''The Mickey Mouse Club'' is an American
variety television show that aired intermittently from 1955 to 1996 and briefly returned to
social media
Social media are interactive technologies that facilitate the Content creation, creation, information exchange, sharing and news aggregator, aggregation of Content (media), content (such as ideas, interests, and other forms of expression) amongs ...
in 2017. Created by
Walt Disney
Walter Elias Disney ( ; December 5, 1901December 15, 1966) was an American animator, film producer, voice actor, and entrepreneur. A pioneer of the Golden age of American animation, American animation industry, he introduced several develop ...
and produced by
Walt Disney Productions, the program was first televised for four seasons, from 1955 to 1959, by
ABC. This original run featured a regular, but ever-changing cast of mostly teen performers. ABC broadcast reruns weekday afternoons during the 1958–1959 season, airing right after ''
American Bandstand
''American Bandstand'' (AB) is an American Music television, music performance and dance television series that aired in various iterations from 1952 to 1989. It was hosted by Dick Clark who also served as the program's Television producer, pr ...
''. The show was revived three times after its initial 1955–1959 run on ABC, first from 1977 to 1979 for
first-run syndication
Broadcast syndication is the practice of content owners leasing the right to broadcast their content to other television stations or radio stations, without having an official broadcast network to air it on. It is common in the United States whe ...
as ''The New Mickey Mouse Club'', then from 1989 to 1996 as ''The All-New Mickey Mouse Club'' (also known to fans as ''MMC'' from 1993 to 1996) airing on
The Disney Channel, and again from 2017 to 2018 with the moniker ''Club Mickey Mouse'' airing on internet social media.
The character of
Mickey Mouse
Mickey Mouse is an American cartoon character co-created in 1928 by Walt Disney and Ub Iwerks. The longtime icon and mascot of the Walt Disney Company, Mickey is an anthropomorphic mouse who typically wears red shorts, large shoes, and white ...
appeared in every show, not only in vintage cartoons originally made for theatrical release, but also in the opening, interstitial, and closing segments made especially for the show. In both the vintage cartoons and new animated segments, Mickey was voiced by his creator
Walt Disney
Walter Elias Disney ( ; December 5, 1901December 15, 1966) was an American animator, film producer, voice actor, and entrepreneur. A pioneer of the Golden age of American animation, American animation industry, he introduced several develop ...
, who had previously voiced the character theatrically from
Steamboat Willie
''Steamboat Willie'' is a 1928 American animated short film directed by Walt Disney and Ub Iwerks. It was produced in black-and-white by Walt Disney Animation Studios and was released by Pat Powers (producer), Pat Powers, under the name of Cele ...
to
Fun and Fancy Free.
Before the TV series
The first official theater-based Mickey Mouse Club began on June 29, 1929, at the Fox Dome Theatre in
Venice, California, alongside a showing of the Mickey Mouse short ''
The Gallopin' Gaucho''. This would later expand to other states, including the Fox Theatre in
Sheboygan, Wisconsin
Sheboygan () is a city in Sheboygan County, Wisconsin, United States, and its county seat. The population was 49,929 at the 2020 census. It is the principal city of the Sheboygan Metropolitan statistical area, metropolitan area, which has a pop ...
, on November 30 and the Elsinore Theater in
Salem, Oregon
Salem ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital city of the U.S. state of Oregon, and the county seat of Marion County, Oregon, Marion County. It is located in the center of the Willamette Valley alongside the Willamette River, w ...
, on December 21, with more than 60 other movie theaters hosting clubs across the country by March 31. The Club released its first issue of the ''Official Bulletin of the Mickey Mouse Club'' on April 15, 1930. By 1932, the club had one million members, and in 1933, its first UK club opened at
Darlington
Darlington is a market town in the Borough of Darlington, County Durham, England. It lies on the River Skerne, west of Middlesbrough and south of Durham. Darlington had a population of 107,800 at the 2021 Census, making it a "large town" ...
's Arcade Cinema. This didn't last long as Disney began to phase out the club in 1935.
The original: 1955–59 show
Members

''The Mickey Mouse Club'' was hosted by
Jimmie Dodd, a songwriter and the Head Mouseketeer, who provided leadership both on and off the screen. In addition to his other contributions, he often provided short segments encouraging younger viewers to make the right
moral
A moral (from Latin ''morālis'') is a message that is conveyed or a lesson to be learned from a story or event. The moral may be left to the hearer, reader, or viewer to determine for themselves, or may be explicitly encapsulated in a maxim. ...
choices. These little "
homilies" became known as "Doddisms".
Roy Williams, a staff artist at Disney, also appeared in the show as the Big Mouseketeer. Williams suggested that the Mickey and
Minnie Mouse
Minerva "Minnie" Mouse is an American cartoon character created by the Walt Disney Company. The longtime sweetheart of Mickey Mouse, she is an anthropomorphic mouse with white gloves, a red or pink bow, blue (or pink or red) polka-dotted dress, w ...
ears should be worn by the show's cast members. Inspired by a visual gag in ''The Karnival Kid'', he helped create these ears, along with Chuck Keehne, Hal Adelquist, and Bill Walsh.
