Is Mickey Mouse "clearly massaging his massive erection" in a video described on social media as an "old @Disney reel"? No, that's not true: A former Disney animator called the short clip a "forgery." The NSFW video takes isolated character elements from the 1928 Disney cartoon "Steamboat Willie" and combines them with new animation to create something that looks like an old video but is much newer.
The claim appeared in a post on Twitter (archived here) by internet talk show host Stew Peters on March 7, 2023. The post, which features a 20-second video clip, says
Mickey Mouse is clearly massaging his massive erection in this old @Disney reel.
This is what the post looked like on Twitter at the time of writing:
(Source: Twitter screenshot taken on Wed Mar 8 16:12:30 2023 UTC)
'Cheese Factory Willie'
The short video clip has been around for more than a decade. The animation first appeared on the B3Ta Board on March 29, 2011, Snopes reported in 2015. Below is the loop called "Cheese Factory Willie" from the B3Ta Board:
(Source: B3Ta Board GIF download on Wed Mar 8 21:57:24 2023 UTC)
It appears to have been cobbled together with elements from the classic cartoon "Steamboat Willie," which made its debut in 1928. The complete cartoon can be found below:
The characters appearing in the NSFW version of Mickey Mouse working at the cheese factory also can be seen in scenes from "Steamboat Willie." All four of them are shown in red boxes below:
(Source: B3Ta Board screenshot taken on Wed Mar 8 21:57:24 2023 UTC)
Mickey Mouse
At 41 seconds into the original cartoon, Mickey Mouse can be seen in essentially the same pose:
(Source: YouTube screenshot taken on Wed Mar 8 22:04:53 2023 UTC)
Pete
At the 55-second mark, Pete, sometimes called Peg Leg Pete, shows up:
(Source: YouTube screenshot taken on Wed Mar 8 22:34:41 2023 UTC)
Parrot
Around 1:26 into the video, the laughing parrot and the stairwell next to it appear. Both are in the clip being shared on social media:
(Source: YouTube screenshot taken on Wed Mar 8 22:29:50 2023 UTC)
Minne Mouse
And at about the 4:20 mark in "Steamboat Willie," Minnie Mouse begins cranking the tail of a goat, which duplicates the motion in the cheese factory video:
(Source: YouTube screenshot taken on Wed Mar 8 22:04:53 2023 UTC)
Animation historian
In a March 8, 2023, email to Lead Stories, Tom Sito, a cinematic arts professor at the University of Southern California, an animation historian and a former Disney animator, said, "In my opinion this film is a forgery. Created by someone who knows how to draw the classic characters." Sito continued:
Like you surmised, the creator lifted the characters from Steamboat Willie. I am a Walt Disney historian, and I am aware of many obscure films, even stag films done by animators for their own amusement. And I have never seen this before.
With today's computer technology it is quite easy for someone with the drawing skill to utilize a 2D animation program and with a drawing tablet and stylus create this at home. It is done deliberately in an old 1920s style to make the illusion of authenticity work.
About Stew Peters
Former bounty hunter (archived here) and rapper (archived here) Stew Peters is the host of the internet-based Stew Peters Show on redvoicemedia.com. Politically he is situated on the right, closely aligned with former President Donald Trump's MAGA movement. In a January 2023 tweet (archived here) Peters announced support for race-based immigration policies, opposing all immigration into Western and European countries.
In recent years he has been a very active voice in the anti-vaccine movement. He was behind two major anti-vaccine movies filled with false and unsubstantiated claims (see our fact checks of "Watch the Water" and "Died Suddenly" for more information). His regular co-host on the Stew Peters Show is "Dr. Jane Ruby," a non-medical doctor who regularly updates Peters on various things allegedly found in vaccines, which Peters invariably terms "horrific."
You can find all Lead Stories fact checks involving or mentioning Stew Peters here.
