LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - One of the earliest surviving posters of Mickey Mouse sold for more than $100,000 on Thursday, Heritage Auctions said.
The 1928 movie poster of the iconic cartoon mouse belonged to the family of a deceased collector in Northern California, the auction house said.
Mickey Mouse was created in 1928 by Walt Disney, and the color poster shows a smiling Mickey waving his gloved hand, advertising the "Mickey Mouse sound cartoon," with a slogan calling the animated mouse "The World's Funniest Cartoon Character."
The poster was auctioned in Dallas, Texas and sold for $101,575. The name of the winning bidder was not disclosed.
Grey Smith, director of movie poster auctions at Heritage Auctions, in a statement called the poster "an important piece of pop culture treasure," and said it was likely to be the only Mickey Mouse poster created until 1930, when Columbia Pictures started distributing Disney cartoons.
Mickey Mouse has become one of the most recognized animated characters in popular culture, symbolizing the Walt Disney Company and spawning a global merchandising franchise.
(Reporting By Piya Sinha-Roy; Editing by Eric Kelsey and Eric Walsh)