14 Shades of Disney, Shade 1: Puppy Love

Shade #1: Puppy Love (1933)
Starring: Mickey Mouse, Pluto, Minnie Mouse and Fifi
Setting: Minnie’s House

Plot: Mickey and Pluto arrive at Minnie and Fifi’s house for a double date. 

Box of Chocolates:

This short was the first of a handful of Mickey and Minnie “date” cartoons.

The framed picture of Mickey in Minnie’s room suggests the two aren’t just merely dating and have probably been going steady for a while.

Mickey’s term of endearment for Minnie is “sweetheart” while Minnie’s for Mickey is “sugar plumb.”

The song Mickey and Minnie play/sing is the eponymously titled “Puppy Love.”

This short marks Fifi the Pekingese’s first appearance.  She would occasionally appear as Pluto’s love interest and/or Minnie’s pet.

Not only does Minnie have Fifi but she has two pet songbirds as well.   

Minnie sure has a short fuse… does she really think Mickey would give her a heart-shaped box with a dog bone inside???

Fifi is no cupcake either, she turns on Pluto as soon as he laughs at the mice’s fight. 

The gag with Mickey wearing Minnie’s flower hat works because, since Minnie never left the house and is a proper lady, she never would have reason to wear it and that’s why it was left hanging by the door for Mickey to mistakenly grab.

The Morning After:

A lot of these early shorts are ostensibly musicals with Mickey and Minnie both singing over and during most of the action.  Some may see this sort of thing corny or old-fashioned but I find it both charming and delightful.  I could just imagine Mickey asking Minnie out and Minnie suggesting him and Pluto just come over so they can sit down at the piano for an upbeat, romantic jam session.