Dave5

… Alexander Doria, who says he is Head of research at OpSci, points out on BlueSky that a 1928 promotional poster for Mickey Mouse cartoon does feature the character’s red shorts, and even yellow gloves, putting those attributes into the public domain and available for anyone to use.

A 2012 Reuters article dates this poster, depicting the mouse in his red shorts, and touting the brand-new character as “The World’s Funniest Cartoon Character,” at 1928. It sold at that time for $100,000.