UCLA & Disney

As a lot of us grew up with Disney channel, Disney movies and the larger Disney universe, there’s not a better time to celebrate all things Disney than on Walt Disney’s birthday! In honor of his birthday on Dec. 5, keep reading below to see the UCLA ties to the animation icon. 

The Disney image found in UCLA’s historical mascot 

Taking a closer look: the 1930s Disney-like UCLA mascot, similar to Disney’s Mickey Mouse

Cozy in for a wintertime story! Once upon a time, the Bruin mascot underwent several logo changes, according to a Daily Bruin article. In the 1930s, the Bruin was designed largely resembling Mickey Mouse’s face, ears, nose and expression, becoming the UCLA cub version of that time. Later, the logo changed from Retro Joe to the modern Joe (and Josie!) Bruin. So, next time you wear some merch with the UCLA Bruin or Retro Joe’s face on it, you can remember more about its longtime ties to Disney. To read more on the history of the UCLA mascots, click the button below. 

The UCLA X Disney collection 

Did you know that UCLA has a collection with Disney? The UCLA X Disney collection features familiar cartoon favorites such as Winnie the Pooh and Friends, Toy Story characters, a Nemo character feature and, of course, several items with the classic Mickey Mouse image. You can wear it on campus or at Disneyland, just 40 miles from campus, and rep UCLA’s logo anywhere.

Since it is approaching winter, now is the perfect time to head over to the UCLA Store to check out the UCLA X Disney collection, including several long sleeve T-shirts with a striped Mickey Mouse print and a Mickey Mouse message print. For the cooler temperatures, the UCLA Store offers a Mickey Mouse UCLA Bruins hoodie to wear with your favorite Uggs or Birkenstocks and sweats to class! For the full collection via the online UCLA Store, click the link below.