Through the 73 years since Mickey Mouse was first created by Walt Disney in 1928, he has appeared in movie theaters in 120 cartoons covering a wide range of subjects. Holiday cartoons, however, have been uncommon, because their subject matter limits their use at other times of the year. Mickey Mouse has only appeared in four cartoons with a Christmas theme — in 1931, 1932, 1952, and 1983. The first of these, "Mickey's Orphans," (pictured), was released just before Christmas in 1931, and it garnered an Academy Award® nomination for Walt Disney. In the cartoon, a basket of kittens is left on Minnie Mouse’s doorstep at Christmastime, and she and Mickey charitably bring the kitties inside. But they soon regret their actions as the cats wreck the house, strip the Christmas tree, and take the gifts and candy!

The 1932 Christmas Mickey Mouse cartoon, "Mickey's Good Deed," stars Mickey in a very different kind of role: He's a down-on-his-luck street singer who selflessly sells Pluto to a wealthy family to raise money for a poor family’s Christmas. Pluto is mistreated, however, and flees, returning to his beloved master.

Although there were some later Christmas-themed Silly Symphony cartoons ("Santa's Workshop" and "The Night Before Christmas") and a Donald Duck Christmas cartoon ("Toy Tinkers"), the next one starring Mickey, "Pluto's Christmas Tree," didn't come along for 20 years. Being a color cartoon, it's better known than its two predecessors. The tree that Mickey chops down to bring home for Christmas turns out to be the home of chipmunks Chip An' Dale. In discovering the chipmunks’ presence and trying to get them out of the trimmed tree, Pluto manages to destroy it.

The final Mickey Mouse Christmas film, "Mickey's Christmas Carol," came along three decades later, in 1983, and was a 25-minute featurette as opposed to a short. Mickey takes the role of Bob Cratchit in this Disney telling of the classic Charles Dickens Christmas story. Ebenezer Scrooge is played by -- who else but Uncle Scrooge McDuck. This film was also nominated for an Academy Award.

Of course, the lack of Mickey Mouse Christmas cartoons in movie theaters doesn't mean that he can't be found elsewhere in holiday settings. He has appeared on a variety of Christmas merchandise – from cards, to clothes, to ornaments. In recent years, he's also appeared in a number of Christmas videos, including 1999's "Mickey's Once Upon A Christmas," and, most recently, "Mickey's Magical Christmas: Snowed In At The House Of Mouse" (see "Happy Holidays With Mickey, Rolie, And The Recess Gang!" in this month’s issue).