"Mouseton" in the FantaGraphics Gottfredson books

[Baar Baar Jinx]

I've finally begun to catch up on reading my FantaGraphics Gottfredson books, and I realized there was  something I don't think we've ever discussed before ... what does everyone think of the editorial decision to repeatedly refer to Mickey's hometown as "Mouseton"? True, the name "Mouseton" is universally accepted now (there's less of an agreement about the state it's in), but Gottfredson never really used that name, and while its use in the FantaGraphics books  is limited to the editorial pieces and promotional materials (rather than being retroactively inserted into the reprinted material itself), it somehow strikes me as jarring. In the spirit of fidelity to history, I personally would have preferred that Mickey's hometown go unnamed in these books, as was the practice until the early 1990s.

[Ramapith]

Actually, the town wasn't unnamed in pre-Mouseton days: Gottfredson and Gonzales actually used "Mouseville" a couple of times in the newspaper strip from 1939 onward, and the 1960s-1980s S-coded stories in their original English versions say Mouseville too—so it was actually a thing inside Disney for awhile.

Now, after 1989, a legit legal conflict prevented Disney from using the name in new creative content, so we don't speak much of it today. But we shouldn't conclude from this that Gottfredson intended Mickey's town to be unnamed.

I hadn't given it much thought, but I think my colleagues and I have been saying "Mouseton" in the FGL text features due to force of habit! We could try to reduce it now, but production is finished on 12 of the 14 books...

[Baar Baar Jinx]

Sept 29, 2016 21:45:11 GMT Ramapith said:

Actually, the town wasn't unnamed in pre-Mouseton days: Gottfredson and Gonzales actually used "Mouseville" a couple of times in the newspaper strip from 1939 onward, and the 1960s-1980s S-coded stories in their original English versions say Mouseville too—so it was actually a thing inside Disney for awhile.

Now, after 1989, a legit legal conflict prevented Disney from using the name in new creative content, so we don't speak much of it today. But we shouldn't conclude from this that Gottfredson intended Mickey's town to be unnamed.

I hadn't given it much thought, but I think my colleagues and I have been saying "Mouseton" in the FGL text features due to force of habit! We could try to reduce it now, but production is finished on 12 of the 14 books...

I am aware of one use of "Mouseville" in Gottfredson's work ... the Phantom Blot continuity. Was it used at any other time?
Also, which S-coded stories used that name (I'm always interested in Disney comic historical gems like that)?

It always struck me as kind of strange how apart from two instances (Mouseville as above and Silo Center in an early story, neither of which were used again that I'm aware of), Gottfredson seemed to take pains not to name Mickey's hometown (making references to him being "from the East" but never being more specific than that); it may not have been intentional, but almost seemed to impart a "Where is Springfield" flavor to the whole thing (which also did not start off intentionally, I believe).

Is it true that Gladstone Series II studiously avoided using "Mouseton"? I read that, but can't recall offhand if they ever commented on it as an editorial policy. I seem to remember an editor saying in a post-Disney Comics, Inc., letter column somewhere that they would use either "Duckburg" or "Toontown" (not sure if that was Gladstone II or Gemstone), both of which struck me as terrible ideas, and I was thankful that that never materialized. Gemstone did ultimately more-or-less make "Mouseton" mainstream, if I recall correctly. BTW, is Mouseton supposed to be a play on Houston or Boston?

The use of "Mouseton" in the FantaGraphics Library books is hardly a major sore point for me, just curious about whether it was a conscious effort (which apparently it was not) and what other people thought of it ...

[RobbK1]

I grew up KNOWING that mickey lived in Mouseville, as I had "The Phantom Blot" in various forms (Mickey Mouse #1(1st 4-Color series), WDC&S serialised reprint, and 1955 Mickey Mouse Club Parade reprint, as well as another Gottfredson story using that name. I saw no other town name used. So, that was proof that Mouseville was the place.

