Early version of Fleischer Studio’s Betty Boop, Disney’s Pluto the dog and Chic Young’s Blondie and Dagwood comic characters are among thousands of creative works that have entered public domain as of Jan. 1, 2026. They join a growing list of popular character icons that are no longer under general copyright protection, including Popeye the Sailor Man, Winnie the Pooh and the Mickey Mouse (Steamboat Willie version) from previous years.
Here are some of the the other notable works that are now available for free use by anyone:
- Fleischer Studios’ Dizzy Dishes, the first cartoon in which Betty Boop appears.
- Disney’s The Chain Gang and The Picnic which feature the earliest versions of Mickey Mouse’s loyal dog, Pluto (he is named Rover and belongs to Minnie Mouse in these shorts).
- The initial four months of the Blondie comic strip by Chic Young, featuring the earliest versions of Blondie and her then-boyfriend Dagwood.
Pluto’s earliest appearances from 1930 are now free to use, including his debut as an unnamed pooch in The Chain Gang and as Minnie Mouse’s dog “Rover” in The Picnic. Like early Betty Boop, these works lost U.S. copyright protection after 95 years. The name “Pluto” and his role as Mickey Mouse’s pet first appeared in The Moose Hunt (1931), which won’t enter the public domain until 2027. More familiar designs of the character also remain protected. Disney retains trademarks on the Pluto name and character, which means commercial uses that could cause confusion are still restricted, which is what is also the case with Steamboat Willie Mickey.
Other notable properties that entered the public domain on Jan. 1 are Agatha Christie’s The Murder at the Vicarage, the mystery writers first novel featuring the famous detective Miss Marple, Carolyn Keene’s first Nancy Drew mystery The Secret of the Old Clock, Lewis Milestone’s Oscar-winning movie All Quiet on the Western Front, director Victor Heerman’s popular Marx Brothers movie Animal Crackers, and the songs But Not For Me by George and Ira Gershwin, Hoagie Charmichael’s “George on My Mind,” and Dream a Little Dream of Me” by Fabian Andre, Wilbur Schwandt and Gus Kahn. Piet’s Mondrian’s painting “Composition with Red, Blue and Yellow” is also on the list.
When a work’s copyright protections lapse, it lands in the public domain, allowing anyone to use and build upon it as they see fit for free and without needing permission. In the U.S., works published or registered before 1978 retain copyright protections for 95 years. For later works, protection usually spans the creator’s lifetime and 70 years after.
A word of warning: Prepare yourself for the string of cheaply produced AI-produced ripoffs and live-action slasher movies starring characters that look a lot like Betty Boop, Pluto, Blondie and Miss Marple in upcoming months!
youtube.com/watch?v=w9eDhZJ0fb4
Source; Thelaughingplace.com
