Shop for Your Geeky Sweetie With io9’s Valentine’s Day Gift Guide

Image: RSVLTS, BoxLunch, WB Shop, Hot Topic, Alamo Drafthouse, Heroes & Villains, JBL Valentine’s Day is on the horizon! So whether you’re partnered up or celebrating with friends, here are some fun fandom picks for gift-giving and beyond. Celebrate with ideas inspired by Lore Olympus, Shrek, Star Wars, Studio Ghibli, and more pop culture that evokes … Read more

Steamboat Willie Horror Game Devs Swear They’re Not Making Neo-Nazi References

A decade ago, Facebook’s internal motto was “move fast and break things.” There is now an important, wordy update to that motto as a holistic piece of advice: move fast on exploiting Mickey Mouse’s public domain status and… don’t maybe do some anti-Semitism along the way? Meta’s Apparent Firing Goof Such was the case for … Read more

Everything You Need to Know About Mickey Mouse’s Public Domain Debut Today

Mickey Mouse is finally in the hands of the public, to do whatever they want with him. Well, in part. After Disney infamously helped delay the moment, today is the day Steamboat Willie, the first Disney animated short to star Mickey and Minnie Mouse, become public domain. But what does that mean? Simultaneously a lot and … Read more

The OG Mickey Mouse Finally Hits the Public Domain Next Week

January 1, 2024 won’t just be the start of a new year. It’ll also see Mickey and Minnie Mouse enter the public domain. Lucy & Danny Devito Tell io9 About Their Love for Looney Tunes and Ren & Stimpy Come that date, Disney’s exclusive copyright on the two iconic characters’ Steamboat Willie incarnations from 1928 … Read more