“Here he comes to save the day, Superfly is on the way.” Hmm, doesn’t quite have the same ring, does it? Thankfully, Paul Terry stepped in and changed the diminutive superhero created by Izzy Klein into a rodent, and ever since his debut in1942, the world has known him as Mighty Mouse. After years of appearing in a series of animated theatrical shorts, Mighty Mouse finally made it to television airwaves in 1955, appearing on the CBS network in Mighty Mouse Playhouse.

A parody of Superman, Mighty Mouse was no less formidable. He could fly, he possessed abnormal strength, and unlike his human counterpart, he possessed a lovely operatic singing voice. And he spent a considerable portion of his time rescuing his lovely girlfriend, Pearl Pureheart from the evil grasp of Oil Can Harry.

These animated theatrical shorts were aired on television continuously for 11 years, ending in 1966. It would take another thirteen years, however, before new material was aired on television. The Mighty One paired up with a duo of wisecracking birds for The New Adventures of Mighty Mouse and Heckle and Jeckle in 1979 and continued his crime-fighting escapades, always preferring to use brains over brawn. Meanwhile, the conniving magpies spent their time conning naïve townsfolk out of free meals and shelter at every opportunity. Another recurring segment followed the adventures of Quackula, a bumbling vampire duck who didn’t have much luck in the scary department.

Mighty Mouse would get another series in 1987, Mighty Mouse, The New Adventures. Conceived and animated by the iconic Ralph Bakshi, the show portrayed a more introspective superhero and paired him with a new sidekick named Scrappy, who Mighty was able to commiserate with when the need struck. Bakshi used the series as a way to slyly mock the industry, employing inside jokes and spoofing plenty of cartoon icons along the way. He was so sly, in fact, that many of the veiled references did more to confuse young viewers than entertain them and the plug was pulled after two years.

To some, the earlier version was the true Mighty Mouse; to others, the edgier 80s version was more entertaining. But regardless of which particular personality one might prefer, there is no denying that this little rodent made his mark, becoming perhaps the second-best-known mouse in the business and a hero to many. And Superfly? Well, that's a whole 'nother story.