[deb]

Honestly, I always figured that Mouseton was something that Disney insisted on as part of the Mickey Mouse license, so I thought nothing of it. Much like reading of Duckburg in reference to the Al Taliaferro strips, which to my knowledge didn't give Donald's hometown a name.
I've seen Hollywood, USA given as their hometown, and in a Carl Barks nightmare story, Donald suggested he lived in Burbank.

[demiscy]

In Greece the town where Mickey and the gang lives in is called MICKEY CITY

[RobbK1]

Sept 30, 2016 5:24:32 GMT deb said:

Honestly, I always figured that Mouseton was something that Disney insisted on as part of the Mickey Mouse license, so I thought nothing of it. Much like reading of Duckburg in reference to the Al Taliaferro strips, which to my knowledge didn't give Donald's hometown a name.
I've seen Hollywood, USA given as their hometown, and in a Carl Barks nightmare story, Donald suggested he lived in Burbank.

Living in Burbank WOULD  be a nightmare!

[Baar Baar Jinx]

Sept 30, 2016 5:24:32 GMT deb said:

Honestly, I always figured that Mouseton was something that Disney insisted on as part of the Mickey Mouse license, so I thought nothing of it. Much like reading of Duckburg in reference to the Al Taliaferro strips, which to my knowledge didn't give Donald's hometown a name.
I've seen Hollywood, USA given as their hometown, and in a Carl Barks nightmare story, Donald suggested he lived in Burbank.

Did Taliaferro not eventually use "Duckburg" in his later strips?

Also, did Barks use "Burbank" as Donald's home town before or after he introduced "Duckburg"?

If I recall correctly, Donald said he wanted to "go back home to Burbank" in a nightmare, so you could make the argument that it wasn't a "real" reference to his hometown ....

[Scrooge MacDuck]

Sept 30, 2016 14:42:16 GMT Baar Baar Jinx said:

Sept 30, 2016 5:24:32 GMT deb said:

Honestly, I always figured that Mouseton was something that Disney insisted on as part of the Mickey Mouse license, so I thought nothing of it. Much like reading of Duckburg in reference to the Al Taliaferro strips, which to my knowledge didn't give Donald's hometown a name.
I've seen Hollywood, USA given as their hometown, and in a Carl Barks nightmare story, Donald suggested he lived in Burbank.

Did Taliaferro not eventually use "Duckburg" in his later strips?

Also, did Barks use "Burbank" as Donald's home town before or after he introduced "Duckburg"?

If I recall correctly, Donald said he wanted to "go back home to Burbank" in a nightmare, so you could make the argument that it wasn't a "real" reference to his hometown ....

If you accept the This is your life, Donald Duck continuity, Donald worked for the Disney Studios at one point, so my theory is that he probably had an apartment there to stay during shooting periods. Since nightmares are known to associate various thoughts and memories, the association of "Burbank" with "home" could have arisen from a vague reminescence of that period of time.

[Baar Baar Jinx]

Sept 30, 2016 17:47:59 GMT Scrooge MacDuck said:

Sept 30, 2016 14:42:16 GMT Baar Baar Jinx said:

Did Taliaferro not eventually use "Duckburg" in his later strips?

Also, did Barks use "Burbank" as Donald's home town before or after he introduced "Duckburg"?

If I recall correctly, Donald said he wanted to "go back home to Burbank" in a nightmare, so you could make the argument that it wasn't a "real" reference to his hometown ....

If you accept the This is your life, Donald Duck continuity, Donald worked for the Disney Studios at one point, so my theory is that he probably had an apartment there to stay during shooting periods. Since nightmares are known to associate various thoughts and memories, the association of "Burbank" with "home" could have arisen from a vague reminescence of that period of time.

For me personally, it'd be hard to reconcile This is your Life, Donald Duck with the comic-book Duck Universe. Doing so would imply that Donald was at least at one time a celebrity actor, which is incompatible with the everyman character that Donald in the comics embodies. But my headcanon Donald could certainly have lived in Burbank for a brief period of his life in some other capacity.  

