Walt Disney Studios was humming right along with the rising popularity of its Mickey Mouse series in the early 1930s. The original designer for the mouse, Ub Iwerks, had left to form his own cartoon company, but other newly hired artists capably filled his shoes. Mickey Mouse Clubs were spontaneously popping up nationwide in theaters wherever Mickey cartoons were showing. In Disney's twenty-sixth animated short on his mouse, March 1931's "Traffic Troubles, Mickey's appearance was becoming more fully drawn and taking the shape familiar to today's fans. Mickey is a city taxi driver scooting around an urban environment that's a departure from his more normal countryside or suburban settings.
Walt was inspired to think up the cartoon's barebones plot when a police officer gave him a ticket for speeding. He told animator David Hand about the incident. The animator drew up a series of sequences where Mickey first picks up an overstuffed pig as a customer, then in turn has Minnie Mouse on board his cab. While transporting the pig, Micky gets shredded by a cop for holding up traffic. Later, a tire blows out on his cab. Showing Walt the tire sequence, Hand was told the scene wasn't farfetched enough. After several attempts, with the same criticisms, Hand threw caution to the wind and drew the most outlandish sequence with the tire he could image, thinking he'd most likely get fired for going too overboard making fun of Walt's suggestion. Just the opposite happened. "There! You got it!," Disney exclaimed. "Why didn't you do that in the first place?"
"Traffic Troubles" is one of Mickey's more revered early cartoons. Said author Gijs Grob, "A particular highlight is a funny scene in which a police officer asks Mickey many questions while silencing him at the same time. 'Traffic Troubles' is the best Mickey Mouse film from 1931, and Mickey's first really great cartoon since 'Steamboat Willie'." The cartoon was one of only six to have played in Disneyland's Main Street Cinema.