This 1958 Mickey Mouse Club Annual was one of the commercial spin offs of the very popular American television programme, "The Mickey Mouse Club Show" produced in the USA between 1957 and 1959.

The book is a compilation of stories and articles from the "Mickey Mouse Club Magazine", which began in 1955 to promote "The Mickey Mouse Club Show". Content for the magazine was developed by Disney studio staff. The book includes a diverse range of short articles on subjects such as musical instruments; volcanoes; pirate ships; a futuristic look at living in the year 2000 and atomic energy; life at the South Pole; American Indian culture; living in Japan; building parts of Disneyland; features on individual Mouseketeers; animal facts about racoons, wolves and camels; and behind-the-scenes shooting of Disney films, "Paul Bunyan" and "Zorro".

"The Mickey Mouse Club Annual" reflects the eclectic mix of "infotainment" seen in "The Mickey Mouse Club Show". The show was especially popular in Australia as television did not commence here until 1956. Despite production being for only a brief time, "The Mickey Mouse Club Show" formed a significant part of Australian childhood in the 1960s and continued to be screened here well into the decade. When the cast members toured Australia in 1959 and 1960 they were mobbed like rock stars.

Margaret Simpson
Curator, Transport & Toys
October 2011

The Mickey Mouse Club http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Mickey_Mouse_Club
Western Publishing http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Western_Publishing

The Mickey Mouse Club Annual was published in 1958 by the Whitman Publishing Company, Racine, Wisconsin, USA, a subsidiary of Western Publishing. This firm produced Little Golden Books, comics, as well as books for older children including Trixie Belden and stories from American television series including "Lassie", "The Adventures of Rin Tin Tin" and Walt Disney's "Spin and Marty".

Whitman Publishing was formerly based in Chicago as the Hammerung-Whitman Publishing Co. but was acquired by Western Publishing in 1910 when it was established. Other subsidiaries of Western Publishing included Gold Key Comics and K.K. Publications. Kay Kamen was the manager of character merchandising at Walt Disney Studios from 1933 until 1949.

At least three Mickey Mouse Club annuals were published in the late 1950s and a further two in 1979 and 1980.

Nothing is known about the history of this book. The donor purchased it from a Sydney "opportunity" shop.

It was published in America and could be purchased in Australia at newsagents and bookshops. In 1959 it could also be acquired by mailing a coupon published in "The Australian WomenÂ?s Weekly" to the distributors, The Golden Press Pty Ltd, 10-16 Dowling Street, East Sydney, for 15 shillings and an extra 1 shilling for postage.

Book, 'Walt Disney's Mickey Mouse Club Annual of Fun to Know, People and Places, Animal Adventures, Stories, Things to Do', paper / cardboard, made by Whitman Publishing Company, Racine, Wisconsin, United States of America, 1958

This hardcover book of 92-pages comprises two to five page articles on a number of informative subjects for children. There is an emphasis on American culture, animals and geography, especially Native American Indians, and wild native animals. Behind the scenes at Disneyland, filming a Disney movie about a squirrel called "Perri" and a feature on one of the Mouseketeers, Karen Pendleton, are some of the articles related to the Mickey Mouse Club and Walt Disney productions.

Made: 1958

2012/5/2

1958