On this day in 2005, the “Celebrate Mickey: 75 InspEARations” tour concluded with the auction of 75 Mickey Mouse statues at Sotheby’s. The 6-foot, 700-pound statues were each custom-designed by a celebrity, artist, or athlete. The statues debuted at Walt Disney World on Mickey’s 75th birthday in 2003 and toured the U.S. for two years, even stopping at DCA. $614,500 was raised to benefit 50 charities, with the statue by Sir Elton John fetching the highest price. [20 years ago in 2025]