Mickey Mouse Club

Mickey Mouse Club

The Mickey Mouse Club was a very long-running variety television series in the 1950s, produced and televised by the Walt Disney Company, featuring a regular but ever-changing cast of teenage performers, of which the most popular was Annette Funicello. Each show would have a dramatic portion in which teens faced challenges in everyday situations, often overcome by their common sense or through recourse to the advice of respected elders.

Notable performers from the original Mickey Mouse Club show:

Annette Funicello

In the late 1980s, the Disney Channel revived the show with a different format. The teens pretty much ran their own lives, getting into trouble that would have seemed scandalous to 1950s audiences. The characters rarely sought or followed adult advice. Several of these teens went on to become major popular music successes and become notorious for flaunting their sexuality.

Notable performers from the new Mickey Mouse Club show:

Christina Aguilera

Keri Russell

Britney Spears

Justin Timberlake