DangerMouse

Why are there so many cartoon mice on our screens? Mice are the only animal to feature twice in the Top Ten Most Famous Cartoon/Comic Characters, with Mickey coming in at number 2 and Jerry sharing 5th with his hapless pursuant Tom. Whilst these two rodents have made it on to the Celebrity A List, they are not the only mice that have enjoyed time in the limelight: Mighty Mouse, Stuart Little, Fingermouse, Itchy, Maisy, Reepicheep, Speedy Gonzales, Three Blind Mice and of course DangerMouse have all held a special place in our hearts, which is a pretty staggering achievement for an animal which is largely seen as an irritating pest. Surely no other animal has, despite being disliked by the masses, held such a position in society as the not-so humble mouse.

  Troy Patterson, a movie reviewer, has a few theories on this. Firstly, he reckons that mice lend themselves to anthropomorphism. We assume that they are jaunty, fun-loving and prone to outrageous behaviour, and thus they fit well into cartoons which have larger-than-life stereotypical characters. He also reckons that they are a symbol of the misfit in society, another popular character in stories, and whilst this probably fits with the rat persona more easily, it is somewhat true of the mouse also. 

  DangerMouse never tempted me over to ITV, but he seems to have attracted many and become a cultural icon, and according to Troy, it is his mousiness that meant he was always likely to be a hit.