Mickey Mouse Short: Tapped Out

Season 1, Episode 16: “Tapped Out” 1/10/14
Starring: Mickey Mouse, Pete, Donald Duck and Goofy
Setting: A Wrestling Arena

Plot:
Mickey, Donald and Goofy are attending a wrestling match where the World Champion, The Pulchritudinous Pete, is having his way with his opponent.  Mickey has had enough though and declares the Champ a bully and waxes poetic to his pals what he’d do to him if given the chance.  It’s because of this sudden show of machismo that Goofy offers up Mickey when Pete demands a new challenger from the crowd. 

Mickey’s hubris soon turns to cowardice as Goofy carries him into the ring and he’s left to face Pete toe-to-toe.  Pete makes quick work of Goofy, using him as a pogo-stick and then turns his attention towards Mickey where he proceeds to beat the living daylights out of him.  However, the tables turn when Mickey yanks Pete’s fabulous blonde wig clean off his head.  After a spirited game of keep-away, Mickey then hurls the wig into the crowd where it lands right in Donald’s nachos, resulting in an enraged Pete to dive into the stands and right onto Donald.  Pete quickly learns that you don’t mess with a duck and his nachos as Donald’s rage transforms him into a smoldering fireball which consumes, lifts and drops Pete from the arena scoreboard.   

Now an unconscious, charred heap, Pete lands back in the ring and Mickey pins him 1-2-3!  Mickey, Donald and Goofy are named the new champion!  However, Goofy gets caught up in the moment, lifting Mickey high above his head and announcing to the crowd that he is ready for new challengers which leaves Mickey screaming in fear. 

Short Stuff:
Donald shows his true nature wherein everyone in the arena has a visceral reaction to the violence in the ring while Donald just sits there wide-eyed, enjoying his nachos.

Thanks to Pete, the nippily, bosomy male bosoms are back! 

Not only does Pete turn in one of his patented physical powerhouse performances, he even strapped on the ol’ peg-leg in doing so.

Pete is actually Disney’s oldest recurring character (yes, even older than Mickey!) having first appeared in the 1925 Alice Comedy “Alice Solves a Puzzle.”  He would then go on to act as Oswald the Lucky Rabbit’s adversary in “Ocean Hop” (1927) before meeting up with Mickey to terrorize him in “Plane Crazy” (1928).

As a wrestler, Pete’s rotund, pretty boy heel character seems to have been inspired by the likes of Gorgeous George, Dusty Rhodes and Ric Flair.

The gag where Pete Splash Dives onto the cow, leaving him spraying milk all over the audience is udderly hilarious!  But, of course, we know male cows do not possess udders nor do they produce milk.

Final Grade: B+
I love wrestling so this episode was particularly fun for me.  Plus, this short provides us with some sneaky great Donald material (finally!).  He may be third billing but his amused and unaffected expression during the violence of the wrestling match along with his selfish obsession over his nachos and his final act of fiery rage really showcased the best and worst of Donald.  Plus, when you add the unbridled enthusiasm and naiveté of Goofy paired with Mickey’s heroism, we get to see this trio work as a team to take down the villainous Pete.