During World War II, Disney had its artists draw up roughly 1,200 insignias for the U.S. military, many for Naval units. After Mickey Mouse rode a goose in a patch for a Naval Reserve squadron stationed at Floyd Bennett Field in New York, the illustrations became illustrious among units and inspired Naval artists to recreate the magic, designing their own logos in the Disney style.

Their popularity can be attributed to their humorous quality, which gave sailors a sense of nostalgia rather than being typically military logos.

Almost every Disney character was used in the project— except Bambi. By far the most requested figure was Donald Duck.