Disney is celebrating its 100th birthday in 2023, and what better way is there to celebrate than with friends and fellow international cultural icons, such as Vespa? In honor of Disney100, the two titans have come together for a special, limited edition Disney Mickey Mouse Edition by Vespa scooter line.
This isn’t Disney and Vespa’s first collaboration, of course. If you’ve seen the 2021 Disney Pixar film Luca, then you likely recall the prominent roles that Vespa scooters played in that movie. With a plot revolving around the fictional town of Portorosso, which was heavily based on Genoa, Italy, it’s easy to understand that this was as just about as much a collaboration born of culture as of business partnership.
In 2023, Vespa remains an enduring Italian icon, from Italy to the world just as Mickey Mouse is for Disney. Thus, the Disney Mickey Mouse Edition by Vespa is a design that will grace a limited-edition lineup of Vespa Primavera 50cc, 125cc, and 150cc scooters to bring the two icons together in a rideable form.
Gallery: Disney Mickey Mouse Edition Vespa
Anyone who’s even glanced at a Vespa Primavera in recent time is likely already familiar with those perfectly round mirrors, which many informally referred to as “Mickey Mouse mirrors” even prior to this collaboration. That the rest of the color and graphics scheme should follow suit makes a kind of visual sense here.
The Disney Mickey Mouse Edition by Vespa takes the blocks of solid color most readily associated with Mickey and the clothes he wears and applies them to the bodywork of the Primavera. There’s a yellow front fender that’s crafted in the same color used on Mickey’s shoes. The primary colors are black and red—with black standing out in Mickey’s design, and red prominently on display on the shorts that he wears, which are held up with suspenders. White accents—like Mickey’s gloves—break the pattern up and help to give it movement and life.
White-on-black line drawings of Mickey are used as graphics on the front of the scoot, as well as the side panels. Mickey Mouse’s iconic signature is also displayed prominently as a debossed design on the black saddle. Some chrome and silver accents remain, such as the grab bar behind the saddle and the exhaust cover.
“Dreams allow us to look to the future with optimism, even in complex times such as these. 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, light-heartedness, and fun – the very values that have always anchored Vespa," Piaggio Group chief executive of global strategy, product, marketing, and innovation Michele Colaninno said in a statement.
"Today, as then, this collaboration between Vespa and Disney represents the celebration of two historic companies that have a common dream: to allow everyone to express their imagination freely,” he concluded.
Pricing and availability for the Disney Mickey Mouse Edition by Vespa varies by region. According to Piaggio, both the 50cc and 150cc versions will be available in the US in August 2023. MSRP for the 50cc version is $4,699, and MSRP for the 150cc version is $6,049. If you're located in Canada, only the 50cc one will be available at an MSRP of $5,345, also in August 2023.
For Vespa and Disney fans located outside the US and Canada, your best bet for the most accurate information is to reach out to your local authorized Vespa dealer to find out the details in your geographic region.
