Mickey Mouse at 90
Mickey Mouse, one of the most loved and recognisable cartoon characters reaches his 90th birthday this year. Behind the happy demeanour of Mickey Mouse is a story of strife and money conflicts.
In 1928, Oswald the Lucky Rabbit was a cartoon character created by the Disney studio for Universal Studios. Walt Disney asked the domineering Universal Studios for an increase in the budget. In response, Universal demanded that Disney take a 20% budget cut and reminded Disney that Universal owned the character. Angrily, Disney refused the deal and started the new Disney Studio with only 3 animators who remained loyal to Walt. One lesson Disney learned from the experience was to thereafter always make sure that he owned all rights to the characters produced by his company. The inspiration for Mickey Mouse came from some sketches Walt created from a photograph of a tame mouse that he had at his desk at Laugh-O-Gram Studio in 1925. “Mortimer Mouse” was the original name for the character before his wife convinced him to change it to Mickey Mouse.
This is a story of where strife and tension led to a very successful outcome. This is not always the case. In pensions, as with all investments, we sometimes see decisions made under pressurised circumstances having adverse outcomes.
- People selling their investments units after a drop in the stock market, exacerbated when the money is being drawn down from the pension pot.
- People leaving their workplace pension scheme due to income pressures but not returning to the habit of saving – although the recent PPI results showed positive results with the number of employees who have remained in the scheme after being re-enrolled.
- People transferring out of their defined benefit scheme due to mistrust in their employer, British Steel being the biggest and most unfortunate example.
It is very difficult to make decisions when you are emotional. It is therefore very important to take guidance before taking action especially as some pension decisions are irrevocable. The Pensions Advisory Service was set up so that nobody would have to make a decision alone. If you need help with your pension, call on 0800 011 3797 or web chat us.
“I only hope that we never lose sight of one thing – that it was all started by a mouse.” — Walt Disney, Disneyland; 1954