#102: Disco Mickey Mouse & Totally Minnie

Thank you so very much for tuning in to the Pop Culture Retrospective Podcast. This show is dedicated to the memory of my big sister Rebecca, a fan of all things pop-culture, particularly of the people, places, and things that defined the 80s, 90s, and early 2000s.  Welcome aboard this pop culture time machine, I'm Amy Lewis. This is episode #102 - Children’s Albums of Yesteryear:  Disco Mickey Mouse & Totally Minnie.  I have mentioned on countless episodes how much music played a role in me and my sister’s upbringing and these two albums are no exception.  I have been a life-long Disney fan and I think a lot of that love started with Disney movies and their music division which produced a lot of memorable music, especially in the 70s and 80s.  So today we will take a deep dive into both of these albums.  You will learn some fascinating behind the scenes information like what stereotypes played out in some of the music, a dreadful made for TV live action movie, and why some of the songs from these albums have stood the test of time.  So, grab your Fisher Price phonograph or tape player, your leisure suit and sweatband, here we go.

Mickey Mouse Disco and Totally Minnie, were both music albums released by Disney, more specifically by what was once known as Disneyland records which launched in 1956.  In 1971, the name changed to Disneyland/Vista records.  In 1985, the company adopted my favorite incarnation of their name - Disneyland/Vista Records and Tapes.  Just a few short years later, it became Walt Disney records, which is what is still called today.  

We begin our journey down memory lane with a visit to 1979.  But before we get to Mickey Mouse Disco, which I am going to be referring to as Disco Mickey Mouse, let's set the scene.  1979 was no stranger to pivotal moments in pop culture history.  First, “Off the Wall” by Michael Jackson was released (arguably one of the greatest albums of all time), the Muppet Movie was released, John Wayne died (much to the dismay of my Grandma) and the Walkman made it's debut from the brilliant minds at Sony. 

In addition, the top selling car of 1979 was the infamous Oldsmobile Cutlass.  And, coincidentally, 1979 was also the year where the Disco Demolition occured. And if you are wondering what that was, well a radio DJ in the Chicago area encouraged listeners to bring their disco albums to a gathering to destroy them.  So a ton of disco haters joined together at Comiskey park and smashed their disco albums to smithereens.   

Regardless of the Disco Demoliton event, this musical genre was truly on it's way out.  The 80s were on the horizon and so too was interest in more new wave and synthesizer-laden music.  So it was a little odd that Disco Mickey Mouse came out so late in the 70s.  That being said, just 2 years before, Sesame Street released a song entitled “Cookie Disco” sung by none other than Cookie Monster.

Back to Disco Mickey Mouse…released on vinyl record, Disco Mickey Mouse was a huge hit for Disneyland records in 1979.  It sold over 2 million copies in the US alone.  One year later in 1980, a music video featuring several songs from the album came out on 16mm film.  If I remember correctly, the music video was played pretty consistently on the Disney channel in the 80s.

The album cover art features Mickey and Minnie dancing atop an illuminated dance floor that is broken up into several squares, much like the infamous Saturday Night fever dance floor graced by John Travolta.  The album was popular enough that it inspired it's own small line of merchandise including a DMM mouse and some plush characters. I think it was also released on 8 track. We owned the record of course and out of all of the ones we owned as kids, I think that record, along with the Cabbage Patch Kids albums and Rainbow Brite got the most play time on our Fisher Price Phonograph which I’ve talked about extensively on the show.  

Despite being aimed at children, both DMM and Totally Minnie which we will discuss later in the show, were filled with original music (and a few covers) and are easy and fun to listen to, even as an adult.  Further examiniation makes some of the lyrics feel a little cringey, but I love the originality of the music which is lightyears ahead of the garbage that kids have to listen to today (i.e. Kids Bop and Baby Shark). 

Some of the songs on the DMM album included:  DMM of course, Mousetrap, the Greatest Band and two of my favorite tracks named Watch out for Goofy and Macho Duck. Watch out for Goofy lets listeners know that Goofy is a horrible dancer and breaks everything.  

