The Mickey Mouse Club
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''The Mickey Mouse Club'' is an American
variety Variety may refer to: Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats * Variety (radio) * Variety show, in theater and television Films * ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont * ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...
television show that aired intermittently from 1955 to 1996 and returned to
social media Social media are interactive media technologies that facilitate the creation and sharing of information, ideas, interests, and other forms of expression through virtual communities and networks. While challenges to the definition of ''social medi ...
in 2017. Created by
Walt Disney Walter Elias Disney (; December 5, 1901December 15, 1966) was an American animator, film producer and entrepreneur. A pioneer of the American animation industry, he introduced several developments in the production of cartoons. As a film p ...
and produced by
Walt Disney Productions The Walt Disney Company, commonly known as Disney (), is an American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios complex in Burbank, California. Disney was originally founded on October ...
, the program was first televised for four seasons, from 1955 to 1959, by
ABC ABC are the first three letters of the Latin script known as the alphabet. ABC or abc may also refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Broadcasting * American Broadcasting Company, a commercial U.S. TV broadcaster ** Disney–ABC Television ...
. 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'', abbreviated ''AB'', is an American music-performance and dance television program that aired in various versions from 1952 to 1989, and was hosted from 1956 until its final season by Dick Clark, who also served as the pro ...
''. 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 leasing the right to broadcasting television shows and radio programs to multiple television stations and radio stations, without going through a broadcast network. It is common in the United States where ...
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 exclusively on
cable television Cable television is a system of delivering television programming to consumers via radio frequency (RF) signals transmitted through coaxial cables, or in more recent systems, light pulses through fibre-optic cables. This contrasts with broa ...
's
The Disney Channel Disney Channel, sometimes known as simply Disney, is an American pay television channel that serves as the flagship property of Disney Branded Television, a unit of the Disney General Entertainment Content division of The Walt Disney Company. ...
, and again in 2017 with the moniker ''Club Mickey Mouse'' airing exclusively on internet social media. It ended in 2018. The character of
Mickey Mouse Mickey Mouse is an animated cartoon Character (arts), character co-created in 1928 by Walt Disney and Ub Iwerks. The longtime mascot of The Walt Disney Company, Mickey is an Anthropomorphism, anthropomorphic mouse who typically wears red sho ...
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 and entrepreneur. A pioneer of the American animation industry, he introduced several developments in the production of cartoons. As a film p ...
(Disney had previously voiced the character theatrically from 1928 to 1947 before being replaced by
sound effects A sound effect (or audio effect) is an artificially created or enhanced sound, or sound process used to emphasize artistic or other content of films, television shows, live performance, animation, video games, music, or other media. Traditi ...
artist Jimmy MacDonald).


Before the TV series

The first official theater-based Mickey Mouse Club began on January 11, 1930, at the Fox Dome Theater in Ocean Park,
California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...
, with 60 theaters hosting clubs 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. The River Skerne flows through the town; it is a tributary of the River Tees. The Tees itself flows south of the town. In the 19th century, Darlington underwen ...
’s Arcade Cinema. In 1935, Disney began to phase out the club.


