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"This site is dedicated to the promotion of one of the best and most popular children's shows from the 70's era, and one of the Walt Disney Company's 'buried treasures'. This site is also dedicated to bringing about the 'unearthing' of this treasure for all of its fans old and new to enjoy." (DM-One)

Fortunately other standard bearers have adapted, and for several years running, many longtime and key members of the NMMC fan cybercommunity have migrated to and regrouped on Facebook. But that's not what's brought me back to the Renaissance Project (at the time I started this post, I was on vacation and the timing was fortuitous)...

Back when I wrote The Disco Mouseketeers' Manifesto over two decades ago, the term "streaming service" had yet to be coined, and thus wasn't incorporated into the Manifesto as a medium among others through which we wanted to see "The New Mickey Mouse Club" once again. To Wit: "The parent company" has now joined the streaming bandwagon with Disney+, and is providing original, new, and (important to us) classic content it has created, or otherwise acquired (ABC, Star Wars, and Marvel, whoda thunk it?). After several months of operation, word on the street is: 1) There IS a request process available, and 2) Thus far Disney+ is only streaming select episodes of the original 50's Mickey Mouse Club and other classic series, and not entire series,... more testing of the waters like with those special edition DVDs of the 50's and 90's Clubs that went nowhere towards bringing back the "neglected middle child".

Some weeks ago, I ordered a Roku box in preparation for subscribing to Disney+ (should our moment of triumph be at hand) and Hulu (I missed Season 2 and the final season of Justified, and Hulu likely has the Season 2 dubs and will be the first to have Season 3 of One Punch Man when it's finished), but I haven't even unboxed it yet. Money being tight, among other things, COVID-19 notwithstanding. FYI, I'm still hanging on to my first stimulus money, for when my hours are not so good again. But the hours as an essential worker have been good for the time being, though the job has a high risk of contagion. All I need now is for the fiddling Neros in the Senate to pass more and continuing stimulus, back and continuing hazard pay, or (best case) both, and I'll be finally rid of hampering longtime debt within half a year. But I digress...

Looks like the 40" Samsung that I bought as a birthday present for myself earlier in the year is going to have a new source plugged in, in short order, because...

After over 20 years since its Disney Channel airing, on July 17, as part of a celebration of the Disney theme parks (to most likely drum up business for them as more people are allowed to not "Stay At Home"), "The Mouseketeers At Walt Disney World" will make its Disney+ debut!!!

IF YOU ARE NOT A DISNEY+ SUBSCRIBER YET, NOW IS THE TIME! THIS IS THE CRACK IN THE DOOR WE NMMC FANS HAVE BEEN WAITING FOR! IF YOU'RE ALREADY SUBSCRIBING AND HAVE BEEN REQUESTING NMMC, KEEP IT UP, BUT WITH ONE MODIFICATION AS I'LL EXPLAIN IN THE NEXT PARAGRAPH. WHEN THE DISNEY WORLD SPECIAL BECOMES AVAILABLE ON THE 17TH, ALL SUBSCRIBING NMMC FANS NEED TO WATCH IT. AND WATCH IT AGAIN. AND AGAIN. AS MANY TIMES AS YOU CAN SPARE THROUGHOUT ITS PRESENCE ON DISNEY+'S LINEUP. SHOW IT TO YOUR CHILDREN AND (IF YOU HAVE THEM) GRANDCHILDREN. SHOW OTHERS THAT RIVER COUNTRY AND DISCOVERY ISLAND, LIKE THE NEW MICKEY MOUSE CLUB, ONCE EXISTED. WE NEED TO STREAM THE LIVING DAYLIGHTS OUT OF THE SPECIAL AND LIGHT UP DISNEY+'S ANALYTIC ALGORITHMS TO MAKE THE SPECIAL A KEEPER AND ADD SOME DATA TO BACK OUR REQUESTS FOR THE SERIES.

And when all of you subscribers make those requests for NMMC, since Disney's releasing "test" episodes, ASK THAT IF THEY WON'T RELEASE THE ENTIRE SERIES, THEN AT LEAST RELEASE THE FIRST THIRTY EPISODES. Why the first 30? So that the entire "Mystery Of Rustler's Cave" serial can be seen, like it never was in the Orlando, Florida broadcast market back in Jan-Mar 1977. If those of you, like me, lived in East Central Florida without cable that had those episodes showing on WTOG-44 Tampa and WTCG-17 Atlanta, you need to bring to Disney's attention in your request how WDBO-6 Orlando was six weeks late to the party, signing on to and airing NMMC "in progress", and never running those episodes. I'm certain Orlando was not the only market to miss those episodes; I'll have to take a poll in the future to find out where else. Also, those episodes should be free of thorny music rights issues as far as Mouseketeer performances go; as for any covers performed by the Showtime Day Guests, those I can't vouch for. So please remind Disney of that as well. "Unaired and therefore 'lost' episodes in at least one broadcast market, no music rights complications, got it?"