Further, it also eludes to one of the infamous Fab 5 characters having an interest in dating/conoodling with a human woman which is both awkward and un-necessary, but that is a theme across both albums.  Here are a few lyrics from Watch Out For Goofy. 

A night on the town, he's all set to get down and boogie, Goofy!
Dressed for the kill, he can't keep his feet still, he'll boogie, Goofy!
When the disco explodes into life,
When he's feeling the beat and the music's just right,
He falls on his face and he's out for the night, Goofy!

It goes on

So watch out, watch out for Goofy!
Watch out for Goofy, he's a disco demolition!
Watch out, watch out for Goofy!
Watch out for Goofy, we love him but he just can't dance!

He clears the floor when he walks through the door, Goofy, Goofy!
They head for the chairs cause he's no Fred Astaire, Goofy, Goofy!
When he asks a young lady to dance,
She sort of says yes, he jumps at the chance,
Then he steps on her feet, it's the end of romance, Goofy!

Macho Duck is essentially a song about how DD is one in a million (which he is) and features some pretty genius song writing if I do say so myself.
  
Can he move, well guess what? (What?)
He's got a wiggle and a waddle strut (Get down, brother)
But feathers fly when he gets riled (You asked for it)
It's like a pillow fight that's gone wild 
The writer of this song deserves a Pulitizer because that is freaking genius.  What’s not genius though are the following lyrics:

He's got style, he's got flair (Yeah)
Got two left feet but he doesn't care (What?)
Dressed in blue, fit to form (Too much)
Ladies love to touch his uniform (Ha ha ha ha)
Mess with him and you're outta luck, he's a macho duck

In 1995, Disco Mickey Mouse came out on CD.  Sequels to DMM included Mousercise in 1982 and Mickey Mouse Splashdance in 1983.  

D23, the official Fan club of Disney) celebrated the 40th anniversary of Disco Mickey Mouse in 2019 in the most awesome way possible.  They held a rollerskating party at a roller rink in CA near the Imagineering offices.  Mickey and Minnie were in attendance of course.  They dynamic duo performed a choreographed roller skating routine and attendees got a 40th anniversary edition of DMM on vinyl.  

You can download the entire DMM album on iTunes.  You can also find the record for sale on Amazon for about $20.

Now onto Totally Minnie which, you will soon learn, is both as memorable as it is regrettable.  Not only was Totally Minnie a music album, it also inspired a live action film, but we’ll get to that later.

In 1986, Disneyland Records released Totally Minnie which was a pop music album aimed at children, more specifically at elementary aged girls one could assume. 

It seems like the Disney company was trying to market Minnie to a new generation of kids and they tried to make her seem more hip and dressed her like a stereotypical break dancer.  On the album cover she is wearing what appears to be a fitted, sleeveless green dress, two different belts that don’t appear to be doing their job, an oversized pink beaded necklace (looks like my Grandmas costume jewelry), several oversized bracelets, fingerless gloves and tie-dyed bow.  Oh and don’t forget that her name was made to look like it was written in graffiti.  Apparently Minnie was working on her street cred.  The playtime was approximately 30 minutes and the album featured songs such as:

Totally Minnie, Dear Daisy, Break It, Girl Talk, Minnies Workout, and a few others.  

My sister owned this album on cassette tape and being that I have a photographic memory, I remember that the cassette was predominantly pink in color and we listened to it all of the time.  What little kid didn’t want to listen to the likes of Minnie Mouse and the rest of the Fab 5 singing songs about talking to your friends and getting some exercise?  Seems appropriate for a 1st grader, doesn’t it?  At the time, absolutely yes.  We listened to this album in the car on road trips and in our living room to dance to.  If you want to get the party started, drop a banger like Totally Minnie or Videoactive.  You won’t regret it, yet you probably will.  