The original: 1955-59 show


Members

''The Mickey Mouse Club'' was hosted by
Jimmie Dodd James Wesley Dodd (March 28, 1910 – November 10, 1964) was an American actor, singer and songwriter best known as the master of ceremonies for the popular 1950s Walt Disney television series ''The Mickey Mouse Club,'' as well as the write ...
, 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 which encouraged 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. A ...
choices. These little
homilies A homily (from Greek ὁμιλία, ''homilía'') is a commentary that follows a reading of scripture, giving the "public explanation of a sacred doctrine" or text. The works of Origen and John Chrysostom (known as Paschal Homily) are considered ex ...
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 Minnie Mouse is a cartoon character created by The Walt Disney Company. As the longtime sweetheart of Mickey Mouse, she is an anthropomorphic mouse with white gloves, a bow, polka-dotted dress, white bloomers, and low-heeled shoes occasionally 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, which was kept under contract for the entire run of the show (1955–1959), and its members included: *
Sharon Baird Sharon Baird is an American actress, voice actress, singer, dancer and puppeteer who is best known for having been a Mouseketeer. Early life Baird was born August 16, 1943 Seattle, Washington to Eldon Baird, an aerospace worker, and Nikki Mar ...
*
Bobby Burgess Robert Wilkie Burgess (born May 19, 1941) is an American dancer and singer. He was one of the original Mouseketeers. Later, he was a regular on ''The Lawrence Welk Show''. Early life Growing up in Southern California, Burgess started performi ...
*
Lonnie Burr Lonnie Burr (born May 31, 1943) is an American 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 children ...
*
Tommy Cole Tommy Cole (born December 20, 1941) is an American make-up artist, actor, and singer who appeared as a Mouseketeer on the ''Mickey Mouse Club'' television series. Early life Although born in Burbank, California, Tommy Cole grew up in the Los ...
*
Annette Funicello Annette Joanne Funicello (October 22, 1942 – April 8, 2013) was an American actress and singer. Funicello began her professional career as a child performer at the age of twelve. She was one of the most popular Mouseketeers on the orig ...
*
Darlene Gillespie Darlene Faye Gillespie (born April 8, 1941) is a Canadian-American former child actor, child actress, most remembered as a singer and dancer on the original ''The Mickey Mouse Club'' television series from 1955 to 1959. Her Irish father and Frenc ...
*
Cubby O'Brien Carl Patrick O'Brien (born July 14, 1946), better known by his nickname Cubby, is an American drummer and former child actor. He is known as one of the original Mouseketeers on the weekday ABC television program ''The Mickey Mouse Club'' from 1955 ...
*
Karen Pendleton Karen Anita Pendleton (August 1, 1946 – October 6, 2019) was an original ''Mickey Mouse Club'' Mouseketeer on the ABC television series from 1955 to 1959. She was one of only nine Mouseketeers who were on the show during its entire original r ...
*
Doreen Tracey Doreen Isabelle Tracey (April 13, 1943 – January 10, 2018) was a British-born American performer who appeared on the original ''Mickey Mouse Club'' television show from 1955–59. Early life Tracey was born in St Pancras, London, England. Her ...
Other Mouseketeers who were Red Team members but did not star on the show for all three seasons included: *
Cheryl Holdridge Cheryl Lynn Holdridge ('' née'' Phelps; June 20, 1944 – January 6, 2009) was an American actress, best known as an original cast member of ''The Mickey Mouse Club''. Early life Holdridge was born in New Orleans, Louisiana. Her mother, Juli ...
(second and third year) * Nancy Abbate (only first year) *
Johnny Crawford John Ernest Crawford (March 26, 1946 – April 29, 2021) was an American actor, singer, and musician. He first performed before a national audience as a Mouseketeer. At age 12, Crawford rose to prominence playing Mark McCain in the series ' ...
(only first year) *
Dennis Day Dennis Day (born Owen Patrick Eugene McNulty; May 21, 1916 – June 22, 1988) was an American actor, comedian, and singer. He was of Irish descent. Early life Day was born and raised in the Throggs Neck section of the Bronx, New York City, the ...
(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) * 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 Don Louis Agrati (June 8, 1944 – June 27, 2012), also known as Don Grady, was an American actor, composer, and musician. He was known foremost as one of the Mickey Mouse Mouseketeers and as Robbie Douglas on the long-running ABC CBS tele ...
when he starred as "Robbie" on ''
My Three Sons ''My Three Sons'' is an American television sitcom that aired from September 29, 1960, to April 13, 1972. The series was broadcast on ABC during its first five seasons, before moving to CBS for the remaining seasons. ''My Three Sons'' chronicl ...
''),
Sherry Alberoni Sharyn Eileen "Sherry" Alberoni (born December 4, 1946) is a former child American actress. Alberoni got her start as a Mouseketeer on the weekday ABC television program ''The Mickey Mouse Club''. As an adult, she became a voice artist for Hanna- ...
, Billie Jean Beanblossom, Eileen Diamond, Dickie Dodd (not related to
Jimmie Dodd James Wesley Dodd (March 28, 1910 – November 10, 1964) was an American actor, singer and songwriter best known as the master of ceremonies for the popular 1950s Walt Disney television series ''The Mickey Mouse Club,'' as well as the write ...
), Mary Espinosa, Bonnie Lynn Fields, Judy Harriet, Linda Hughes, Dallas Johann, John Lee Johann, Bonni Lou Kern, Charlie Laney, Larry Larsen,
Paul Petersen William Paul Petersen (born September 23, 1945) is an American actor, singer, novelist, and activist. Petersen first rose to prominence in the 1950s playing Jeff Stone on ''The Donna Reed Show'', and transitioned to a singing career in the 19 ...
, Lynn Ready,
Mickey Rooney Jr. Mickey Rooney Jr. (July 3, 1945 – July 16, 2022) was an American actor. He was the eldest son of the actor Mickey Rooney, and operated the Rooney Entertainment Group, a film and television production company. He was a born-again Christian wh ...
,
Tim Rooney Timothy Hayes Yule (January 4, 1947 – September 23, 2006), better known as Tim Rooney, was an American actor. Rooney was the second son of actor and comedian Mickey Rooney. Later in his life, Rooney suffered from a rare muscle disease known as ...
, 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 * Oscar (given name), an Irish- and English-language name also used in other languages; the article includes the names Oskar, Oskari, Oszkár, Óscar, and other forms. * Oscar (Irish mythology), ...
-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. Bestowed by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (ATAS), the Primetime ...
-winning actress
Candice Bergen Candice Patricia Bergen (born May 9, 1946) is an American actress. She won five Primetime Emmy Awards and two Golden Globe Awards for her portrayal of the title character on the CBS sitcom ''Murphy Brown'' (1988–1998, 2018). She is also know ...
. The 39 Mouseketeers and the seasons in which they were featured (with the team color which they belonged to are listed for each season): Notes: Cole and Day were originally Blue Team members, but were drafted 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. It is believed that only six of the Mouseketeers—Funicello, Gillespie, Tracey, Burgess, Pendleton, and O'Brien—were called back for the filming of new material, while Cole and Baird were merely used for some publicity material.


