The Mickey Mouse Club was an American variety television show produced by Walt Disney Productions that ran from 1955 to 1996. It was first televised from 1955 to 1959 by the ABC, featuring a regular but ever-changing cast of teenage performers. The Mickey Mouse Club was created by Walt Disney. The series has been revived, reformatted and reimagined several times since its initial 1955–1959 run on ABC, first in 1977 for syndication and later (1989-95) for seven seasons on the Disney Channel.
The Mickey Mouse Club was Walt Disney's second venture into producing a television series, the first being the Walt Disney anthology television series, initially titled Disneyland. Disney used both shows to help finance and promote the building of the Disneyland theme park. Being busy with these projects and others, Disney turned The Mickey Mouse Club over to Bill Walsh to create and develop the format, initially aided by Hal Adelquist.
The result was a variety show for children, with such regular features as a newsreel, a cartoon, and a serial, as well as music, talent and comedy segments. One unique feature of the show was the Mouseketeer Roll Call, in which many (but not all) of that day's line-up of regular performers would introduce themselves by name to the television audience. In the serials, teens faced challenges in everyday situations, often overcome by their common sense or through recourse to the advice of respected elders. Mickey Mouse himself appeared in every show not only in vintage cartoons originally made for theatrical release, but in opening, interstitial and closing segments made especially for the show. In both the vintage cartoons and in the new animated segments, Mickey was voiced by his creator Walt Disney. (Disney had previously voiced the character theatrically from 1928 to 1947, and then was replaced by sound effects artist Jimmy MacDonald.)
Can you raise both your hands and clap 'em
Can you say, "sure, I'll always try"
Can you make friends among people and animals
Basically, everything is easy
Give it a try, you'll see I'm right
Cause if a mouse can be special, well so can you
And my name is Mickey Mouse
To the right is Minnie Mouse
And we own a little place in Disneyland, California
Let's have a party and be happy
Can we invite our closest friends
We can ask Donald Duck, Pluto, and all the gang
And my name is Mickey Mouse
To the right is Minnie Mouse
And we own a little place in Disneyland, California
Well, you should try to smile, dear
Get yourself a pet deer
Bird
Lamb
Horse