The main cast members were called Mouseketeers, and they performed in a variety of musical and dance numbers, as well as some informational segments. The most popular of the Mouseketeers constituted the so-called red team, who appeared each day in the show’s opening roll call and closing segments. Nine of those Red Team Mouseketeers were kept under contract for the entire run of the show (1955–1959):
*
Sharon Baird
*
Bobby Burgess
*
Lonnie Burr
Lonnie Burr (born May 31, 1943) is an American actor, entertainer and writer best known as one of nine of the original thirty-nine Mouseketeers who remained under a seven-year contract for the complete filming (1955–1959) of Walt Disney’s ch ...
*
Tommy Cole
*
Annette Funicello
*
Darlene Gillespie
*
Cubby O'Brien
*
Karen Pendleton
*
Doreen Tracey
Other Mouseketeers who were Red Team members, but weren't under contract for the entire run included:
*
Nancy Abbate (only first year)
*
Johnny Crawford (only first year)
*
Dennis Day (first and second year; was in the blue team for most of the first year, but he moved to the red team at the end of the first year)
*
Cheryl Holdridge (second and third year)
* Mike Smith (only first year)
* Jay-Jay Solari (only second year)
* Don Underhill (only first year; joined the blue team by the end of the first year)
The remaining Mouseketeers, who were members of the white or blue teams, were Don Agrati (who was later known as
Don Grady when he starred as "Robbie" on ''
My Three Sons''),
Sherry Alberoni, Billie Jean Beanblossom, Eileen Diamond,
Dickie Dodd (not related to Jimmie Dodd), Mary Espinosa,
Bonnie Lynn Fields,
Judy Harriet, Linda Hughes, Dallas Johann, John Lee Johann, Bonni Lou Kern, Charlie Laney, Larry Larsen,
Paul Petersen, Lynn Ready,
Mickey Rooney Jr.,
Tim Rooney, Mary Sartori, Bronson Scott, Margene Storey,
Ronnie Steiner, and Mark Sutherland.
Larry Larsen, on only for the 1956–57 season, was the oldest Mouseketeer, being born in 1939, and Bronson Scott, on only the 1955–56 season, was the youngest Mouseketeer, being born in July 1947. Among the thousands who auditioned, but did not make the cut, were future
Oscar
Oscar, OSCAR, or The Oscar may refer to:
People and fictional and mythical characters
* Oscar (given name), including lists of people and fictional characters named Oscar, Óscar or Oskar
* Oscar (footballer, born 1954), Brazilian footballer ...
-winning vocalist/songwriter
Paul Williams and future
Primetime Emmy Award
The Primetime Emmy Awards, or Primetime Emmys, are part of the extensive range of Emmy Awards for artistic and technical merit for the American television industry. Owned and operated by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (ATAS), the P ...
-winning actress
Candice Bergen.
The 39 Mouseketeers and the seasons in which they were featured (with the team color to which they belonged are listed for each season):
Notes: Cole and Day were originally blue & white team members, but were promoted to the red team later in the first season.
Johann, Petersen, and the Rooney brothers were all let go early in the first season. Dallas's brother John Lee replaced him, while Dodd and Steiner were hired as replacements for the Rooney brothers.
For the show's fourth season, only a small amount of new footage was filmed and was interspliced with material from previous seasons. Only six of the Mouseketeers—Funicello, Gillespie, Tracey, Burgess, Pendleton, and O'Brien—were believed to have been called back for the filming of new material, while Cole and Baird were merely used for some publicity material.
Adult co-hosts
*
Jimmie Dodd
*
Roy Williams
*
Bob Amsberry
Other notable non-Mouseketeer performers appeared in several dramatic segments:
*
Tim Considine
*
Tommy Kirk
*
Roberta Shore (Jymme Shore)
*
David Stollery
*
Judy Nugent
*
Kevin Corcoran (Moochie)
*
J. Pat O'Malley
* Sammy Ogg
*
Alvy Moore
*
Julius Sumner Miller as "Professor Wonderful"
These non-Mouseketeers primarily appeared in several original serials filmed for the series, only some of which have appeared in reruns. Other Mouseketeers were also featured in some of the serials, particularly Annette Funicello and Darlene Gillespie.
