Disney's first-ever animated version of Mickey Mouse, known as Steamboat Willie, has been tokenized not long after it was announced that the character has entered the public domain. A new meme coin featuring the character has emerged after becoming a free-for-all item.

According to Decrypt, without copyright protection in the United States, crypto enthusiasts have immediately gone to work and minted a meme coin to mark the occasion of Steamboat Willie's entry into the public domain.

Tokenized Original Mickey Mouse Cartoon

The first Mickey Mouse, known as Steamboat Willie, was first introduced on the screen in 1928, and now its copyright has expired. This made it a public property, which means any artist or anyone is now free to use the early version of Mickey Mouse's cartoon version to create artwork, products, and other things without the need to secure permission from Disney.

In fact, just a few hours after Steamboat Willie was added to the public domain, new digital tokens based on the character were minted. Aside from meme coins, there are NFTs or non-fungible tokens as well.

Moreover, a "Mickey Token's" website was also launched for crypto products related to the famous Disney icon. Crypto enthusiasts also remarked that the Mickey Mouse digital token launch also represents the start of a "new adventure into the unknown." With this said, the meme coins have also become a digitized symbol that reflects culture.

No Longer a Disney Property

The earliest version of Mickey Mouse no longer belongs to Walt Disney, and with this development, the character quickly becomes a top NFT item on OpenSea Marketplace as well.

Then again, even with the expiration of the copyright for Steamboat Wilie, the mass media company reminded the public that the newer versions of Mickey remained its property, CoinTelegraph reported.

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