* {{Blooper}}: The close-up of the cow on the dock has her losing her F.O.B. tag for a few frames on her neck just before she moos.
* BreakthroughHit: It wasn't Mickey's true first appearance (that would be ''WesternAnimation/PlaneCrazy''), but certainly the reason why he and Creator/WaltDisney are big names in entertainment.
* CreatorBacklash: According to at least one book, Walt admitted that he went too far when he had Mickey use the sow and piglets as musical instruments, and vowed he would never treat an animal that cruelly in any other cartoon.
* CrossDressingVoices: Creator/WaltDisney voices Minnie as well as Mickey, Pete, and the parrot.
* DeletedScene: One scene cut from most home video releases of the short involves Mickey playing the sow like an accordion. The ''Walt Disney Treasures'' DVD release and the ''Celebrating Mickey'' Blu-ray restore this scene.
* FirstAppearance: Although ''Plane Crazy'' was the first short starring WesternAnimation/MickeyMouse and WesternAnimation/MinnieMouse to be produced, ''Steamboat Willie'' is the first to be released to the wider public and thus, is officially considered by Disney to be the debut appearance of both Mickey and Minnie (even though they predate this short).
* WhatCouldHaveBeen: The original script pages describe scenes that were either reworked or condensed for the final film.
** One scene had Mickey trying to console a sobbing Minnie after the goat eats her music before hitting upon his musical idea.
** The scene of Pete confronting Mickey for goofing off was to have been a lot longer, and would have included a gag of [[EatTheCamera Pete's mouth engulfing the screen]] and Mickey awkwardly whistling "Yankee Doodle". A similar sequence would appear in the 1929 short ''The Barnyard Battle''.
** The final scene, rather than being a continuation of an earlier gag with the parrot, was to simply have Mickey peeling potatoes while whistling "Pack Up Your Troubles in Your Old Kit Bag".
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