Moellenhoff examines the figure of Mickey Mouse and explores reasons for his prolonged popularity. His ability to compete successfully with larger figures is akin to what we find attractive in fairy tales. Moellenhoff observes that the mouse engages in wild activity, defies the law of physics, and wins fame by clever perseverance. While the hero engages in rescuing Minnie, physical expressions of warmth are clumsy, genital love is absent, and the mouse remains infantile. The author addresses traits in Mickey with which the audience identifies, from immediate gratification of aggressive impulses, to unquestionable omnipotence and denial of death. Both pregenital impulses and oedipal themes are delineated, and Mickey's adventures are compared to a dream. The suppression of superego forces and freedom for explosive drive gratification contribute to Mickey's popularity (even fifty years after Moellenhoff's paper).