Major serials
Major serials included:
* ''
Spin and Marty'' starring Tim Considine and
David Stollery
* ''
The Hardy Boys'' starring Tim Considine and
Tommy Kirk
* ''Corky and White Shadow'', starring Darlene Gillespie
* ''
Walt Disney Presents: Annette'', starring Annette Funicello
* ''
Adventure in Dairyland'', featuring Annette Funicello and Sammy Ogg, and introducing Kevin Corcoran as Moochie
* ''
Jiminy Cricket educational serials'' (four animated series educating kids on different topics)
* ''
The Adventures of Clint and Mac'' (starring Neil Wolfe as Clint Rogers and Jonathan Bailey as Alastair "Mac" MacIntosh)
* ''Boys of the Western Sea'' (English-dubbed Danish film divided into nine 10-minute segments)
Music
The opening theme, "The
Mickey Mouse March", was written by the show's primary adult host, Jimmie Dodd.
It was also reprised at the end of each episode, with the slower "it's time to say goodbye" verse. A shorter version of the opening title was used later in the series, in syndication, and on Disney Channel reruns. Dodd also wrote many other songs used in individual segments throughout the series.
Show themes
Each day of the week had a special show theme, which was reflected in the several segments. The themes were:
* Monday – Fun with Music Day
* Tuesday – Guest Star Day
* Wednesday – Anything Can Happen Day
* Thursday – Circus Day
* Friday – Talent Round-up Day
Scheduling and air times
The series ran on ABC Television for an hour each weekday in the 1955 and the 1956 seasons (from 5:00 - 6:00 pm ET), and only a half-hour weekdays in 1957, the final season to feature new programming. Although the show returned for a 1958 season, these programs were repeats from the first two seasons, recut into a half-hour format. ''The Mickey Mouse Club'' was featured on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, and ''Walt Disney's Adventure Time'', featuring reruns of ''The Mickey Mouse Club'' serials and several re-edited segments from ''
Disneyland
Disneyland is a amusement park, theme park at the Disneyland Resort in Anaheim, California. It was the first theme park opened by the Walt Disney Company and the only one designed and constructed under the direct supervision of Walt Disney, ...
'' and ''
Walt Disney Presents'', appeared on Tuesdays and Thursdays.
Cancellation
Although the show remained popular, ABC decided to cancel it after its fourth season ended, because Disney and the ABC network could not come to terms for its renewal.
[ The cancellation of the show in September 1959 was attributed to several factors: the Disney studios did not explain high profit margins from merchandise sales, sponsors were uninterested in educational programming for children, and many commercials were needed to pay for the show. After canceling ''The Mickey Mouse Club'', ABC also refused to let Disney air the show on another network. Walt Disney filed a lawsuit against ABC, and won the damages in a settlement the following year, but he had to agree that both the ''Mickey Mouse Club'' and '' Zorro'' could not be aired on any major network. This left ''Walt Disney Presents'' (initially titled ''Disneyland'', later retitled '' Walt Disney's Wonderful World of Color'' when it moved to NBC) as the only Disney series that was left on ]prime time
Prime time, or peak time, is the block of broadcast programming taking place during the middle of the evening for television shows. It is mostly targeted towards adults (and sometimes families). It is used by the major television networks to ...
until 1972 when '' The Mouse Factory'' went on the air. The prohibition, which prevented major U.S. broadcast networks from airing the original ''Mickey Mouse Club'' (or any later version of it), was disputed when Disney acquired ABC in 1996. Although it would not air on ABC again, Disney ran it on the Disney Channel's "Vault Disney" block from 1998 to 2002.
Australian tour
Although the series had been ended in America, many members of the cast assembled for highly successful tours of Australia in 1959 and 1960. The television series was very successful in Australia, and was still running on Australian television. The cast surprised Australian audiences, as by then they had physically matured and in some cases, bore little resemblance to the cast of youths with whom Australians were so familiar. Mainstream television did not reach Australia until 1956, so the series screened well into the 1960s when the back catalog expired.
Syndication
In response to continuing audience demand, the original ''Mickey Mouse Club'' went into edited syndicated half-hour reruns that enjoyed wide distribution starting in the fall of 1962, achieving strong ratings especially during its first three seasons in syndicated release. Because of its popularity in some markets, a few stations continued to carry it into 1968 before the series was finally withdrawn from syndication. Some new features were added such as ''Fun with Science'' or "Professor Wonderful" (with scientist Julius Sumner Miller) and ''Marvelous Marvin'' in the 1964–1965 season; Jimmie Dodd appeared in several of these new segments before his death in November 1964. Several markets expanded the program back to an hour's daily run time during the 1960s repeat cycle by adding locally produced and hosted portions involving educational subjects and live-audience participation of local children, in a manner not unlike '' Romper Room''.
