Moomba, King, Queen, Portrait, Mickey Mouse, 1977
Summary
Framed colour photograph of 1977 Moomba sovereigns, Mickey Mouse and Sharyn Duncan.
Mickey Mouse was at the centre of a Disney-style debacle when he was appointed Moomba King. While this icon of popular culture could be admired safely from a distance, his incursions into an Australian institution of popular culture would not be tolerated. Melburnians revealed strong anxieties with regards to the cultural imperialism Mickey represented. The papers ran hot with letters and articles attacking the mouse. Local station HSV-7 had invested substantial money in Mickey, buying the rights for and launching The New Mickey Mouse Club on Australian television. Mickey's US owners had a 50-year reputation to protect, and Mickey was under strict rules to behave. Because Mickey could not talk, he was given a contentious ‘court jester’ to act as his mouthpiece – entertainer Ugly Dave Gray. Mickey’s detractors began a Blinky Bill campaign, with a mock crowning ceremony of the popular Australian bush character in City Square. Eventually, Mickey was outed as Patricia O’Carroll, a Disney employee. O’Carroll was apparently given the role because the costume did not fit a man. During the eagerly anticipated parade, Mickey travelled in an open-top car with the court jester at his side and a police escort. Neither proved very effective as one of the two clowns frolicking just behind the car squashed a pie over Mickey’s face as the entourage reached Princes Bridge.