Adult co-hosts

*
Jimmie Dodd James Wesley Dodd (March 28, 1910 – November 10, 1964) was an American actor, singer and songwriter best known as the master of ceremonies for the popular 1950s Walt Disney television series ''The Mickey Mouse Club,'' as well as the write ...
* Roy Williams *
Bob Amsberry Robert Wayne Amsberry (June 2, 1928 – November 21, 1957) was an American actor, and one of the original cast members on the first two seasons of Walt Disney's ''The Mickey Mouse Club'', working as both a writer and actor. Amsberry also worked a ...
Other notable non-Mouseketeer performers appeared in several dramatic segments: *
Tim Considine Timothy Daniel Considine (December 31, 1940 – March 3, 2022) was an American actor, writer, photographer, and automotive historian. He was best known for his acting roles in the late 1950s and early 1960s. Early life Considine was born in Lo ...
*
Tommy Kirk Thomas Lee Kirk (December 10, 1941 – September 28, 2021) was an American actor, best known for his performances in films made by Walt Disney Studios such as ''Old Yeller'', '' The Shaggy Dog'', ''Swiss Family Robinson'', ''The Absent-Minded P ...
*
Roberta Shore Roberta Jymme Schourop (born April 7, 1943, Monterey Park, California), better known as Roberta Shore, is a retired American actress and performer. She is notable for her roles in the original '' Shaggy Dog'' film and as Betsy Garth on the Wester ...
(Jymme Shore) *
David Stollery David John Stollery, III (born January 18, 1941 in Los Angeles, California) is a former American child actor and, as an adult, an industrial designer. He appeared in numerous Disney movies and television programs in the 1950s. He is best known for ...
*
Judy Nugent Judy Ann Nugent (born August 22, 1940) is an American actress. Early life Nugent was born in Los Angeles, California, daughter of Lucille and Carl Nugent. Her father was a property master for Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, her mother later became a talent ...
*
Kevin Corcoran Kevin Anthony "Moochie" Corcoran (June 10, 1949 – October 6, 2015) was an American child actor, director and producer. He appeared in numerous Disney projects between 1957 and 1963, leading him to be honored as a Disney Legend in 2006. Hi ...
, a.k.a. Moochie *
J. Pat O'Malley James Rudolph O'Malley (15 March 1904 – 27 February 1985) was an English character actor and singer who appeared in many American films and television programmes from the 1940s to 1982, using the stage name J. Pat O'Malley. He also appeared on ...
* Sammy Ogg *
Alvy Moore Jack Alvin "Alvy" Moore (December 5, 1921 – May 4, 1997) was an American actor best known for his role as scatterbrained county agricultural agent Hank Kimball on the CBS television series ''Green Acres''. His character would often make a st ...
*
Julius Sumner Miller Julius Sumner Miller (May 17, 1909 – April 14, 1987) was an American physicist and television personality. He is best known for his work on children's television programs in North America and Australia. Off-screen Julius Sumner Miller was bor ...
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 ''Spin and Marty'' is a series of television shorts that aired as part of ''The Mickey Mouse Club'' show of the mid-1950s, produced by Walt Disney and broadcast on the ABC network in the United States. There were three serials in all, set at the ...
'' starring
Tim Considine Timothy Daniel Considine (December 31, 1940 – March 3, 2022) was an American actor, writer, photographer, and automotive historian. He was best known for his acting roles in the late 1950s and early 1960s. Early life Considine was born in Lo ...
and
David Stollery David John Stollery, III (born January 18, 1941 in Los Angeles, California) is a former American child actor and, as an adult, an industrial designer. He appeared in numerous Disney movies and television programs in the 1950s. He is best known for ...
* ''
The Hardy Boys The Hardy Boys, brothers Frank and Joe Hardy, are fictional characters who appear in several mystery series for children and teens. The series revolves around teenagers who are amateur sleuths, solving cases that stumped their adult counterpa ...
'' starring
Tim Considine Timothy Daniel Considine (December 31, 1940 – March 3, 2022) was an American actor, writer, photographer, and automotive historian. He was best known for his acting roles in the late 1950s and early 1960s. Early life Considine was born in Lo ...
and
Tommy Kirk Thomas Lee Kirk (December 10, 1941 – September 28, 2021) was an American actor, best known for his performances in films made by Walt Disney Studios such as ''Old Yeller'', '' The Shaggy Dog'', ''Swiss Family Robinson'', ''The Absent-Minded P ...
* ''Corky and White Shadow'', starring Darlene Gillespie * '' Walt Disney Presents: Annette'', starring Annette Funicello * ''
Adventure in Dairyland ''Adventure in Dairyland'' is a television serial that aired in 1956 on ABC as part of the second season of ''The Mickey Mouse Club''. The serial starred Mouseketeer Annette Funicello and Sammy Ogg of Spin and Marty and featured Kevin Corcoran ...
'', featuring Annette Funicello and Sammy Ogg, and introducing Kevin Corcoran as Moochie * '' Jiminy Cricket educational serials'' (four animated shorts 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 "(The) Mickey Mouse March" is the opening theme for ''The Mickey Mouse Club'' television show, which aired in the United States from October 1955 to 1959, on the ABC television network. (The first two lines are: ''Who’s the leader of the club tha ...
", 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 and 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 in Anaheim, California. Opened in 1955, 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. Disney in ...
'' and ''
Walt Disney Presents The Walt Disney Company has produced an anthology television series since 1954 under several titles and formats. The program's current title, ''The Wonderful World of Disney'', was used from 1969 to 1979 and again from 1991 to the present. The pr ...
'', 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; however, he had to agree that both the ''Mickey Mouse Club'' and ''
Zorro Zorro (Spanish language, Spanish for 'fox') is a fictional character created in 1919 by American pulp magazine, pulp writer Johnston McCulley, appearing in works set in the Pueblo of Los Angeles in Alta California. He is typically portrayed a ...
'' 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 The Walt Disney Company has produced an anthology television series since 1954 under several titles and formats. The program's current title, ''The Wonderful World of Disney'', was used from 1969 to 1979 and again from 1991 to the present. The pr ...
'' when it moved to NBC) as the only Disney series which was left on
prime time Prime time or the peak time is the block of broadcast programming taking place during the middle of the evening for a television show. It is mostly targeted towards adults (and sometimes families). It is used by the major television networks to ...
until 1972 when ''
The Mouse Factory ''The Mouse Factory'' is an American syndicated television series produced by Walt Disney Productions and created by Ward Kimball, that ran from 1972 to 1973. It showed clips from various Disney cartoons and movies, hosted by celebrity guests (cre ...
'' 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 Julius Sumner Miller (May 17, 1909 – April 14, 1987) was an American physicist and television personality. He is best known for his work on children's television programs in North America and Australia. Off-screen Julius Sumner Miller was bor ...
) 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 ''Romper Room'' is an American children's television series that was franchised and syndicated from 1953 to 1994. The program targeted preschoolers (children five years of age or younger), and was created and produced by Bert Claster and his ...
''. In response to an upsurge in demand from
baby boomers Baby boomers, often shortened to boomers, are the Western demographic cohort following the Silent Generation and preceding Generation X. The generation is often defined as people born from 1946 to 1964, during the mid-20th century baby boom. Th ...
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 la, familia) is a Social group, group of people related either by consanguinity (by recognized birth) or Affinity (law), affinity (by marriage or other relationship). The purpose of the family is to maintain the well-being of its ...
in Canada. The original ''Mickey Mouse Club'' films aired five days a week on
The Disney Channel Disney Channel, sometimes known as simply Disney, is an American pay television channel that serves as the flagship property of Disney Branded Television, a unit of the Disney General Entertainment Content division 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 an Independent station (North America), independent television station in Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, United States. Owned by Nexstar Media Group, it is sister station, sister to the company's sole radio property, talk ra ...
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. 31 out of the 39 original Mouseketeers were reunited for a TV special, which aired on '' Disney's Wonderful World'' in November 1980. Paul Williams – who hosted the special – and Tim Considine were named Honorary Mousketeers 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 in Anaheim, California. Opened in 1955, 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. Disney in ...
in Fall 2005, in observance of Disneyland's 50th birthday, and the 50th anniversary of the television premiere of ''The Mickey Mouse Club''.


