Mickey Mouse and the Boy Thursday

From blackwiki
Jump to navigation Jump to search
Mickey Mouse and the Boy Thursday.png

Mickey Mouse and the Boy Thursday is a book by Walt Disney and Company, Published by Whitman Publishing Co., at 1948. The book featuring Mickey Mouse and tells the story about Mickey Mouse encounter with an African Boy.

Mickey got a package from Africa, the box contain a lot of bananas and a boy! The boy doesn’t understand Mickey’s lifestyle and gets into trouble by his careless behavior. He breaks stuff like radio, because all he knows is how to hunt, eat or worship. When he meets Goofy he drops down to the floor and bows, but then run back to take his spear. The boy seems “dumb”, with not enough knowledge to understand basic behaviors.[1]

Mickey Mouse and the Boy Thursday 2.png

Plot

After the package opened, Mickey tries to understand the situation but the boy can't even talk. But somehow the boy resembles someone Mickey known in the past, Friday. Then the boy shows the letter attached on his back, the letter says that the boy is Friday's brother later known as Thursday. In the letter Friday explained he need Mickey's help to "educate" his brother to be more civilized. Then the havoc begin.

Not knowing anything about modern world Thursday keeps making trouble, first he spears the radio because the lion sounds came out from it. Ate everything that looks like food (or not) such as fish picture to dishes and soap. Not able to handle by his own, Mickey decided to invite a friend to his house to befriend with Thursday so Thursday can learn from others. When Thursday encountered with Minnie, Minnie was very terrified by Thursday's behavior and asked Mickey to call the police. But instead of calling the police Mickey said "He is not dangerous, he's just primitive". "He's brother sent him from Africa to be educated", Mickey explained to Minnie. "But you don't want to keep a savage your home"

Mickey invite Pluto to his house but end up Thursday hunts Pluto down with his spear. Then Goofy came to Mickey's house and suddenly Thursday behavior change in instance. Thursday bowed down to Goofy and be a good boy. Later known Goofy is look a like a "Sacred Totem of West African Tribe" when Mickey and Goofy visit museum.

Escaped from home, Thursday made chaos in the neighborhood and Mickey has to pay and compensate all the damage caused by Thursday primitive behavior. Later did Mickey knows this chaos leads him to arrest and convicted because of causing public nuisance. Defeated Mickey decided that he needs to get rid of Thursday but he can't send him back home because he don't know where Thursday came from. While contemplating what to do with Thursday Goofy came and asked Mickey to go to circus with him. Then Mickey got the idea to take Thursday to circus and speak to the manager "He is a really wild man and absolutely free."

Mickey Mouse and the Boy Thursday 4.png

Racist Stereotype

How the African boy described in the story:
"What a queer little fellow he was. Mickey could hardly keep from laughing". Uhm but laughing at other's appearance is not cool.
The boy physical appearance described "arms and legs were short, his hands and bare feet were enormous. His stomach, big and round as butterball, skirted by a fringe of grass, and he wore two wide, gold bracelets, earrings, and a necklace of white bones." This clearly stereotyping for African.

Mickey says: “Poor little guy! He just makes mistakes. He doesn’t know any better. I’ll just have to be patient and teach him the right way to do things”
There is also another quote which seems questionable.
“Let me see. A genuine African native,” Mickey murmured. “Perhaps I should start showing him off.”

When Thursday encountered with Minnie, Minnie was very terrified and asked Mickey to call the police. But instead of calling the police Mickey said "He is not dangerous, he's just primitive.". "He's brother sent him from Africa to be educated", Mickey explained to Minnie. "But you don't want to keep a savage your home". Totally racist description, primitive and barbaric.

Thursday wreaks so much barbaric havoc in Mickey's life that he decides to sell him ("a real wild man!") to the circus for free. Ah, of course: that cornerstone of childhood happiness also dabbles in a little human trafficking.[2]

Indeed the 40s were a different time to what we have now, however this book was the suppose to be showing tolerance and not stereotyping ethnic.

External Link

Read the book online here

References

  1. Mickey Mouse and the boy called Thursday, The Dark Side of Disney. Retrieved January 8, 2021.
  2. Mokoena, Tshepo. IS DISNEY RACIST?, Don't Panic, April 22, 2011. Retrieved January 8, 2021.