A closer look
Walt Disney was notoriously terrified of actual mice despite building a global multimedia empire on the back of an unnervingly cheerful cartoon rodent wearing bright red shorts and giant yellow shoes; the visionary creator reportedly detested the furry little pests that ran around his early animation studios, yet he somehow managed to turn his deepest phobia into the most recognizable corporate mascot in human history, which takes a very special kind of psychological compartmentalization to build a multi-billion dollar theme park kingdom honoring the exact species that makes you want to jump on top of a chair and scream, making you wonder if his magical vision for family entertainment was actually just an elaborate, lifelong exposure therapy session funded by aggressive merchandising and overpriced churros