Streaming

In early 2020, the first week of the Mickey Mouse Club and the first Spin and Marty serial have been added to Disney's new streaming platform Disney+. For some reason, it is currently missing.


''Talent Roundup'' stars

* Larry Ashurst * Janice Crowe * Peter Lee Palmer * Mark Sutherland * Bo Wagner *
Pamela Beaird Pamela Baird, born Pamela Beaird in Bexar County, Texas on April 6, 1945, is a former television actress, best remembered for playing Mary Ellen Rogers, the girlfriend of Wally Cleaver on '' Leave It to Beaver''. In 1963, she graduated from Covin ...
*
Barbara Boylan Barbara Boylan (born in Long Beach, California) is an American dancer and former television personality who was featured on ''The Lawrence Welk Show'' from 1961 to 1967, and briefly for a few months in 1979. She was the first of Bobby Burgess's ...
* Mary Sartori * John F. Smith * Maxine Grossman * Linda Hughes * Cheryl Weinberg * Ronnie Wilson * Riley Wilson * Jimmie Fields *
Donna Loren Donna Loren is an American singer and actress. A prolific performer in the 1960s, she was the "Dr Pepper Girl" from 1963 to 1968, featured female vocalist on ''Shindig'', and a cast member of the American International Pictures ''Beach Party' ...
* Ray Little


1977-79 revival: ''The New Mickey Mouse Club''

In 1977,
Walt Disney Productions The Walt Disney Company, commonly known as Disney (), is an American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios complex in Burbank, California. Disney was originally founded on October ...
revived the concept, but modernized the show cosmetically, with a
disco Disco is a genre of dance music and a subculture that emerged in the 1970s from the United States' urban nightlife scene. Its sound is typified by four-on-the-floor beats, syncopated basslines, string sections, brass and horns, electric pia ...
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 Oakland Raiders and the National Football Conference (NFC) champion Minnesota Vikings to decide the National Football League (NFL) champion for ...
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 ''Third Man on the Mountain'' is a 1959 American family adventure film by Walt Disney Productions, directed by Ken Annakin and starring Michael Rennie, James MacArthur and Janet Munro. Set during the golden age of alpinism, its plot concerns a y ...
'', ''
The Misadventures of Merlin Jones ''The Misadventures of Merlin Jones'' is a 1964 American science-fiction comedy film directed by Robert Stevenson and produced by Walt Disney Productions. The film stars Tommy Kirk as a college student who experiments with mind-reading and hypno ...
'' and its sequel ''
The Monkey's Uncle ''The Monkey's Uncle'' is a 1965 American comedy film starring Tommy Kirk as genius college student Merlin Jones and Annette Funicello (former Mouseketeer from ''The Mickey Mouse Club'') as his girlfriend, Jennifer. The title plays on the idiom ...
'' (both starring
Tommy Kirk Thomas Lee Kirk (December 10, 1941 – September 28, 2021) was an American actor, best known for his performances in films made by Walt Disney Studios such as ''Old Yeller'', '' The Shaggy Dog'', ''Swiss Family Robinson'', ''The Absent-Minded P ...
), ''
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 producer of toy trucks. The company is known for making steel toy models of construction type trucks and machinery. Maisto International, which makes diecast vehicles, acquired the rights to use the Tonka name in a line of ...
'' (retitled ''A Horse Called Comanche''), ''The Horse Without a Head'' (about a toy horse), and ''
Toby Tyler ''Toby Tyler or 10 Weeks with a Circus'', also known simply as ''Toby Tyler'', is a 1960 American drama film directed by Charles Barton and starring Kevin Corcoran, Henry Calvin, Gene Sheldon, and Richard Eastham. It was produced by Walt Dis ...
'' (starring
Kevin Corcoran Kevin Anthony "Moochie" Corcoran (June 10, 1949 – October 6, 2015) was an American child actor, director and producer. He appeared in numerous Disney projects between 1957 and 1963, leading him to be honored as a Disney Legend in 2006. Hi ...
). In addition, one original serial was produced, ''The Mystery of Rustler's Cave'', starring
Kim Richards Kim Erica Richards (born September 19, 1964) is an American actress, socialite, and television personality. She began her career as a child actress, and rose to prominence from her roles in ''Nanny and the Professor'', ''Escape to Witch Mountai ...
and
Robbie Rist Robbie Rist (born April 4, 1964) is an American actor. He is known for playing Cousin Oliver in ''The Brady Bunch'', Martin in '' Grady'' and "Little John" in ''Big John, Little John''. Rist is also known for voicing assorted characters in te ...
. Often shown were scenes from animated Disney films, from ''
Snow White "Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs" is a 19th-century German fairy tale that is today known widely across the Western world. The Brothers Grimm published it in 1812 in the first edition of their collection ''Grimms' Fairy Tales'' and numbered as Ta ...
'' to ''
The Jungle Book ''The Jungle Book'' (1894) is a collection of stories by the English author Rudyard Kipling. Most of the characters are animals such as Shere Khan the tiger and Baloo the bear, though a principal character is the boy or "man-cub" Mowgli, ...
'' 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 station A television station is a set of equipment managed by a business, organisation or other entity, such as an amateur television (ATV) operator, that transmits video content and audio content via radio waves directly from a transmitter on the earth ...
s 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 in reruns. Like its 1950s predecessor, the 1989/1990s series had DVD releases of select episodes in July 2005. On November 20, 1977, "The Mouseketeers at Walt Disney World" was shown on ''
The Wonderful World of Disney The Walt Disney Company has produced an anthology television series since 1954 under several titles and formats. The program's current title, ''The Wonderful World of Disney'', was used from 1969 to 1979 and again from 1991 to the present. The pr ...
''. 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 Action for Children's Television (ACT) was founded by Peggy Charren, Lillian Ambrosino, Evelyn Kaye Sarson and Judy Chalfen in Newton, Massachusetts, USA, in 1968 as a grassroots, nonprofit child advocacy group dedicated to improving the quality ...
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 network owned and operated by the BBC. It is the corporation's flagship network and is known for broadcasting mainstream programming, which includes BBC News television bulletins, p ...
in the
United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and North ...
from 1978 to 1980.


