The 'Steamboat Willie Enters Public Domain' meme trend emerged on January 1, 2024, when the copyright for Disney's 1928 animated short finally expired. This monumental legal shift allowed creators to use the original version of Mickey Mouse without permission, leading to an explosion of subversive content, including horror films, indie games, and satirical images. The meme typically highlights the irony of Disney's long-standing copyright protections finally failing, often contrasting the wholesome whistling mouse with dark, edgy, or absurd scenarios that were previously forbidden by intellectual property laws.