Even prior to the passing of my sister I was nostalgic for this album so miraculously I found the entire track list available for download on iTunes.  Listening intently as an adult, I was a taken aback by the lyrics in some of the songs.  I believe I alluded to this a bit on a previous episode, but Totally Minnie has some Totally Inappropriate and Totally stereotypical songs and lyrics on it.  Prepare yourself for disappointment as we go through some of these with a fine-toothed comb.

In Minnie’s Workout, for example, Minnie attempts to inspire a young generation of girls to be physically fit.  Sounds great right?  Wrong.  I will recite a few of the ridiculous lyrics:

This first part is recited by none other than Minnie herself:

How do I keep my spirits up and my weight down? Just listen!  Then a singer chimes in and adds insulting lyrics such as:

If your arms and legs feel like scrambled eggs
And there's more of you than the week before
If you're out of gas; going nowhere fast
Then it's time to pick yourself off the floor
Tune up 'til you reach your feet
Start today, and through the week
If you're overweight; can't accelerate 
It's not to late to shape up today
Once you start, you'll never quit
Feels so great to be so fit

Let that simmer for a little bit.  

What I wouldn’t give to be a fly on the wall while the voice actress was recording her part in this song.  “How do I keep my spirits up and my weight down?” did she have any reaction to that?  

And how about Girl Talk which starts out with Daisy Duck and Minnie Mouse having a conversation about what they are going to wear to the dance.  Pretty sure dances don’t happen until at least Middle School but yet again an anthropomorphic mouse and duck are embodying some ridiculous stereotypes.  Here are the first few lyrics:

Daisy Duck (Spoken): Hello?
Minnie Mouse (Spoken): Hi Daisy, it's Minnie! Could I borrow your red bangle to wear to the dance?
Daisy Duck (Spoken): Sure Minnie! When's Mickey picking you up?
Minnie Mouse (Spoken): At eight! I'm so excited, I could just squeak!
Hey, what a blast
Did you know the whole class is going to the dance tonight?
I just did my hair
What are you gonna wear?
I bought a brand new dress; alright!
The mall's really hopping
The whole gang is shopping, oh-oh, for party clothes
Guess I'll see you at eight
Yeah that sounds really great!
I'll be there, and we can share some
Girl talk, got to be girl talk
Gotta be, got to be girl talk
'Bout the boys and the clothes we're wearing
And the secrets that we're sharing

First of all, who the hell goes to a school dance that starts at 8pm?  Even the prom, aimed at HS juniors and seniors doesn’t start that late.  Second of all, did mean REALLY need to buy a new dress for an elementary school dance? And I NEVER talked about the clothes I was wearing nor the boys I went to school with in a romantic way.  I wonder why…..

Another song that is questionable is Dear Daisy where various people are apparently writing into an advice column facilitate by none other than Daisy Duck.  
These three songs are probably the most ridiculous ones on the Totally Minnie album, but despite the asanine lyrics, the general vibe of the album isn’t all that bad if you don’t examine things too closely.  There are unique adaptations of classic Disney songs like “Let’s Get Together” and “Hey Mickey” and other upbeat songs.

Apparently, the album was popular enough that there was a Totally Minnie Parade at DL which ran daily during the summer of 1986.  It featured over 100 performers. Totally Minnie parade at Disneyland. Summer 1986  
There was also a 25 minute long stage show at Walt Disney World.  During this time, Minnie also had her face plastered on an apparel line - including sweatshirts, dresses, etc. There was also a media kit that coincided with the release of the Totally Minnie album.  

It sounds like it was a magazine of sorts which included 7 pages of character and logo designs, 6 pages of information about the new album, and 28 pages of a Minnie retrospective including pictures of her and her friends having fun.

And just a few short years later, Disney would release a live-action & animated television special loosely inspired by this album.  This special is one of those things from your childhood that you look back on fondly, and then you watch it as an adult and you feel a sense of torture and regret while viewing it.  I’m not kidding.  Let’s take a closer look, shall we?