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 alumnus was
Lisa Whelchel Lisa Diane Whelchel (born May 29, 1963) is an American actress, singer, songwriter, author, and life coach. She is known for her appearances as a Mouseketeer on ''The New Mickey Mouse Club'' and her nine-year role as the preppy and wealthy Bla ...
(born in 1963, in
Littlefield, Texas Littlefield is a city in and the county seat of Lamb County, Texas, United States. Its population was 6,372 at the 2010 census. It is located in a significant cotton-growing region, northwest of Lubbock on the Llano Estacado just south of t ...
), who later starred in the
NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an Television in the United States, American English-language Commercial broadcasting, commercial television network, broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Enterta ...
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 CBS Broadcasting Inc., commonly shortened to CBS, the abbreviation of its former legal name Columbia Broadcasting System, is an American commercial broadcast television and radio network serving as the flagship property of the CBS Entertainmen ...
television reality series '' Survivor''. Mouseketeer
Julie Piekarski Julie Ann Piekarski (born January 2, 1963 in St. Louis, Missouri) is an American actress, best known for her role as Sue Ann Weaver on '' The Facts of Life''. Piekarski got her first big break in show business as a Mouseketeer on ''The New Mick ...
(born in 1963 in
St. Louis St. Louis () is the second-largest city in Missouri, United States. It sits near the confluence of the Mississippi and the Missouri Rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a population of 301,578, while the bi-state metropolitan area, which e ...
,
Missouri Missouri 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 is bordered by eight states (tied for the most with Tennessee ...
) 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, officially City of Coral Gables, is a city in Miami-Dade County, Florida. The city is located southwest of Downtown Miami. As of the 2020 U.S. census, it had a population of 49,248. Coral Gables is known globally as home to the ...
) went on to become a
beauty queen A beauty pageant is a competition that has traditionally focused on judging and ranking the physical attributes of the contestants. Pageants have now evolved to include inner beauty, with criteria covering judging of personality, intelligence, ...
and runner-up to
Miss USA Miss USA is an American beauty pageant that has been held annually since 1952 to select the entrant from United States in the Miss Universe pageant. The Miss Universe Organization operated both pageants, as well as Miss Teen USA, until 2020, ...
. 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 from September 26, 1969, to March 8, 1974, on ABC. The series revolves around a large blended family with six children. The show aired for five seasons and, after ...
'' ("Kelly's Kids"), and as a streetwise hood in the short-lived ''
Eischied ''Eischied'' (, ) is an American crime drama television series that aired on NBC from September 21, 1979, to July 1, 1980. It was based on the starring character from the 1978 miniseries ''To Kill a Cop'', which was based on the 1976 novel by Ro ...
'' crime drama. * 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 Valley Municipal Building, it is the most populous neighborhood in the San Fernando Valley. History In 1909, ...
, 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 city in Los Angeles County, California. It is the 42nd-most populous city in the United States, with a population of 466,742 as of 2020. A charter city, Long Beach is the seventh-most populous city in California. Incorporate ...
, in 1966; appeared at the last end of an episode in 1981 of ''
Fantasy Island ''Fantasy Island'' is an American fantasy drama television series created by Gene Levitt. It aired on ABC from 1977 to 1984. The series starred Ricardo Montalbán as the mysterious Mr. Roarke and Hervé Villechaize as his assistant, Tattoo. Gu ...
'' 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 has a population of 107,337. The city was named after David Burbank, w ...
, 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 roles in the 1980s in films such as '' Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter'' (1984), ''Gremlins'' (1984), ''The Goonies'' (1985), a ...
. * 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. Stockton was founded by Carlos Maria Weber in 1849 after he acquir ...
, in 1963; died April 25, 1995, from an
AIDS Human immunodeficiency virus infection and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS) is a spectrum of conditions caused by infection with the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), a retrovirus. Following initial infection an individual m ...
-related illness. *
Allison Fonte Allison Fonte (born June 6, 1964) is an American actress and pianist who was a 12- to 13-year-old mousketeer of seasons 5-6 of the television show The ''Mickey Mouse Club'', a 1977 revival of the List of assets owned by Disney#Studio Entertainmen ...
: born in
Buena Park, California Buena Park (''Buena'', Spanish for "Good") is a city in Orange County, California, United States. As of the 2020 census its population was 84,034. It is the location of several tourist attractions, namely Knott's Berry Farm. It is about 12 mi ...
, in 1964. * Shawnte Northcutte born in
Los Angeles, California Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...
, in 1965; appeared on an episode of '' The Facts of Life'', as Madge. * Todd Turquand: born in
Hollywood, California Hollywood is a neighborhood in the central region of Los Angeles, California. Its name has come to be a shorthand reference for the U.S. film industry and the people associated with it. Many notable film studios, such as Columbia Pictures, ...
, 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 ...
, Canada in 1962; appeared on an episode of ''
Diff'rent Strokes ''Diff'rent Strokes'' is an American television sitcom, which 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 Willis Jackson, r ...
'', as an assistant
karate (; ; Okinawan language, Okinawan pronunciation: ) is a martial arts, martial art developed in the Ryukyu Kingdom. It developed from the Okinawan martial arts, indigenous Ryukyuan martial arts (called , "hand"; ''tii'' in Okinawan) under the ...
instructor under Soon-Tek Oh. Disney
voice actor Voice acting is the art of performing voice-overs to present a character or provide information to an audience. Performers are called voice actors/actresses, voice artists, dubbing artists, voice talent, voice-over artists, or voice-over talent ...
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 artist for The Walt Disney Company. He is best remembered as the 3rd official voice of Mickey Mouse. He is the longest-tenured ...
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 had been the original voice of Mickey and for the original 1954–1959 run provided the voice for animated introductions to the original TV show but had died in 1966. Allwine kept providing the voice for the character up to his death in 2009. Future rock musician
Courtney Love Courtney Michelle Love (née Harrison; born July 9, 1964) is an American singer, guitarist, songwriter, and actress. A figure in the alternative and grunge scenes of the 1990s, her career has spanned four decades. She rose to prominence as t ...
(wife of
Nirvana ( , , ; sa, निर्वाण} ''nirvāṇa'' ; Pali: ''nibbāna''; Prakrit: ''ṇivvāṇa''; literally, "blown out", as in an oil lampRichard Gombrich, ''Theravada Buddhism: A Social History from Ancient Benāres to Modern Colombo.' ...
lead singer
Kurt Cobain Kurt Donald Cobain (February 20, 1967 – April 5, 1994) was an American musician who served as the lead vocalist, guitarist and primary songwriter of the rock band Nirvana. Through his angst-fueled songwriting and anti-establishment persona ...
) claims to have auditioned for a part on the show, reading a poem by
Sylvia Plath Sylvia Plath (; October 27, 1932 – February 11, 1963) was an American poet, novelist, and short story writer. She is credited with advancing the genre of confessional poetry and is best known for two of her published collections, ''The ...
; 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 SFM Entertainment is an American television syndicator, film distributor, production company, and licensing firm established on September 29, 1969.
, which also handled 1970s-era syndication of the original 1950s series (
Disney The Walt Disney Company, commonly known as Disney (), is an American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios complex in Burbank, California. Disney was originally founded on October ...
since re-acquired only distribution rights).