"On demand" streaming is the best chance we've ever gotten if we want NMMC back. Most likely also the last chance we're ever going to get, for if Disney doesn't satisfy our desire for NMMC's return now, they never will. We once wanted to show the Club to our children, now we have to add our grandchildren to the new audience, and we're not getting any younger, or healthier,... or staying among the living to keep fighting this good fight. The crack is in the door, fellow Mousekafans, and like Lisa did with her Mouseketeer audition, we need to put our feet in it. Stay Tuned. Join the Facebook Group if you haven't already, as updates will come through that social media channel first, but when you do join, please respect the privacy of those Mice that are lurkers in that group. SYRS!

ABOVE: THE NEW MOUSEKETEERS IN THEIR TUESDAY "LET'S GO DAY" THEME OUTFITS (click on above image to view at full-size)

TOP(L to R): Todd, Pop

STANDING: Nita, Allison, Shawnte, Scott, Angel, Mindy

KNEELING: Julie, Curtis, Lisa

SITTING: Kelly

Click on a New Mouseketeer's name below for a more detailed mini-biography, and in some cases where he or she can also be seen in movies or on TV, along with their current whereabouts and status!

BILLY "POP" ATTMORE (Born: March 19, 1965) Pop was a Disney veteran when he joined the New Mouseketeers. He played a leading role in the Disney Film, "Treasure of Matecumbe"; he can also be seen in Universal's "Two-Minute Warning". Aside from acting, Pop is also a singer and dancer. He began his dancing career at age four in Las Vegas. After his family moved from Utah To Los Angeles, he began appearing in TV Commercials. Though Pop loves singing, acting, and dancing, he loves soda pop almost as much -- which is why his family calls him Pop. It looks as though the name is going to stick.

SCOTT CRAIG (Born: February 9, 1964 Died: December 30, 2003) Before becoming a New Mouseketeer, Scott delivered newspapers for his parents who own an independent newspaper dealership in Van Nuys, California, while he kept a singing and acting career going on the side. Now most of Scott's time is spent on a busy studio schedule which required that he give up some of his regular activities such as football. Scott still manages to perform with a little theatre group, called the "Individuals"; and wakes up at 3 a.m. on weekends to help his parents with the family newspaper business.

NITA DEE (DI GIAMPAOLO) (Born: August 6, 1966) Mini-mouse Nita Dee is among the best dancers of the New Mouseketeers. She began dancing at age three when her mother enrolled Nita in a dance class to help Nita overcome shyness. Now she will tap dance down supermarket aisles. Although Nita lives and breathes dancing, she also enjoys sports, particularly swimming and bowling. Nita lives in Lakewood, California, with her family, where her 200 relatives gather during the holidays.

MINDY FELDMAN (Born: July 4, 1968) Mindy, the youngest Mouseketeer, was chosen for her personality and energy. Before joining the New Mouseketeers, Mindy had no formal vocal or dance training so she takes classes in addition to a busy studio schedule. A determined little performer, Mindy is developing into quite a dancer and often receives extra help from the older Mouseketeers like Julie or Kelly. Her favorite snack is beef jerky and it is not uncommon to see her munching a stick in between routines. Mindy also loves horses and has her own pony named Flash that she keeps on her parents' ranch in Chatsworth, California.

ANGEL FLOREZ (Born: August 13, 1963 Died: April 25, 1995) When an enthusiastic eight-year-old won a talent contest at Shakey's Pizza Parlor In Hawaiian Gardens, California, no one guessed that in four years he would be performing with the New Mouseketeers. But that's what happened to Angel. His eagerness to sing, dance and perform prompted his parents to enroll him in formal dancing lessons two years ago. Now he's singing and dancing for the "New Mickey Mouse Club". Angel is the comic of the group, entertaining his fellow Mouseketeers with impressions of favorite TV stars in between routines and rehearsals.

ALLISON FONTE (Born: June 6, 1964) Who dances, sings, plays piano, writes poetry, and wants to become a song-writer? It's a hard-working Mouseketeer, Allison. At age five, Allison started dance lessons. When she was seven she took up piano because she wanted to tape the music so she could play to her own dance routines. Allison remembers that her friends in her home town of Buena Park, California, could not understand why she never had time to play. She told them it would all pay off some day and today she's a New Mouseketeer.

