Club Mickey Mouse has a Filipino American flair

Club Mickey Mouse is much more diverse. than past versions.

M-I-C, (See you next week!) K-E-Y (Why? Because we love you!) M-O-U-S-E. Growing up in the 50s, every kid under 10 used to sing that. 

It was the closing number of the iconic all-American Mickey Mouse Club -- the original Mickey Mouse Club. The one with Annette, Bobby, Sharon, Lonnie and the rest. Yup, I'm dating myself.

Since then, revivals of the MMC proved to be the incubator for a whole generation of stars: Justin Timberlake, Britney Spears, Ryan Gosling, Christina Aguilera, Keri Russell, among others.

It's been 20 years since the Timberlake era of the MMC went off the air. Disney brought back in the club September 2017 and updated the name to Club Mickey Mouse to appeal to today's socially conscious and media-connected Millennial and Gen Z generation of young people. It is also a lot more diverse, more reflective of today's America. Of the eight new members of the new club are Filipino Americans. 

The Filipino American Mousketeers are: 

Jenna Alvarez (@jennazalvarez) – Jenna Alvarez, 15, has been dancing for most of her life and is an expert in ballet and hip hop. A promising young vocalist, Jenna is ready to share her talent with the world through “Club Mickey Mouse

Gabe De Guzman (@gabedofficial) – Gabe De Guzman, 16, is a professional dancer who has shared the stage with some of the biggest stars in music. After being bullied for his love of dance, Gabe hopes to inspire kids to always be true to themselves and do what they love.

Leanne Tessa Langston (@leannetessa_) – Leanne Tessa Langston, 17, is an aspiring singer, songwriter, and dancer. Leanne lends her unique lyrics and melodies to original tracks for “Club Mickey Mouse.”Rounding out this year's Club Mickey Mouse are rapper Regan Aliyah, 18; Ky Baldwin, 16; performer Brianna Mazzola, 17; Rockabilly singer Sean Oliu, 15; and choreographer and dancer Will Simmons, 17.

While “The Mickey Mouse Club” aired on TV as a variety show, this updated version will be featured only on social media. Each of the new Mouseketeers are "social influencers" with thousands of followers on social media platforms.

Club Mickey Mouse is always-on; the digital- and social-first variety program lives on Facebook and Instagram, and comes from the Disney Digital Network.

“The creation of Disney Digital Network is the result of our ever-evolving approach to our digital media and content creation, audience development and distribution across digital platforms,” explains Andrew Sugerman, executive vice president, Publishing and Digital Media, Disney Consumer Products and Interactive Media. 

“As Millennial and Gen Z audiences continue to consume ever-increasing content across mobile and social platforms, we feel it’s critical for Disney to have a network where audiences can experience quality content where they reside and with the influencers they trust.”

Club Mickey Mouse is spending the summer preparing for their back-to-school special. Check them out on their individual sites or at the Club Mickey Mouse Facebook page.

Here's the 2018 version (rap and hip-hop) of the Club Mickey Mouse March:

_______________________________________________________________________________