1989–1994 revival: ''The All-New Mickey Mouse Club''

Reruns of the original ''The Mickey Mouse Club'' began airing on
The Disney Channel Disney Channel, sometimes known as simply Disney, is an American pay television channel that serves as the flagship property of Disney Branded Television, a unit of the Disney General Entertainment Content division of The Walt Disney Company. ...
with the channel's 1983 launch. While the show was popular with younger audiences, the Disney Channel executives felt it had become dated over the years, particularly as it was aired in black-and-white. Their answer was to create a brand-new version of the club, one targeted at contemporary audiences. Notably, the all-new "club-members" would wear 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 music and acting,
Ryan Gosling Ryan Thomas Gosling (born November 12, 1980) is a Canadian actor. Prominent in independent film, he has also worked in blockbuster films of varying genres, and has accrued a worldwide box office gross of over 1.9 billion USD. He has received ...
,
Britney Spears Britney Jean Spears (born December 2, 1981) is an American singer. Often referred to as the " Princess of Pop", she is credited with influencing the revival of teen pop during the late 1990s and early 2000s. After appearing in stage productio ...
,
Christina Aguilera Christina María Aguilera (; ; born December 18, 1980) is an American singer, songwriter, actress, and television personality. Known for her four-octave vocal range and ability to sustain high notes, she has been referred to as the " Voice of ...
, future
NSYNC NSYNC (, ; also stylized as *NSYNC or 'N Sync) was an American boy band formed by Chris Kirkpatrick in Orlando, Florida, in 1995 and launched in Germany by BMG Ariola Munich. Their self-titled debut album was successfully released to European ...
band members
Justin Timberlake Justin Randall Timberlake (born January 31, 1981) is an American singer, songwriter, and actor. He is one of the world's best-selling music artists, with sales of over 88 million records. Timberlake is the recipient of numerous awards and ac ...
and
JC Chasez Joshua Scott "JC" Chasez (; born August 8, 1976) is an American singer, songwriter, dancer, record producer, and occasional actor. He started out his career as a cast member on ''The Mickey Mouse Club'' before rising to stardom with NSYNC, and b ...
,
Keri Russell Keri Lynn Russell (born March 23, 1976) is an American actress. She portrayed the titular character on the drama series ''Felicity (TV series), Felicity'' (1998–2002), which won her a Golden Globe Award, and Elizabeth Jennings (The Americans), ...
, future voice actress
Deedee Magno Deedee Magno Hall is an American actress and singer. She is best known for her work in the pop group The Party, and as the voice of Pearl in the animated series ''Steven Universe'' and its epilogue series ''Steven Universe Future''. Early life ...
, future
En Vogue En Vogue is an American vocal girl group whose original lineup consisted of singers Terry Ellis, Dawn Robinson, Cindy Herron, and Maxine Jones. Formed in Oakland, California, in 1989, En Vogue reached No. 2 on the US Hot 100 with the single "Hol ...
member
Rhona Bennett Rhona Lynn Bennett (born May 10, 1976), also known as Miss R&B, is an American singer and actress best known for her recurring role as Nicole on ''The Jamie Foxx Show''. She is currently a member of contemporary R&B female group En Vogue. Bennet ...
,
Nikki DeLoach Nikki DeLoach is an American actress. Early life DeLoach was born in Waycross, Georgia. She is the eldest of three children of Terri, Pierce County School superintendent and David DeLoach, an owner of a wood products company. She has a sister L ...
, and
Chase Hampton Chasen Cord "Chase" Hampton (born January 12, 1975) is an American actor, performer, singer, songwriter, musician, and mentor. Early life and career Personal life On July 28, 2012, Hampton married Lisa Cinelli, a former girlfriend from his teen ...
. Nick Carter was selected to join the program at the age of 12, however, he decided to join the developing boy band,
Backstreet Boys Backstreet Boys (often abbreviated as BSB) are an American vocal group consisting of Nick Carter, Howie Dorough, AJ McLean, and cousins Brian Littrell and Kevin Richardson. Lou Pearlman formed the group in 1993 in Orlando, Florida. The gr ...
. Throughout the run, Fred Newman was the main adult co-host from the beginning of the series until season 6. In the first season, Newman was joined by other co-host Mowava Pryor. She was then replaced by Terri Eoff from the fourth season until the sixth season. By the show's final season, two original members
Chase Hampton Chasen Cord "Chase" Hampton (born January 12, 1975) is an American actor, performer, singer, songwriter, musician, and mentor. Early life and career Personal life On July 28, 2012, Hampton married Lisa Cinelli, a former girlfriend from his teen ...
and
Tiffini Hale The Party is an American pop band. The group was originally composed of Albert Fields, Tiffini Hale, Chase Hampton, Deedee Magno Hall, and Damon Pampolina, all of whom were cast members of ''The All New Mickey Mouse Club'' from 1989 until 1991 ...
became the co-hosts. This was the first version of the club to have any studio audience, though a moderately small group. Former Mouseketeer Don Grady guest-starred in the season 1 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 Lindsey Erin Alley (born December 6, 1977) is an American actress and singer, who for several years lived in New York City and now resides in Los Angeles. She is known for Bedtime Stories (2008), Ernest Saves Christmas (1988) and Jessica Jone ...
.


