For the next several months, The Big Apple is the official House of Mouse. Disney has created a “Mickey True Original” exhibit celebrating the iconic character’s 90th birthday. I had the chance to check it out during its debut weekend. Here are the highlights:

A Disney Cast Member greets you at the door. Groups are then ushered into a theater room for a brief video introduction, which gets you ready to “explore the joy and wonder of what Mickey Mouse means to us.” The first thing you see in the first room is one of Walt Disney’s Oscars. Disney won 26 in total (22 competitive and 4 honorary), more than any person in Academy Awards history.

On the walls in this room, and throughout the 16,000 square foot exhibit, are dozens of artistic interpretations of Mickey Mouse. Some are done on canvas, most are multimedia creations. The giant steamboat is a fan favorite, along with an all-white silhouette and over-sized classic T-shirt.

As you travel through the showcase you go on a timeline tour of Mickey’s development – from vibrant black and white to the wonderful world of color. Visitors have plenty of opportunities to pose for pictures with the black-and-white cut-outs, giant sorcerer’s hat from “Fantasia” and you can even grow you own ears!

Older fans get to step back in time in “The Mickey Mouse Club” room, which includes an authentic mock-up of an ice cream shoppe set from the ’90s revival. Glass cases around the room display costumes worn by Anette Funicello and Cubby O’Brien in 1955 on the original version, along with a drum and guitar used on the show. And you won’t leave without getting to enjoy some free ice cream.

My pick: the triple chocolate fudge.

The final room on the “True Original” tour is the showstopper, especially if you’re a Mickey memorabilia fanatic. The display cases are filled with Mickey merchandise: toys, lunch boxes, cameras, even a Mickey seat belt. And the plush doll wall includes an original, created by an enterprising LA seamstress in the 1930’s named Charlotte Clark.

Before families leave the showroom area, they are invited into a studio to play a fun Google Mickey trivia game. And then on the way out out you have to check-out Walt Disney’s very first drawing of Mickey. It’s a symbolic way to end this honorable celebration of the most beloved animated pop culture icon of all-time.

Of course, the developers of the exhibit knew fans aren’t going to want to go home empty handed. There are plenty of new and unique items for sale in the large gift shop (which is accessible to the public for free if you’re not attending the exhibit.

Yours truly with the biggest Mickey Mouse tee shirt I’ve ever seen!

“The Mickey True Original Exhibition” runs through February 10th at 60 10th Avenue in New York City. Tickets are $38 per person. Children ages 3 and under are free. For more information, visit disney.com/MickeyTrueOriginal.

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Jackson Murphy

Jackson Murphy is a movie critic and entertainment columnist. He is the creator of the website Lights-Camera-Jackson.com, and has made numerous appearances on television and radio.

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