In response to an upsurge in demand from baby boomers entering adulthood, the show again went into syndicated reruns from January 20, 1975, until January 14, 1977. It has since been rerun on cable specialty channels Disney in the United States and Family
Family (from ) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). It forms the basis for social order. Ideally, families offer predictabili ...
in Canada. The original ''Mickey Mouse Club'' films aired five days a week on the Disney Channel
Disney Channel is an American pay television television channel, channel that serves as the flagship (broadcasting), flagship property of Disney Branded Television, a unit of the Disney Entertainment business segment of the Walt Disney Company ...
from its launch in 1983 until the third version of the series began in 1989. The last airing of the edited 1950s material was on Disney Channel's ''Vault Disney'' from 1997 to September 2002. During the baseball seasons in 1975 and 1976, WGN-TV
WGN-TV (channel 9) is a television station in Chicago, Illinois, United States, serving as the local outlet for The CW. It is owned and operated by the network's majority owner, Nexstar Media Group, and is sister station, sister to the company ...
in Chicago, Illinois, aired the show on a delayed basis due to Cubs baseball coverages.
Reunions
Annette Funicello and Tim Considine were reunited on ''The New Mickey Mouse Club'' in 1977. Darlene Gillespie and Cubby O'Brien were also reunited on another episode of the same series.
Of the 39 original Mouseketeers, 31 were reunited for a TV special, which aired on '' Disney's Wonderful World'', in November 23, 1980. Paul Williams – who hosted the special – and Tim Considine were named Honorary Mouseketeers during the special.
Cast members Annette Funicello, Bobby Burgess, Tommy Cole, Sharon Baird, Don Grady, and Sherry Alberoni were reunited on the 100th episode of ''The All-New Mickey Mouse Club'', during the show's third season in 1990.
Mouseketeers Doreen Tracey, Cubby O'Brien, Sherry Alberoni, Sharon Baird, Don Grady, Cheryl Holdridge, Bobby Burgess, Karen Pendleton, Tommy Cole, and Mary Espinosa performed together at Disneyland
Disneyland is a amusement park, theme park at the Disneyland Resort in Anaheim, California. It was the first theme park opened by the Walt Disney Company and the only one designed and constructed under the direct supervision of Walt Disney, ...
in the fall of 2005, in observance of Disneyland's 50th birthday, and the 50th anniversary of the television premiere of ''The Mickey Mouse Club''.
''Talent Roundup'' stars
* Larry Ashurst
* Janice Crowe
* Peter Lee Palmer
* Mark Sutherland
* Bo Wagner
* Pamela Beaird
* Barbara Boylan
* Mary Sartori
* John F. Smith
* Maxine Grossman
* Linda Hughes
* Cheryl Weinberg
* Ronnie Wilson
* Riley Wilson
* Jimmie Fields
* Donna Loren
* Ray Little
1977–79 revival: ''The New Mickey Mouse Club''
In 1977, Walt Disney Productions revived the concept, but modernized the show cosmetically, with a disco
Disco is a music genre, genre of dance music and a subculture that emerged in the late 1960s from the United States' urban nightclub, nightlife, particularly in African Americans, African-American, Italian-Americans, Italian-American, LGBTQ ...
re-recording of the theme song and a more ethnically diverse group of young cast members. The sets were brightly colored and simpler than the detailed black-and-white artwork of the original. Like the original, nearly every day's episode included a vintage cartoon, though usually in color from the late 1930s onward. The 1977 Mouseketeers were part of the halftime show of Super Bowl XI
Super Bowl XI was an American football game between the American Football Conference (AFC) champion 1976 Oakland Raiders season, Oakland Raiders and the National Football Conference (NFC) champion 1976 Minnesota Vikings season, Minnesota Vikings ...
on January 9, 1977.
Serials
Serials were usually old Disney movies, cut into segments for twice-weekly inclusion. Movies included '' Third Man on the Mountain'', '' The Misadventures of Merlin Jones'' and its sequel '' The Monkey's Uncle'' (both starring Tommy Kirk), ''Emil and the Detectives
''Emil and the Detectives'' () is a 1929 novel set mainly in Berlin, by the German writer Erich Kästner and illustrated by Walter Trier. It was Kästner's first major success and the only one of his pre-1945 works to escape Nazi censorship. The ...
'' (retitled ''The Three Skrinks''), ''Tonka
Tonka is an American brand and former manufacturer of toy trucks. The company was founded in 1946 and operated as an independent manufacturer of popular steel toy construction type trucks and machinery, until its sale to Hasbro in 1991.
Histor ...
'' (retitled ''A Horse Called Comanche''), ''The Horse Without a Head'' (about a toy horse), and '' Toby Tyler'' (starring Kevin Corcoran). In addition, one original serial was produced, ''The Mystery of Rustler's Cave'', starring Kim Richards and Robbie Rist. Often shown were scenes from animated Disney films, from '' Snow White'' to '' The Jungle Book'' billed as "Mouseka Movie Specials".