[Scrooge MacDuck]

I was actually referring to the comic book, not the cartoon version. And though I get your point, Donald *was* famous many times in various trades (namely in Barks's "Fragile Duck Mastery" ten-pagers), which doesn't stop him from being back at being an everyman in the next story.

[Baar Baar Jinx]

Sept 30, 2016 19:23:44 GMT Scrooge MacDuck said:

I was actually referring to the comic book, not the cartoon version. And though I get your point, Donald *was* famous many times in various trades (namely in Barks's "Fragile Duck Mastery" ten-pagers), which doesn't stop him from being back at being an everyman in the next story.

True. Another thing that always struck me as odd is that people must be aware that he's the nephew of the "richest man in the world." You'd think that'd make him somewhat semi-famous, and that people would want to try to get chummy with him, but he's generally looked upon with disdain and ostracized.

[Scrooge MacDuck]

Sept 30, 2016 19:52:25 GMT Baar Baar Jinx said:

Sept 30, 2016 19:23:44 GMT Scrooge MacDuck said:

I was actually referring to the comic book, not the cartoon version. And though I get your point, Donald *was* famous many times in various trades (namely in Barks's "Fragile Duck Mastery" ten-pagers), which doesn't stop him from being back at being an everyman in the next story.

True. Another thing that always struck me as odd is that people must be aware that he's the nephew of the "richest man in the world." You'd think that'd make him somewhat semi-famous, and that people would want to try to get chummy with him, but he's generally looked upon with disdain and ostracized.

Another good point. It is possible that people began to do that in 1947, then saw Scrooge didn't treat him with any particular respect and that he wasn't rich at all, so they they just gave up.

[Ramapith]

Sept 29, 2016 23:29:50 GMT Baar Baar Jinx said:

I am aware of one use of "Mouseville" in Gottfredson's work ... the Phantom Blot continuity. Was it used at any other time?
Also, which S-coded stories used that name (I'm always interested in Disney comic historical gems like that)?

I remember it appearing once or twice in 1950s strips. Unfortunately, I can't recall a specific one right at the moment.
It is in lots of S-coded stories—like dozens. S 80006 is one example.

It always struck me as kind of strange how apart from two instances (Mouseville as above and Silo Center in an early story, neither of which were used again that I'm aware of)

Don't look now, but we used Silo Center as Oswald's hometown in the recent "Just Like Magic." I like to imagine it as another small town near Duckburg and Mouseton.

Is it true that Gladstone Series II studiously avoided using "Mouseton"? I read that, but can't recall offhand if they ever commented on it as an editorial policy. I seem to remember an editor saying in a post-Disney Comics, Inc., letter column somewhere that they would use either "Duckburg" or "Toontown" (not sure if that was Gladstone II or Gemstone)

Gladstone II tried to avoid mentioning Mickey's town, but used Duckburg in a pinch—I'm not sure why. (I could swear there might have been a singular use of Mouseton too, maybe in a story I worked on, but I can't find it now.)

Gemstone was initially encouraged by Disney to use Toontown (probably as a kind of Disneyland or Toontown Online tie-in; this was 2003), then approved to use Mouseton (in 2005), as Disney's publishing team continues to do today. The Toontown suggestion was referenced in a lettercol but never actually made it into a story. We were very happy to use Mouseton because it's a nice, comfy, unique-sounding name that fits naturally with the likes of Duckburg and St. Canard.

BTW, is Mouseton supposed to be a play on Houston or Boston?

Maybe both! I've heard people internally reference either one.

[Matilda]

I associate Mouseton with Boston, partly because I still think of Mouseton as being in an eastern state (Pennecticut). However, I do think of Mickey's town whenever I hear a BBC radio announcer pronounce "Houston" to rhyme with "Mouseton"!