The Mouse Factory

Synopsis

The Mouse Factory is an American syndicated television series produced by Walt Disney Productions and created by Ward Kimball, that ran from 1972 to 1974. It showed clips from various Disney cartoons and movies, hosted by celebrity guests, including Johnny Brown, Charles Nelson Reilly, JoAnne Worley and many more, visiting the Disney studio and interacting with the walk-around Disney characters from the Disney Theme Parks. It was later re-run on the Disney Channel in the 1980s and '90s. The theme played over the previews of each episode was a fast instrumental version of "Whistle While You Work" from Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. The song played over the end credits is "Minnie's Yoo Hoo", the theme song from the original Mickey Mouse Clubs that met in theaters starting in 1929. However, due to low ratings, the series was canceled after its second season.

First Air Date: 1972-01-26

Last Air Date: 1973-03-05

Number of Seasons: 2

Number of Episodes: 43

Created By: Ward Kimball

Networks: Syndication

View Technical Specifications on IMDb

Seasons

Season 1 (1972)

No overview available for this season.

Episodes:

Ep. 1: Vacations (1972-01-26)

Vacations are a custom appreciated in the world. Yet though most workers look forward to them all year, they usually end disastrously. Host Charles Nelson Reilly is the victim of such holidays, and Donald Duck agrees with him that a safe picnic would be a better idea.
Ep. 2: Women's Lib (1972-02-02)

Jo Anne Worley hosts how women have been improving their positions in life.
Ep. 3: Folk Tale Favorites (1972-02-09)

Johnny Brown looks at many songs and stories written about folk heroes.
Ep. 4: Spooks and Magic (1972-02-16)

Among other things in this Halloween-themed episode, Phyllis Diller owns a rooming house full of unwanted boarders. The house is full of ghosts and she hires Mickey, Donald and Goofy to remove them.
Ep. 5: Physical Fitness (1972-02-23)

Don Knotts, the unlikely proprietor of a fitness club, tries to explain his techniques to Goofy. Knotts demonstrates his theories with the help of Donald Duck and Snow White
Ep. 6: The Great Outdoors (1972-03-01)

Host Dom DeLuise hosts a spoof of recreational pursuits to prove that life in the great outdoors is not all it's reputed to be.
Ep. 7: Water Sports (1972-03-08)

Joe Flynn shows some of the ways that people enjoy life on or near the water.
Ep. 8: Man at Work (1972-03-15)

Everyone needs a job, even Donald Duck and Goofy. So host John Byner comes to their assistance by opening up an employment agency and sending Donald to a construction site that needs a steam-shovel operator and Goofy to a moving company that needs a piano mover.
Ep. 9: Music (1972-03-22)

Skiles and Henderson show how important sound effects and music can be. They visit the Disney Studios' sound effects department, where strange gadgets are used to make different sounds.
Ep. 10: Interplanetary Travel (1972-03-29)

Jonathan Winters appears in a variety of roles to present the spoof of space travel, including Prof. Eric Antiquity, the alleged inventor of rocket propulsion and the world's oldest astronaut.
Ep. 11: Homeowners (1972-04-05)

Host Jim Backus proves that owning a house is no easy task by showing how salesmen attempt to lure unsuspecting buyers with outrageous claims on the comforts and attraction of available properties, which very often need repairs.
Ep. 12: Spectator Sports (1972-04-12)

Charles Nelson Reilly returns to discuss the various types of sports one could enjoy by simply watching.
Ep. 13: Horses (1972-04-19)

Jo Anne Worley claims that horses are a cowboy's best friend, in spite of the creature's often intimidating size. However, Worley says that despite this, it can be easy to ride a horse, as Goofy demonstrates.
Ep. 14: Aviation (1972-04-26)

Mankind's interest in flight is the subject of this episode and host Johnny Brown sets the mood by dressing up as a World War I flying ace. Footage from cartoons involving flight are featured.
Ep. 15: Back to Nature (1972-05-03)

Although civilization has its advantages, more people are longing to return to nature. Host Wally Cox shows that nature, like the "good old days", isn't all it's reputed to be.
Ep. 16: Bullfighting to Bullfrogs (1972-05-10)

Pat Buttram, dressed as a matador, starts by speaking of bullfights as he tries to sell tacos.
Ep. 17: Sports (1972-05-17)

Pat Paulsen teams up with Goofy to look at the skills used to master sports, each with their own set of problems, though Goofy tries valiantly, against all odds and a reasonable dose of physical abuse.