Theme days
Theme days were:
* Monday: Who, What, Why, Where, When and How
* Tuesday: Let's Go
* Wednesday: Surprise
* Thursday: Discovery
* Friday: Showtime (at Disneyland, with performers usually at Plaza Gardens)
Syndication
The series debuted on January 17, 1977, on 38 local television stations in the United States, and by June of that same year, when the series was discontinued, about 70 stations in total had picked up the series. Additional stations picked up the canceled program, which continued to run until January 12, 1979; 130 new episodes, with much of the original material repackaged and a bit of new footage added, and a shortened version of the theme song, was produced to start airing September 5, 1977. Since the 1970s, the series has aired only briefly and sporadically in reruns, and only on the Disney Channel's Vault Disney nighttime block (1997-2002). Unlike its 1950s predecessor and the 1989/1990s series that followed, which had DVD releases of select episodes in July 2005, this version has not had a DVD release and has been largely forgotten by many, including many kids of the 1970s who made it their club. On November 20, 1977, "The Mouseketeers at Walt Disney World" was shown on '' The Wonderful World of Disney''. WGN-TV in Chicago, Illinois, also aired this version on a delayed basis in 1977 and 1978 during the Cubs baseball season due to game coverages. Action for Children's Television successfully got the show canceled because of their objections to the types of commercials that aired during the program. It also aired on BBC One
BBC One is a British free-to-air public broadcast television channel owned and operated by the BBC. It is the corporation's oldest and flagship channel, and is known for broadcasting mainstream programming, which includes BBC News television b ...
in the United Kingdom from 1978 to 1980, and on TVB Pearl in Hong Kong from 1978.
Cast
The cast of 12 (five boys and seven girls) had a more diverse multiethnic background than the 1950s version. Several 1977–1978 cast members went on to become TV stars and other notable icons.
The show's most notable alumna was Lisa Whelchel (born in 1963, in Littlefield, Texas), who later starred in the NBC television sitcom '' The Facts of Life'', which ran from 1979 to 1988, before becoming a well-known Christian author, and overall runner-up, and winner of the $100,000 viewers' choice award, on the fall 2012 season of the CBS television reality series '' Survivor''. Mouseketeer Julie Piekarski (born in 1963 in St. Louis, Missouri
Missouri (''see #Etymology and pronunciation, pronunciation'') is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking List of U.S. states and territories by area, 21st in land area, it border ...
) also appeared with Lisa Whelchel on the first season of ''The Facts of Life''. Kelly Parsons (born in 1964, in Coral Gables, Florida
Coral Gables is a city in Miami-Dade County, Florida, United States. The city is part of the Miami metropolitan area of South Florida and is located southwest of Greater Downtown Miami, Downtown Miami. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 ...
) went on to become a beauty queen and runner-up to Miss USA.
Other Mouseketeers (from seasons 1–2) from the 1977 show:
* William "Billy"/"Pop" Attmore: born at US military base in Landstuhl, West Germany, 1965; appeared in a few movies before and after the series, a final season episode of ''The Brady Bunch
''The Brady Bunch'' is an American sitcom created by Sherwood Schwartz that aired five seasons from September 26, 1969, to March 8, 1974, on ABC. The series revolves around a large blended family of six children, with three boys and three gir ...
'' ("Kelly's Kids"), and as a streetwise hood in the short-lived '' Eischied'' crime drama; died July 30, 2023.
* Scott Craig: born in Van Nuys, California
Van Nuys ( ) is a neighborhood in the central San Fernando Valley region of Los Angeles, California. Home to Van Nuys Airport and the Van Nuys City Hall, Valley Municipal Building, it is the most populous neighborhood in the San Fernando Valley ...
, in 1964; lived in Las Vegas, Nevada, died December 30, 2003, from a respiratory illness.
* Benita "Nita Dee" DiGiampaolo: born in Long Beach, California
Long Beach is a coastal city in southeastern Los Angeles County, California, United States. It is the list of United States cities by population, 44th-most populous city in the United States, with a population of 451,307 as of 2022. A charter ci ...
, in 1966; appeared at the last end of an episode in 1981 of '' Fantasy Island'' as Elena. Nita appeared in ''ABC Family Weekends'' in 1978 as Nita and 1978 as Maria. Nita also starred in Upbeat Aesop (ABC) produced by Ron Miziker (A Disney executive).
* Mindy Feldman: born in Burbank, California
Burbank is a city in the southeastern end of the San Fernando Valley in Los Angeles County, California, United States. Located northwest of downtown Los Angeles, Burbank had a Census-estimated population of 102,755 as of 2023. The city was ...
, in 1968; sister of actor Corey Feldman
Corey Scott Feldman (born July 16, 1971) is an American actor and musician. As a youth, he became well known for his roles in popular 1980s films such as '' Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter'' (1984), '' Gremlins'' (1984), '' The Goonies'' (198 ...
.
* Angel Florez: born in Stockton, California
Stockton is a city in and the county seat of San Joaquin County, California, San Joaquin County in the Central Valley (California), Central Valley of the U.S. state of California. It is the most populous city in the county, the List of municipal ...
, in 1963; died April 25, 1995, from an AIDS
The HIV, human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) is a retrovirus that attacks the immune system. Without treatment, it can lead to a spectrum of conditions including acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). It is a Preventive healthcare, pr ...
