Accompanying Mickey's physical makeover was a definite shift in behavior. Mickey was no longer loud and mischievous, but more quiet and charming. In his cartoons of the late 20's, Mickey quit doing slapstick comedy and started to become the "nice guy" we know today. Mickey's persona continued to soften as his physical traits smoothed out. He became the ideal citizen, one that would never do anything untoward. He also gained more human traits as he took on roles normally inhabited by people. He is probably the first mouse to conduct an orchestra. Through all these changes, Mickey became a perfect gentleman-- but one who resided in the body of a mouse.
What was it about this mouse that made Mickey such a symbol of American ideals? Between the wars, he became a symbol of resolve for Depression-weary Americans. During WWII he was a bomber pilot flying for the Allies. Mickey has been everything from a golfer to a doctor; he can do anything and everything well. Should something terrible happen to Mickey, there is always a reason behind the trouble, and it is never his fault. Mickey is a lovable and sweet mouse. He represents how most Americans want to perceive themselves. Updike goes so far as to say that, "The American that is not symbolized by that imperial Yankee Uncle Sam is symbolized by Mickey Mouse. He is America as it feels to itself plucky, put-on, inventive, resilient, good-natured, game." Mickey has become the softer, more playful side of America.
Though the form of Mickey has not undergone any truly radical changes throughout his seventy years of evolution, he has become less of a rodent and definitely more human as time passed. His character has "settled into the national collective consciousness," whereas other cartoons have faded away and been lost. That is why Mickey is such a universal character. No matter which version of Mickey people remember, he is still Mickey in essence, and he cannot be forgotten.
