An old mouse turned 75 last week, briefly distracting the world from wars, suicide bombings, elections and other momentous matters. It wasn't just any old mouse, you see; it was the white-gloved, bulbous-eared rodent Mickey Mouse, better known here as Miki Kuchi. This peculiar creature actually goes by a number of names -- he morphs into Topolino in Italy, Musse Pigg in Sweden and Miguel Ratoncito in Spain -- but his name is not as important as his instantly recognizable appearance. Mickey has probably the single most identifiable silhouette on the planet. But just as a real mouse inspires mixed feelings -- how many people scream rather than coo when they see one in the kitchen -- so does this iconic American mouse. What better time than a birthday to reassess his place in the world's heart?

Mickey began his improbably successful life on Nov. 18, 1928 as the star of Walt Disney's animated short movie "Steamboat Willie." It was the height of the Jazz Age, and the plucky little mouse was a hit with the American public, who also took solace from his can-do spirit through the Great Depression that followed. Mickey soon acquired a family of sorts (a permanent girlfriend, Minnie, whom he never married, and three nephews, although there was never any sign of siblings), an Oscar (in 1941) and a loud-mouthed, feathered rival (Donald Duck, who for a while eclipsed Mickey in popularity).

The mouse hung in there, and the wider world adopted him, too. By century's end, Mickey had become the uncontested symbol of Disney's multibillion-dollar global entertainment empire, star of well over 100 cartoon movies, countless comic books, four theme parks worldwide and an ocean of merchandise. Taking stock of his worth last week, the Associated Press reported that the aging mouse still generates $4.5 billion a year in sales for Disney. It is not surprising to learn that, rather than retire him, the company is planning a full-scale Mickey revival, capped by a new feature film next year that will use digital technology to put the mouse on-screen in 3-D for the first time.