-related illness.
* Allison Fonte: born in Buena Park, California, in 1964.
* Shawnte Northcutte: born in Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...
, in 1965; appeared on an episode of '' The Facts of Life'', as Madge.
* Todd Turquand: born in Hollywood, California
Hollywood, sometimes informally called Tinseltown, is a List of districts and neighborhoods in Los Angeles, neighborhood and district in the Central Los Angeles, central region of Los Angeles County, California, within the city of Los Angeles. ...
, in 1964.
* Curtis Wong: born in Vancouver, British Columbia
Vancouver is a major city in Western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the cit ...
, Canada in 1962; appeared on an episode of ''Diff'rent Strokes
''Diff'rent Strokes'' is an American television sitcom, which originally aired on NBC from November 3, 1978, to May 4, 1985, and on ABC from September 27, 1985, to March 7, 1986. The series stars Gary Coleman and Todd Bridges as Arnold and ...
'', as an assistant karate
(; ; Okinawan language, Okinawan pronunciation: ), also , is a martial arts, martial art developed in the Ryukyu Kingdom. It developed from the Okinawan martial arts, indigenous Ryukyuan martial arts (called , "hand"; ''tī'' in Okinawan) un ...
instructor under Soon-Tek Oh.
Disney voice actor
Voice acting is the art of Acting, performing a character or providing information to an audience with one's voice. Performers are often called voice actors/actresses in addition to other names. Examples of voice work include animation, animated, ...
and sound effects editor Wayne Allwine
Wayne Anthony Allwine (February 7, 1947 – May 18, 2009) was an American voice actor, sound effects editor and Foley (filmmaking), foley artist. He was best remembered as the third official voice of Mickey Mouse in English language, English (fo ...
voiced Mickey Mouse in the animated lead-ins for the show, replacing Jimmy MacDonald, who in 1947 had replaced Walt Disney as the voice of Mickey for theatrical short cartoons. Walt Disney was the original voice of Mickey, voiced Mickey for the original 1954–1959 run, and provided the voice for animated introductions to the original TV show, but he died in 1966. Following MacDonald's tenure, Allwine provided the voice for the character up to his death in 2009.
Future rock musician Courtney Love (wife of Nirvana
Nirvana, in the Indian religions (Jainism, Hinduism, Buddhism, and Sikhism), is the concept of an individual's passions being extinguished as the ultimate state of salvation, release, or liberation from suffering ('' duḥkha'') and from the ...
lead singer Kurt Cobain
Kurt Donald Cobain (February 20, 1967 – ) was an American musician. He was the lead vocalist, guitarist, primary songwriter, and a founding member of the grunge band Nirvana (band), Nirvana. Through his angsty songwriting and anti-establis ...
) claims to have auditioned for a part on the show, reading a poem by Sylvia Plath; she was not selected.
Former Mouseketeers Annette Funicello and serial star Tim Considine guest-starred in one episode; former Mouseketeers Darlene Gillespie and Cubby O'Brien were also reunited on another episode.
Theme song and soundtrack
The lyrics of the "Mickey Mouse Club March" theme song were slightly different from the original, with two additional lines: "He's our favorite Mouseketeer; we know you will agree" and "Take some fun and mix in love, our happy recipe".
A soundtrack album was released with the show.
A new rendition of the "Mickey Mouse Club March" was made later on in 1999 by Mannheim Steamroller, a contemporary band, in hopes of connecting new-age children and their parents who watched the ''Mickey Mouse Club''.
Distribution
This incarnation was not distributed by Disney only; while Disney did produce the series, it was co-produced and distributed by SFM Entertainment, which also handled 1970s-era syndication of the original 1950s series. (Disney
The Walt Disney Company, commonly referred to as simply Disney, is an American multinational mass media and entertainment industry, entertainment conglomerate (company), conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios (Burbank), Walt Di ...
since reacquired only distribution rights.)
1989–94 revival: ''The All-New Mickey Mouse Club''
Reruns of the original ''The Mickey Mouse Club'' began airing on the Disney Channel with its 1983 launch. While the show was popular with younger audiences, the Disney Channel executives felt it had become dated over the years, particularly because it was aired in black-and-white. Their answer was to create a brand-new, rebooted version of the club, one targeted at contemporary audiences. Notably, the all-new "club members" wore Mouseketeer varsity jackets instead of iconic Mickey Mouse ears. This show was called ''The All-New Mickey Mouse Club'' (also known as "MMC" to fans).
