing he'll have his little gloved paws full today as folks (including his toony pals Donald Duck, Goofy and main squeeze Minnie Mouse) head over to wish him a happy birthday.