Oh, boy! Mickey celebrates 90th birthday with Filipinos

MANILA, Philippines — Walt Disney’s most famous character and The True Original has just turned 90, but ever so young and happy! Celebrating Mickey Mouse's milestone with Filipinos, The Walt Disney Company Philippines, SM Supermalls and SM Retail collaborate to hold the “Share-A-Smile" Fair in various SM malls nationwide. 

“We are happy to be collaborating with SM in a series of celebrations, activations and retail promotions that will allow Mickey to celebrate his anniversary with all his Filipino fans,” said Veronica Cabalinan, country head of The Walt Disney Company Philippines.

With the ”Share-A-Smile” retail campaign, which runs until October 31, fans of the international luminary will be able to purchase Mickey-inspired merchandise—from apparel to toys, food items to stationery, to home accessories and more. 

Sharing smiles and legacies

Mickey Mouse, apart from his cartoon image, is known for his good-heartedness, charisma and shy falsetto voice. From a black-and-white whistling mouse manning the ship’s wheel in Steamboat Willy in 1928, Mickey has since evolved to become the icon and household name we all know and hold dear in our hearts. His success as a Walt Disney character has influenced the way we think about animation, entertainment and pop culture today.

Myra Muñozca, vice president for Licensing and Partnership at SM Lifestyle Entertainment, Inc, talks about the "Share-A-Smile" celebration for Mickey Mouse. Philstar.com/Erwin Cagadas

Much like his multigenerational success, SM is also celebrating its 60 years of innovation. This makes the collaboration both important and relevant to fans and patrons across the country.

“What are the parallels, you ask? Mickey is the leading character, globally. SM is the leading mall operator and retailer, locally. So that’s one connection. We wanted to make SM the key destination for Disney in the Philippines. This is the nugget of the idea of how the partnership came about in 2015,” Myra Muñozca, vice president for Licensing and Partnership at SM Lifestyle Entertainment, Inc., told Philstar.com in an exclusive interview.

In a separate speech, Muñozca explained that the idea for this year’s double celebration is to bring magical moments closer to Filipinos and to give them the full-tilt global experience of the tradition of magic and fun that, in different ways, SM and Disney have been providing many for years and years.

Celebrating inclusivity and alliance

Present in the event were guests from the Down Syndrome Association in the Philippines, Inc. (DSAPI), who were all clad in their bright, yellow “Happy Walk” shirts.

The Happy Walk is a yearly celebration held by DSAPI to promote awareness and a better understanding of persons with disabilities. This is an advocacy that SM Supermalls has been supporting in recent years, with the last Walk having been held at the SMX Convention Center in the Mall of Asia last February.

Kids from the Down Syndrome Association in the Philippines, Inc. (DSAPI), pose with a huge Mickey plushie at the event. Philstar.com/Erwin Cagadas

“You see, the SM Supermalls together with SM Cares—which is a division under SM Foundation—has been spearheading events as part of our CSR activities, we have several initiatives and one of the major ones is really for persons with disabilities. We are involved particularly in ensuring that we make SM a mall for all. This is very important to us. Every time we have a major celebration, one that can bring a smile to the faces of all of our customers—we always want to share it. That’s why they are always invited,” said Jonjon San Agustin, senior vice president for marketing at SM.

The Share-A-Smile event further brought joy as cupcakes and balloons were given out to guests to take home.

Tribute to the #OneTrueOriginal

In line with SM's 60 Tees for 60 Years, exclusively designed Mickey-inspired shirts are available in SM Youth. Released

Until October 31, 60 exclusively designed Mickey-inspired shirts will be available from SM Youth. This is in line with SM’s 60 Tees for 60 Years. In addition, Disney and SM are also releasing special edition Mickey and Minnie plush toys to mark the historical touchstone for both companies. The plushies are available in Toy Kingdom stores nationwide.

The celebration does not stop there! Friends and families can have more opportunities for magical times with Mickey as a Share-A-Smile roving caravan will commence in several other SM Supermalls outlets this October. Expect more Mickey-themed festivities in these following outlets: SM Megamall, SM Mall of Asia, SM Aura, SM Southmall, SM Fairview, SM San Lazaro and SM Marikina.

As a bonus, SM is giving away limited edition Mickey Tote Bags for free upon a minimum spend of P1,000 on Mickey Share-A-Smile, SM 60th and Mickey Classic products. Shoppers can choose one from four designs.

For a minimum amount of purchase, shoppers of Mickey "Share-A-Smile," SM 60th and Mickey Classic products, will get limited edition Mickey Tote Bags for free. Released

Near-future plans

According to Muñozca, SM and Disney have plans in store for fans in the next year. “There’s so much more that we’re doing with Disney, based on the movie slate for 2019 alone. So, with each movie that’s being launched, we have an activation and we’re supporting it at the retail level as well.” she explained. Muñozca added that to date, there are 11 movies that they are jointly preparing for, so fans better watch out for these #AweSM prospects.

For exclusive news about SM Supermalls, visit www.smsupermalls.com or follow SM’s official social media accounts on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram; and get an insider access to all the fun happenings at SM Supermalls nationwide through SM’s Viber Public Chat. Tweet your thoughts, upload and share your photos about your memorable moments at SM, then use its official hashtag #EverythingsHereAtSM.