This version of the series is notable for featuring a number of cast members who went on to achieve global success in entertainment, including actor Ryan Gosling, future NSYNC
NSYNC ( ; also stylized as *NSYNC or N Sync) was an American vocal group and pop boy band formed by Chris Kirkpatrick in Orlando, Florida, in 1995 and launched in Germany by BMG Ariola Munich. The group consists of Kirkpatrick, JC Chasez, ...
members Justin Timberlake
Justin Randall Timberlake (born January 31, 1981) is an American singer, songwriter, actor, record producer, and dancer. Dubbed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Prince of Pop", ''Billboard (magazine), Billboard'' honored him as the b ...
and JC Chasez, singers Britney Spears
Britney Jean Spears (born December 2, 1981) is an American singer. Often referred to as the "Princess of Pop", she has sold over 150 million records worldwide, making her one of the world's best-selling music artists. Cultural impact of Brit ...
and Christina Aguilera
Christina María Aguilera ( , ; born December 18, 1980) is an American singer-songwriter, actress and television personality. Recognized as Cultural impact of Christina Aguilera, an influential figure in music and having received Public imag ...
, actress Keri Russell, voice actress Deedee Magno, future En Vogue, member Rhona Bennett, singer Chase Hampton, and Hallmark movie star Nikki DeLoach.
Throughout the show's run, Fred Newman was the main adult co-host from the beginning of the series until season six. In the first season, Newman was joined by other co-host Mowava Pryor. She was then replaced by Terri Eoff from the fourth until the sixth season. By the show's final season, two original members, Chase Hampton and Tiffini Hale, became the co-hosts.
This was also the first version of the club to have any studio audience, though only a moderate-sized group.
Former Mouseketeer Don Grady guest-starred in the season-one finale. Grady, along with fellow Mouseketeers Annette Funicello, Bobby Burgess, Tommy Cole, Sharon Baird, and Sherry Alberoni, were reunited on the 100th episode, during the show's third season. Funicello later appeared on the show again, in an interview with the Mouseketeer Lindsey Alley.
Scheduling and air times
For the first five seasons, the series aired Monday through Friday at 5:30 pm. The show's sixth season aired Monday to Thursday. In its final season, it aired Thursdays only at 7:00 pm (later moved a half hour later, to 7:30 pm). The series premiered Monday, April 24, 1989, ended production in October 1994, and aired its last original episode in 1996. Seasons three and five had the most episodes at 55 each, with seasons one, two, and seven running about 45 episodes. Seasons four and six had about 36 episodes each.
Skits
The show was known for its sketch comedy. Some of the sketches played off famous movies, musicals, and even cartoons, as well as holiday-related skits. During the final season, some of the skits showed everyday occurrences in the lives of adolescents.
Music videos
The series featured music videos of the Mouseketeers singing their versions of popular songs in front of a live studio audience or at locations within Walt Disney World
The Walt Disney World Resort is an destination resort, entertainment resort complex located about southwest of Orlando, Florida, United States. Opened on October 1, 1971, the resort is operated by Disney Experiences, a division of the Wa ...
. This became one of the most popular segments. Due to the age of both the performers and the target demographic, lyrics with objectionable content were generally edited out of the songs and replaced with more appropriate language.
Live concerts and performances
A unique feature of the show was the Mouseketeers performing concerts on different days (which were usually taped the day before or in the summer, when the kids had more time). During the final season, the concerts were replaced primarily by live performances that featured singing and dancing in front of the audience.
Theme days
This version maintained the "theme day" format from the previous two versions. When Disney decided to revamp the show for its final season, the show was reduced to a single weekly airing, shown only on Thursdays. Although still produced as a daily series during the final season taping in 1994, the Disney Channel, after canceling the series once season-seven production had ended, decided to air the final season in a weekly format, therefore stretching the first-run episodes into early 1996. The final season premiered in May 1995, almost a year after production had started and more than six months after the series finale was taped.
Theme days were:
* Music Day – Mondays (seasons 1–5), Tuesdays (season 6)
* Guest Day – Tuesdays (seasons 1–5), Mondays (season 6)
* Anything Can Happen Day – Wednesdays (seasons 1–5)
* Party Day – Thursdays (seasons 1–4, 6), Fridays (season 5)
* Hall of Fame Day – Fridays (seasons 1–4), Thursdays (season 5), Wednesdays (season 6)
Mouseketeer roster
The adult co-hosts for the show were Fred Newman (1989–1993), Mowava Pryor (1989–1990), Terri Misner Eoff (1991–1993), Tiffini Hale (1994), and Chase Hampton (1994).
The 35 Mouseketeers and the seasons in which they were featured are:
Note: For the show's fourth season, Albert Fields, Tiffini Hale, Chase Hampton, Deedee Magno, and Damon Pampolina were featured in segments as " The Party", primarily in footage separate from the rest of the cast.
