Mighty Mouse Playhouse facts for kids

Mighty Mouse Playhouse was a popular American TV show. It showed animated short cartoons featuring the superhero mouse, Mighty Mouse. The series was on the CBS television network from 1955 to 1967. This show made Mighty Mouse much more famous than his original movie cartoons ever did.

How Mighty Mouse Became a Star

From Movies to TV

Mighty Mouse was already the most popular character from Terrytoons studio. But it was television that truly made him a cultural icon. In the 1950s, many studios that made short films were struggling. People were watching more TV and less movies. Also, cheaper, simpler animation styles became popular.

Most studios decided to stop making new short films. Instead, they sold or licensed their old cartoons to TV networks. Paul Terry, who owned Terrytoons, sold his whole company to CBS in 1955.

A Long-Running Show

CBS started showing Mighty Mouse Playhouse in December 1955. The show stayed on the air for almost twelve years! In its last season, it even featured another cartoon called The Mighty Heroes. Mighty Mouse cartoons were a big part of children's TV for over thirty years, from the 1950s to the 1980s.

New Cartoons and Music

Limited New Episodes

Even after CBS bought Terrytoons, not many new Mighty Mouse cartoons were made for theaters. Only three new ones came out between 1959 and 1961. Other cartoon series, like Looney Tunes and Tom & Jerry, kept making new shorts for many years.

Terrytoons likely thought their existing library of 80 short films was enough. These cartoons could fill 26 half-hour TV episodes.

The Theme Song

The famous theme song for the 1955 Mighty Mouse Playhouse was first credited to The Terrytooners, Mitch Miller and Orchestra. However, more recent records often credit the group The Sandpipers for the song.

Voice Cast

• Tom Morrison as the voice of Mighty Mouse (for new parts of the TV show and cartoons made after 1955)
• Arthur Kay as Gandy Goose
• Carol Lawrence as Pearl Pureheart (in the 1950s)