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 3 and 5 had the most episodes at 55 each, with seasons 1, 2, and 7 running about 45 episodes. Seasons 4 and 6 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 the
Walt Disney World Resort The Walt Disney World Resort, also called Walt Disney World or Disney World, is an entertainment resort complex in Bay Lake, Florida, Bay Lake and Lake Buena Vista, Florida, Lake Buena Vista, Florida, United States, near the cities of Orlando ...
. 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 7 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 6 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 The Party is an American pop band. The group was originally composed of Albert Fields, Tiffini Hale, Chase Hampton, Deedee Magno Hall, and Damon Pampolina, all of whom were cast members of ''The All New Mickey Mouse Club'' from 1989 until 1991 ...
(1994), and
Chase Hampton Chasen Cord "Chase" Hampton (born January 12, 1975) is an American actor, performer, singer, songwriter, musician, and mentor. Early life and career Personal life On July 28, 2012, Hampton married Lisa Cinelli, a former girlfriend from his teen ...
(1994). The 35 Mouseketeers and the seasons in which they were featured are: Note: For the show's fourth season,
Albert Fields Albert Jeunepierre Fields (born March 3, 1975) is an American actor and pop singer. He was a Mousketeer on ''The All New Mickey Mouse Club'' and a member of the pop group The Party. After The Party disbanded, Albert went under the moniker Jeun ...
,
Tiffini Hale The Party is an American pop band. The group was originally composed of Albert Fields, Tiffini Hale, Chase Hampton, Deedee Magno Hall, and Damon Pampolina, all of whom were cast members of ''The All New Mickey Mouse Club'' from 1989 until 1991 ...
,
Chase Hampton Chasen Cord "Chase" Hampton (born January 12, 1975) is an American actor, performer, singer, songwriter, musician, and mentor. Early life and career Personal life On July 28, 2012, Hampton married Lisa Cinelli, a former girlfriend from his teen ...
,
Deedee Magno Deedee Magno Hall is an American actress and singer. She is best known for her work in the pop group The Party, and as the voice of Pearl in the animated series ''Steven Universe'' and its epilogue series ''Steven Universe Future''. Early life ...
, and
Damon Pampolina The Party is an American pop band. The group was originally composed of Albert Fields, Tiffini Hale, Chase Hampton, Deedee Magno Hall, and Damon Pampolina, all of whom were cast members of ''The All New Mickey Mouse Club'' from 1989 until 1991 ...
were featured in segments as " The Party", primarily in footage separate from the rest of the cast.


''Emerald Cove''

During the last three seasons of MMC they had a pre-recorded 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


2017–2018 American 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 an online social media and social networking service owned by American company Meta Platforms. Founded in 2004 by Mark Zuckerberg with fellow Harvard College students and roommates Eduardo Saverin, Andrew McCollum, Dustin M ...
and
Instagram Instagram is a photo and video sharing social networking service owned by American company Meta Platforms. The app allows users to upload media that can be edited with filters and organized by hashtags and geographical tagging. Posts can ...
, 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. This incarnation of ''The Mickey Mouse Club'' featured eight Mouseketeers who ranged in age from 15 to 18: Regan Aliyah, Jenna Alvarez,
Ky Baldwin Ky Baldwin (born 10 April 2001) is an Australian singer, songwriter, dancer and actor. He is known for his music videos on his YouTube channel. Early life Ky Baldwin was born in April 2001 in Sydney, Australia. Although his youth was mainly ...
, Gabe De Guzman, Leanne Tessa Langston, Brianna Mazzola, Sean Oliu, and Will Simmons. The Mouseketeers were also joined by the guest star
Todrick Hall Todrick Hall (born April 4, 1985) is an American singer, choreographer, and YouTuber. He gained national attention on the ninth season of the televised singing competition ''American Idol''. Following this, he amassed a huge following on YouTu ...
, 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 Disney Digital Network is an American multi-channel network located in Culver City, California. It was originally the successor to Maker Studios, co-founded by Lisa Donovan, Danny Zappin, Scott Katz, Kassem Gharaibeh, Shay Carl, Rawn Erickson I ...
. No new episodes or music videos have been produced since 2018.