''Emerald Cove''
The last three seasons of MMC had a prerecorded drama series called ''Emerald Cove'' with the older cast members:
*Rhona Bennett
*J.C. Chasez
*Dale Godboldo
*Ricky Luna
*Tony Lucca
*Ilana Miller
*Keri Russell
*Marc Worden
*Matt Morris
*Jennifer McGill
*Joshua Ackerman
*Nikki Deloach
2017 revival: ''Club Mickey Mouse''
''The Mickey Mouse Club'' was rebooted under the name ''Club Mickey Mouse'' with a new set of Mouseketeers in September 2017, and for the first time, the series was made available on Facebook
Facebook is a social media and social networking service owned by the American technology conglomerate Meta Platforms, Meta. Created in 2004 by Mark Zuckerberg with four other Harvard College students and roommates, Eduardo Saverin, Andre ...
and Instagram
Instagram is an American photo sharing, photo and Short-form content, short-form video sharing social networking service owned by Meta Platforms. It allows users to upload media that can be edited with Social media camera filter, filters, be ...
, rather than its original half hour to full hour format on television, and is more like a reality show than a variety show, with about 90% of its content being behind the scenes. The series is unrelated to a Malaysian TV series of the same name produced around the same time, which bears more resemblance to the structure of previous ''Mickey Mouse Club'' productions.
This incarnation of ''The Mickey Mouse Club'' featured eight Mouseketeers who ranged in age from 15 to 18: Regan Aliyah, Jenna Alvarez, Ky Baldwin, Gabe De Guzman, Leanne Tessa Langston, Brianna Mazzola, Sean Oliu, and Will Simmons. The Mouseketeers were also joined by the guest star Todrick Hall, who also served as a mentor to the cast during the casting, and Jennifer Chia as the host.
The series was produced by Disney Digital Network.[ No new episodes or music videos have been produced since 2018, as DDN had undergone financial difficulties and shut down the year after, effectively canceling ''Club Mickey Mouse''.
]
International revivals
2015 Korean revival: ''The Mickey Mouse Club''
A new version of the series debuted on July 23, 2015, on Disney Channel Korea. The format of revival included musical performances, games, and skits, as same as the original one in the US. The series had two pilot episodes and 10 regular episodes. The Mouseketeers consisted of nine members of S.M. Entertainment
SM Entertainment Co., Ltd. () is a South Korean Multinational corporation, multinational entertainment agency established in 1995 by Lee Soo-man. It is one of South Korea's largest entertainment companies and has been responsible for fostering ...
's pre-debut trainees team SM Rookies, consisting of five boys – Mark, Jeno, Haechan, Jaemin, and Jisung – and four girls – Koeun, Hina, Herin, and Lami.
The series was hosted by Leeteuk of boy band Super Junior.
The show ended on December 17 the same year.
2017–2021 Malaysian revival: ''Club Mickey Mouse''
''Club Mickey Mouse'' was created in Malaysia. The format included musical performances, games and comedy sketches.
The series was hosted by YouTube personality, Charis Ow, and premiered on Disney Channel Asia Disney Channel is an American pay television channel.
Disney Channel may also refer to the following subsidiary channels:
* Disney Channel (Australia & New Zealand)
* Disney Channel (Belgium)
* Disney Channel (Brazil)
* Disney Channel (Bulgaria)
* ...
on September 15, 2017. The series was renewed for a second season, which premiered on July 6, 2018, and a third season which premiered on June 14, 2019. All members appeared as guest stars (except Dheena Menon) on Episode 14 ("Friends in Need, Indeed!") on Disney Channel Asia Disney Channel is an American pay television channel.
Disney Channel may also refer to the following subsidiary channels:
* Disney Channel (Australia & New Zealand)
* Disney Channel (Belgium)
* Disney Channel (Brazil)
* Disney Channel (Bulgaria)
* ...
Original Series, '' Wizards of Warna Walk''.
Charis and Dheena did not return for the following the season. Disney Channel Asia subsequently cast two new Mouseketeers for an audition, Eric and Melynna. Following the shutdown of the channel, season four of ''Club Mickey Mouse'' aired in 2021 exclusively on Disney+ Hotstar, instead, and SKTV Kids in 2023.
In November 2021, the fourth season of the show aired on Disney+
The Walt Disney Company, commonly referred to as simply Disney, is an American multinational mass media and entertainment industry, entertainment conglomerate (company), conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios (Burbank), Walt Di ...
in selected territories. The series was removed from Disney+ on May 26, 2023, amid the Disney+ and Hulu
Hulu (, ) is an American Subscription business model, subscription streaming media service owned by Disney Streaming, a subsidiary of the Disney Entertainment segment of the Walt Disney Company. It was launched on October 29, 2007, initially as ...
purge.
Home media
''Walt Disney Treasures: The Mickey Mouse Club'' at UltimateDisney.com
See also
* '' Disney Club'', the name of many television shows associated to Disney productions aired mostly in Europe
* ''Mickey Mouse Clubhouse
''Mickey Mouse Clubhouse'' is an American animated interactive children's television series for preschoolers. Produced by Disney Television Animation, the series was created by Disney veteran Bobs Gannaway. The series originally aired 125 epi ...
'', a show for preschool-age children with a very different format
References
External links
The original Mickey Mouse club 1950s
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