Premiering on NBC on February 25, 1988, Totally Minnie was the first time in her near 60 year presence in popular culture where Minnie was the lead character.  While I can certainly appreciate that, the rest of the movie was a disaster to say the least, clearly written by someone who was out of touch with children and tweenagers. Totally Minnie was directed by Scott Garen who also produced music videos for famous artists like:  Michael Bolton, Bobby McFerrin, LL Cool J and Elton John. It opened with Michael Eisner then Disney CEO, with several of the Fab 5 characters at what was then known as Disney MGM Studios.  The 3rd Disney theme park in Florida was on track to open in 1989 so giving viewers a taste of the park was a pretty genius idea.  As a matter of fact, that was the ONLY genius idea about this godforsaken TV special.  Anyways, after the intro, the film starts with a nerdy looking man who is probably in his late 20s/early 30s, who is surrounded by a group of fashionable (in quotation marks) women who are dancing around what looks like a late 80s Disney store. His name is Maxwell Dweeb and he is played by Robert Carradine. He asks one of the girls if they are free, perhaps to go out, which she of course would be horrified to partake in since he is clearly such a loser. 
Who dresses in mismatched patterns and wears glasses afterall?  Side note - why was there such an emphasis on nerdy characters in the 80s?  And 90s a bit too….

 We then see him back at home, alone with his dog.  While sulking on his couch, he sees a commercial for nerdy people like himself who can get help to learn how to be cool and go out on dates and the like.  

All he has to do is call 555-HIPP (with 2 p’s). Totally Minnie pt. 1 46sec mark. So obviously he calls because this nerd routine is just not going to help his case. Next thing you know, he is at the Minnie Mouse Center for the totally unhip.” (which sounds like a rehab facility for rodents by I digress) and is greeted by sitcom icon Suzanne Somers who is the director of the center who will be guiding Mr. Dweeb through several stages to help him get hip.  She then puts on a literal rap/singing and dance number where she tells our nerdy character Maxwell Dweeb that the “Minnie Mouse Method” brings out the best in people, whatever that means.  She performs while walking down a hallway lined with hip people such as Madonna, Tina Turner, and Eddie Murphy. Totally Minnie pt.2 55 second mark. Note that Suzanne Somers was not a trained dancer and not known for singing, though she did sing “Let it Snow”  She would later receive dance training for her appearance on Dancing with the Stars.  When Totally Minnie premiered, Somers was the star character on a TV show called She’s the Sherrif which was named one of the worst TV shows of all time by TV Guide. 

We don’t need to go into great detail about the movie or revisit it scene by scene because there is not much to say other than it was pretty terrible.  

Essentially this token nerd, who states that he is quote “not Don Johnson” becomes more “hip” by watching old clips of Disney cartoons that are completely unrelated to improving one’s sense of self, or working on self esteem or how to dress appropriately. He becomes progressively cooler and cooler by viewing clips from random clips like “Flowers and Trees” which is from 1932.  The gist of Flowers and Trees was best summarzied by Wikepedia (I never reference or use Wikipedia but I stumbled upon their explanation which was spot on):  
During Spring, the flowers, mushrooms and trees do their calisthenics. Some trees play a tune, using vines for harp strings and a chorus of robins. A fight breaks out between a waspish-looking hollow tree and a younger, healthier tree for the attention of a female tree. The young tree emerges victorious, but the hollow tree retaliates by starting a fire. The plants and animals try to extinguish or evade the blaze. By poking holes in clouds and making it rain, the birds manage to put out the fire, although the hollow tree perishes in the flames after getting caught up in them himself.

The young tree then proposes to the female tree, with a caterpillar serving as a ring, and they embrace as a 12-color rainbow forms behind them.”

