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Mickey Mouse Gets His Own Vespa Scooter


Hugh Janus

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Vespa’s new Disney Mickey Mouse Edition scooter gets a color scheme that riffs on the cartoon mouse’s own hues over the years.
Vespa’s new Disney Mickey Mouse Edition scooter gets a color scheme that riffs on the cartoon mouse’s own hues over the years. (Piaggio/)

Er, the mouse and the scooter? With Vespa’s reveal of its new Disney Mickey Mouse Edition, Beverly Cleary would have probably liked some say in a scooter-based sequel to her The Mouse and the Motorcycle classic if she were still alive today. But we digress. Let’s talk about Vespa’s new mouse-adorned machine, which both companies are calling a “perfect collaboration.”

To be fair, Mickey and Vespa can be considered cultural icons, both having played up the whole “escapist fun” angle for more than half a century, so for Disney’s 100th anniversary this year, the two brands decided to partner on this special limited-edition scooter project. Hey, if Justin Beiber can have his own Vespa…

The graphic treatment also includes white silhouettes of the mouse on the front steel shell and an autograph.
The graphic treatment also includes white silhouettes of the mouse on the front steel shell and an autograph. (Piaggio/)

Technically called the Disney Mickey Mouse Edition by Vespa, the new model is based on the Italian company’s Primavera scooter, and treated with a special four-way red, black, yellow, and white color scheme, apparently as a nod to hues the cartoon mouse has sported over the years. The yellow wheels, for example, are meant to call out his shoes, while the black mirrors hint at his round ears. A graphic pattern with Mickey’s outline in white decorates both sides of the scooter’s rear as well as the front, and the mouse’s “own” autograph is even featured on both the saddle and the scooter’s front steel shell. (Guess there were opposable thumbs under those white gloves.)

Related: Vespa’s Justin Bieber Edition

The rodent outlines continue along the sides of the Primavera-based special edition, which will come in three displacements.
The rodent outlines continue along the sides of the Primavera-based special edition, which will come in three displacements. (Piaggio/)

The Primavera comes in several variants, all retro styled and all powered by an air-cooled single-cylinder engine in different displacements with a CVT gearbox. For this special Disney100 project, Vespa has singled out the Primavera 50cc, 125cc, and 150cc models to wear the special mouse colors, though there are no mechanical changes to the bikes that we’re aware of.

Mickey’s signature also appears on the special-edition saddle—trademarked, of course.
Mickey’s signature also appears on the special-edition saddle—trademarked, of course. (Piaggio/)

Michele Colaninno, chief executive of global strategy, product, marketing, and innovation of the Piaggio Group, commented: “A timeless icon like Vespa could not fail to celebrate, on this very special occasion of Disney’s 100th anniversary, an equally everlasting icon like Mickey Mouse, with a tribute to creativity, imagination, lightheartedness, and fun—the very values that have always anchored Vespa.”

The Vespa Mickey Mouse edition scooter comes with a matching helmet in the same colors.
The Vespa Mickey Mouse edition scooter comes with a matching helmet in the same colors. (Piaggio/)

Claire Terry, senior vice president, Disney consumer products, games and publishing EMEA, said, “Just like Mickey Mouse, Vespa is a cultural icon, evoking a sense of fun and adventure, and together they form a wonderful combination, truly extending our timeless storytelling. We are incredibly excited to bring this version of the iconic scooter to our fans in our centenary year!”

No pricing, unit quantity, or availability date has yet been announced for the Disney Mickey Mouse Edition by Vespa, but we do know that it does come with a matching helmet in the same cheerful colors.

Personally, we think Wile E. Coyote needs some new wheels too

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