SHAWNTE NORTHCUTTE (Born: February 25, 1965) Seven and eleven are lucky numbers for New Mouseketeer Shawnte. At seven she was chosen to be one of the Mouseketeers on stage at Disneyland and at eleven she was chosen to be one of the Mouseketeers for the "New Mickey Mouse Club". A dancer and singer, Shawnte says she is undecided about continuing an entertainment career when she's older -- in fact, she's thinking more about becoming a lawyer. A multi-talented youngster, Shawnte is also the "Miss Pre-Teen California" title holder for 1975-1976 and is an accomplished horsewoman.

KELLY PARSONS (Born: January 23, 1964) New Mouseketeer Kelly has been performing ever since she can remember and she loves to dance -- especially tap dance. It was her dancing ability that helped her win the "Our Little Miss World" talent beauty contest for 1975-1976. Originally from Miami, Florida, Kelly has performed during the Orange Bowl half time for three years. and has also appeared in several clothing commercials. But now she's doing what she likes best -- dancing every day for the "New Mickey Mouse Club".

JULIE PIEKARSKI (Born: January 2, 1963) Julie and her family drove all the way from St. Louis to Chicago for her "New Mickey Mouse Club" audition. She hoped for a guest spot on a "Showtime" segment. Imagine her surprise when she found out she had been selected to be a New Mouseketeer! Now new adventures have become a regular part of Julie's new Mouska-life. She flew for the first time on her way to the Disney Studios and rode her first horse while filming on location. Julie takes to new things quickly; she is extremely talented, her specialty being ballet.

TODD TURQUAND (Born: December 14, 1964) "Rhoda" fans may recognize New Mouseketeer Todd Turquand as Rhoda's stepson of the first season of the show -- or from his movie debut in "Burnt Offerings". Todd has been acting ever since he was five but still hasn't decided whether he wants to be an actor or an athlete. But for now, Todd is quite content to sing, act, and dance with the "New Mickey Mouse Club" and play Pop Warner football in his spare time.

LISA WHELCHEL (Born: May 29, 1963) Like so many young people, Lisa dreamed of becoming a movie star. But Lisa is not a dreamer, she's a doer. Several years ago she took the advice of one of her school teachers in her home town of Fort Worth, Texas and took up ventriloquism. Her parents let her order a figure from a department store which came with a book of instructions. On her own, Lisa become an accomplished ventriloquist. And today she is on her way to a dream -- singing, acting, and dancing as one of the New Mouseketeers. Lisa is also a horse lover and she rides every day before she jogs to work at the Disney Studios.

CURTIS WONG (Born: August 23, 1962) Curtis Wong, the oldest Mouseketeer, made his public singing debut at age three on a local TV station in his home town of Vancouver, British Columbia. That was followed by a movie offer, dance lessons, commercial work -- all of which led to an audition for the "New Mickey Mouse Club" in Seattle, Washington. The rest is Mouseka-history. Curtis began singing along with records when he was 18 months old, and started dancing soon after that. Aside from his love for entertaining, Curtis also enjoys the martial art of "Kung Fu".

• How you found this site (word of mouth, link from another site [which one], search engine [which one], etc.).
  
• Where you watched the "New Mickey Mouse Club" (Include complete station information, time slots, and starting/ending dates).
  
• If you saw "The Mouseketeers At Walt Disney World" on "The Wonderful World Of Disney" on Nov. 20, 1977, "Mickey's 50th Birthday Movie," or "All-Star Almost Anything Goes: House Against The Mouse" ("Little House On The Prairie" Vs. NMMC), and don't leave out any details!
  
• If you saw any of the New Mouseketeers' pre- and post-Club performances and guest appearances on movies, TV shows or commercials besides "The Facts Of Life" -- except for Shawnte's guest appearance in the second season, and Julie's guest reappearances in the second, third, and final seasons -- and don't skimp on the details here either!
  
• If you caught their live performances at Disneyland or their sole Walt Disney World visit on Labor Day Weekend '77, or had any personal encounters with them.
  
• If you had any of the merchandise, what all did you have, and if you still have it.
  
• How devoted a fan you were by detailing the lengths you went to or sacrifices you made so you could watch the show.
  
• Any special memories about the show.
  
• Last but not least, your favorite New Mouseketeer and why. If more that one, list and rank them -- childhood and teenage crushes take precedence over all other considerations!
  

Finally, if you consider yourself an ally of Professor Nefarious from "Sleuth" by simple reason of HATING the show, then your criticism is also tolerable,...just prepare to have your points deconstructed! If I had my way, I would have rescued Mindy and gave the Prof. and his henchman the thrashing they deserved!

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