Mickey Mouse Club Mouseketeer Ears

Description

On October 3, 1955, Walt Disney brought his signature magic to the relatively new phenomenon of television with a unique children's program.Five days a week, The Mickey Mouse Club featured news, music, cartoons, and specialty acts in a format that educated, as well as entertained. The show was hosted by a talented group of kids call the Mouseketeers who's uniquely designed hat became an instantly recognizable icon for a generation of baby boomers.

Disney storyman Roy Williams created the original design and Chuck Keehne, head of the Walt Disney Studio's wardrobe department, outfitted the kids with their own custom-made beanie. Hand-sewn from soft felt and wired so that the ears wouldn't flop during dance number, each child was responsible for keeping his or hers in good shape, and they were charged $50 if a pair was lost. Although the show's logo, Mickey's face encircled in red, was used on merchandise and in print, orange thread was used for the hat's embroidery to better photograph on black and white film.

The popular hat quickly became one of the definitive fads of the era as a souvenir. Merchandise versions originally only had an M on the front, but Disney changed the emblem to include the image of Mickey Mouse to trademark it against imitations.

Walt Disney Collectibles and Master Replicas are proud to offer this special replica of one of the original pairs of ears used on The Mickey Mouse Club television program. An actual pair from the Walt Disney Archives was carefully studied and painstakingly copied to create this special collectible in honor of the show's fiftieth anniversary.