Woman inks over 80 Mickey Mouse tattoos after moving to USA: “He puts a smile on my face”

After moving to the USA from Germany at just six years old, Andrea Schmidt Timmons (USA) remembers sitting down near the TV and witnessing the pinnacle of American entertainment – Mickey Mouse.

As the happy little creature jumped around, she felt an immediate attachment to his goodwill, generosity, and joyful spirit. He’d pop up in movies and TV shows, appeared on all sorts of merchandise, and lived next to that great big castle in Disneyland. And as the years went on, she never stopped admiring him.

Filling the walls of her house and every inch of her skin, Andrea has surrounded herself with Mickeys. An avid collector, her home is filled with stuffed animals, posters, and memorabilia – yet she also takes her love for the mouse outside of her house, with a record-breaking collection of Mickey tattoos. 

And last October, her lifelong passion for Mickey granted her the Guinness World Records title for the most tattoos of the same cartoon character on the body (female). Across her lower back, curling up her left arm, and swirling all across her frame, Andrea has a total of 83 Mickey Mouse tattoos (and counting), demonstrating her magical connection to her childhood hero.

Andrea was born in Ulm, Germany in 1967, and later relocated to the States with her mother in 1973. Now residing in Fayetteville, North Carolina, she told GWR that she first started seeing Mickey Mouse on TV after she moved into this environment, and he represented all the positivity that she wanted to bring into her new life.

“My love for Mickey Mouse grew as I felt more comfortable watching his animations, and how he was free-spirited and always happy,” she said. “I felt that I could relate to Mickey Mouse because he drew out the best of my emotions. 

“No matter the obstacles that I had faced throughout, watching Mickey Mouse had put a smile on my face.”

Read more stories about tattoos in our dedicated Human Body section!

Andrea's room full of Mickeys

Since childhood, she collected little Mickeys everywhere she could – but it wasn’t until she grew older that she decided to memorialize his face on her skin.

Andrea described her first tattoo as a “classic Mickey” – complete with his red shorts, yellow shoes, and white gloves – and as she marked the image on the inside of her right forearm, a new quest was born. 

Eager to show off the variety of Mickeys that she watched over the course of her life, Andrea then designed a sleeve tattoo for her left arm, showing off all of his different art styles over the years. 

Steamboat Willie – the first ever appearance of Mickey Mouse – sits below a depiction of Mickey as a wizard, while an intricate mosaic of international Mickeys encircles a display of Cinderella Castle in Disney World.

And along with the smattering of mice on her arms and hand, Andrea also is proud of the Mickeys on her back. 

Her lower half is covered with small outlines of his smiling head, while her upper back depicts the five original Mickey Mouse sketches that were created by Walt Disney in the 1920s (back when his name was Mortimer Mouse).

“I do have room for more [on my back],” she added, “so stay tuned for more!”

Nevertheless, Andrea’s clear favourite is her German Mickeys – which she says reminds her of her heritage and culture.

Inside her forearm, one of these Mickeys proudly grins with his hands on his hips, above the lettering “Mickey Maus”. He was the first tattoo Andrea ever got, and next to him, is her newest favourite Mickey – a steampunk rendition, complete with notches in his ear, some scars and scratches, and tonnes of tattoos (just like Andrea)!

That said, the self-described “finishing touch” on all her tattoos was inevitably her face tat – a teensy-tiny little Mickey perched on her right temple. Andrea says he was just so cute, and was the perfect way to show off her love for the mouse, right near her smiling face.

So what’s next for this Disney queen?

Well, the mother of three (and Oma – grandma – of six!) says that her tattoo journey is never complete. She plans on continuing to get Mickey Mouse ink, and collecting the memorabilia that makes her so happy.

Additionally, she’s working hard, determined to achieve her dream to take her family to Disney World. Despite her love for the character, Andrea has never been!

“On my bucket list, I would like to one day take a picture and autograph with Mickey Mouse in front of the castle,” she said.

And one day, we hope that she can achieve this magical experience too.

Congratulations, Andrea – you are Officially Amazing!