Mickey Mouse began as Mortimer Mouse in 1927, drawn by the imaginative hands of Walt Disney. By the 1930s, the Mouse was well established as part of American culture, and clubs had sprung up across America. On Saturdays, children and parents hurried to department stores where they sang and watched cartoons. To the delight of the children and the chagrin of parents, Disney merchandise was readily available. The clubs, boasting several million members, eventually disbanded because they had grown too large and too awkward to handle. In the 1950s television was still in its infancy, and it became an obvious medium for allowing America's children to watch the show in the privacy of their own homes. Debuting in 1955, the Mickey Mouse Club quickly became a staple in the lives of pre-teens who watched the show every afternoon after school and before dinner. When...