Of Mice and Men in popular culture

Of Mice and Men is a novella by John Steinbeck, which tells the story of George and Lennie, two displaced migrant ranch hands in California during the Great Depression (1929–1939). The story is set on a ranch a few miles from Soledad in the Salinas Valley. Since its initial publication in 1937, it has been frequently referenced in popular culture.

Characters similar to George and Lennie - one being smaller and weaker, but smarter (George), the other being bigger and stronger, but dumber (Lennie) - have been popular since the publication of Of Mice and Men.

In cartoons and animation

Homages to the characters Lennie and George have been especially popular in American cartoons and animated films. The New York Times reviewed the film thus:



In Futurama the episode "Love and Rocket" Bender plays with the ship's control panel. The ship then says: "Stop it! You're mussing up my trajectory!", as Curley's wife does in the novel.

Theatrical cartoon shorts of the 1940s and 1950s, particularly the Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies cartoons released by Warner Bros., are particularly awash with Of Mice and Men parodies. The Of Mice and Men reference most often in the form of one character asking another, à la, Lennie, "which way did he go, George; which way did he go?", such as the "Hiawatha's Rabbit Hunt"...
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