International revivals


2015 Korean revival: ''The Mickey Mouse Club''

A new version of the series debuted on July 23, 2015, on
Disney Channel Korea Disney Channel () was a South Korean pay television channel owned by Disney Channels Korea Ltd., a joint venture between The Walt Disney Company (Korea) LLC and the Disney Branded Television unit of Disney International Operations. The South Kor ...
. 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 ten regular episodes. The Mouseketeers consisted of nine members of
S.M. Entertainment SM Entertainment Co., Ltd. () is a South Korean multinational entertainment agency. It is one of South Korea's largest entertainment companies where it was established in 1995 by record executive and record producer Lee Soo-man. The company ha ...
's pre-debut group
SM Rookies SM Rookies (, stylized as SMROOKIES) is a pre-debut training team created by South Korean entertainment agency SM Entertainment in 2013, composed of trainees who have yet to join an idol group. From 2013 to 2018, the team officially introduced 30 ...
, including five boys –
Mark Mark may refer to: Currency * Bosnia and Herzegovina convertible mark, the currency of Bosnia and Herzegovina * East German mark, the currency of the German Democratic Republic * Estonian mark, the currency of Estonia between 1918 and 1927 * Fi ...
, Jeno, Haechan, Jaemin, and Jisung – and four girls – Koeun, Hina, Herin, and Lami. The series was hosted by
Leeteuk Park Jeong-su (born July 1, 1983), known professionally as Leeteuk (), is a South Korean singer, songwriter, presenter, radio personality and actor. He debuted as the leader of the boy band Super Junior in November 2005 and since then has part ...
of boy band
Super Junior Super Junior (; stylized in all caps), also known as SJ or SuJu, is a South Korean boy band formed by Lee Soo-man, the founder of SM Entertainment in 2005. They are also dubbed by the media as the "King of Hallyu Wave" due to their prominent ...
. The show ended on December 17 the same year.


2017–present 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 was a pan-Asian pay television kids channel owned and operated by The Walt Disney Company Southeast Asia; part of The Walt Disney Company Asia-Pacific. It began broadcasting in Taiwan on 29 March 1995, until its main launch on Jan ...
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. They also cast as a guest (except Dheena Menon which she had an exam) on Episode 14 ("Friends in Need, Indeed!") on
Disney Channel Asia Disney Channel was a pan-Asian pay television kids channel owned and operated by The Walt Disney Company Southeast Asia; part of The Walt Disney Company Asia-Pacific. It began broadcasting in Taiwan on 29 March 1995, until its main launch on Jan ...
Original Series, Wizards of Warna Walk. Charis and Dheena did not return in the season because Charis was getting married. Disney Channel Asia decided to pick two new Mouseketeers for an audition, revealed to be Eric and Melynna. But due to the shutdown of the channels, the season 4 of ''Club Mickey Mouse'' was aired in 2021 exclusively on
Disney+ Hotstar The Walt Disney Company, commonly known as Disney (), is an American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios complex in Burbank, California. Disney was originally founded on October ...
instead. In November 2021, it was reported that the fourth season of this show will be aired on
Disney+ The Walt Disney Company, commonly known as Disney (), is an American multinational mass media and entertainment Entertainment is a form of activity that holds the attention and interest of an audience or gives pleasure and deligh ...
in selected territories. The series was removed from Disney+ on May 26, 2023, amidst the Disney+ and
Hulu Hulu () is an American subscription streaming service majority-owned by The Walt Disney Company, with Comcast's NBCUniversal holding a minority stake. It was launched on October 29, 2007 and it offers a library of films and television serie ...
purge.


Home media


''Walt Disney Treasures: The Mickey Mouse Club'' at UltimateDisney.com



See also

* ''
Disney Club ''Disney Club'' is the name of many television shows associated to Disney productions aired mostly in Europe and the Americas during the 1990s and early 2000s (decade). Americas * Brazil: aired from April 28, 1997, to December 28, 2002, on SBT ...
'', the name of many television shows associated to Disney productions aired mostly in Europe * ''
Mickey Mouse Clubhouse ''Mickey Mouse Clubhouse'' is an American interactive computer-animated children's television series which aired from May 5, 2006, to November 6, 2016 on the Disney Channel. Produced by Disney Television Animation, it is the first computer-anima ...
'', a show for preschool-age children with a very different format


References


External links


The original Mickey Mouse club 1950s
* * (1950s version) * (1970s version) * (1989–1990s version) {{DEFAULTSORT:Mickey Mouse Club 1955 American television series debuts 1959 American television series endings 1960 American television series debuts 1977 American television series endings 1989 American television series debuts 1996 American television series endings 1950s American children's television series 1960s American children's comedy television series 1970s American children's comedy television series 1980s American children's comedy television series 1990s American children's comedy television series 1950s American music television series 1960s American musical comedy television series 1970s American musical comedy television series 1980s American musical comedy television series 1990s American musical comedy television series 1950s American sketch comedy television series 1960s American sketch comedy television series 1970s American sketch comedy television series 1980s American sketch comedy television series 1990s American sketch comedy television series 1950s American variety television series 1960s American variety television series 1970s American variety television series 1980s American variety television series 1990s American variety television series American Broadcasting Company original programming * American children's musical television series American television series revived after cancellation American television series with live action and animation Black-and-white American television shows Child musical groups Children's sketch comedy Disney Channel original programming Donald Duck television series English-language television shows Mickey Mouse television series Television series about children Television series by Disney Television series created by Walt Disney Television series created by Hal Adelquist