Yes.  That’s the plot of Flowers and Trees and somehow, this and other unrelated, outdated, and irrelevant clips helped this nerd ditch the glasses, dress like its 1988, not 1968 and have the confidence to start asking women out.  Makes a lot of sense.  Sprinkled in with these cartoons were celebrities such as Vanna White and Philip Thomas Michael who you may remember from Miami Vice.  There is also a duet with Minnie and Sir Elton John.  Very few songs from the Totally Minnie album were featured in this made for TV hellscape which I think was a big mistake because wasn’t that the whole point of the movie?  Apparently not.  

Once again, this movie, like the album, showcased superficial relationships and uncomfortable situations.  Case in point - Vanna White’s part in the special.  Although she is a national treasure, they played her dirty in this big time.  She is only in the movie briefly, riding as a passenger in a car driven by Pluto.  She says something to the effect of how she’ll stay in the car with him so long as he “keeps his paws to himself.”  

He then proceeds to lick her with his oversized tongue, including a line of drool, and he laughs to himself really hard.  And scene.  That’s it.  Totally Minnie pt. 3 30sec mark.

As you may have predicted, the nerdy guy develops a crush on Suzanne Somers and she is not feeling it at all.  However, that all changes once he is free from the village of Dorkdom.  

In addition to the random celebrity appearances both on posters and in various scenes, most of the music featured was from well-known songs from the time including notable ones by the likes of the Pointer Sisters, and Janet Jackson.  

REVIEW from IMDB:  I cant believe other people than me actually remember this. I think it was shown only once on ABC's "The Wonderful World of Disney".
With the possible exception of "Oliver & Company", 'Totally Minnie' is the most "obviously made in the 80's" thing Disney has ever done...And it has not aged well. More neon colors, polka dots, and spandex than you ever will see again. Wicked synthesizer-laden soundtrack and lots of classic 80's pop tunes from Janet Jackson to the Pointer Sisters, Plus a special guest appearance by Elton John that must be seen to be believed! Starring Suzanne Somers and Robert Carradine from the infamous Revenge of the Nerds series. Grab your old "Members Only" jacket and headband and enjoy if you can find this rare 80's time capsule of a film somewhere.

The LA times wrote a critical review about Totally Minnie which appeared on March 25, 1988 exactly one month after it’s television debut.  Author Charles Soloman said:  “much the way a junior high student would air his gym socks at the end of a semester. Produced by Joie Albrecht and Scot Garen, this Mickey Mouse effort would need reworking to qualify as even a disaster.

Showcasing Minnie Mouse is a bit like saluting the flavor of water: She never had much personality and existed only as a foil for Mickey. 
Instead of celebrating her cartoon career--or examining why female animated characters have so often been ciphers--writers Albrecht, Garen and Jack Weinstein offer an unblushing paean to contemporary bad taste.

The audience doesn’t see that much of the show’s ostensible star. 

Robert Carradine and Suzanne Somers play a klutzy student and a long-suffering instructor at “Minnie Mouse’s Center for the Totally Unhip,” and most of the program is devoted to their remarkably unsuccessful attempts at singing, dancing and telling jokes.  Elton John, Philip Michael Thomas and Vanna White appear in cameos: Apparently Minnie’s concept of hip is about 10 years out of date.

Their excruciating skits alternate with ersatz MTV production numbers and montages of old cartoons, cut to bargain-basement rock songs. The new animation of Minnie done by FilmFair Studio is crude at best, and the clips from the great cartoons and features only highlight its inadequacies. The Saturday morning shows Disney produces overseas look better than this stuff.

When the new management team took control of the Disney studio, they reassured millions of concerned fans that they intended to preserve the classic characters and the company’s tradition of quality entertainment. If “Totally Minnie” is an example, they’re preserving those traditions as carefully as the Visigoths VIZ UH GOTHS preserved Rome.” 

In conclusion, critics and probably most parents did not LOVE Totally Minnie.  However, there was a love connection between some of the voice actors from the movie.  Wayne Allwine provided the voice of Mickey Mouse and Russi Taylor did the same but for Minnie Mouse.  During recording sessions the actor and actress fell in love and eventually got married.  So I guess there’s that.

Apparently there is still a market for Totally Minnie memorabilia. However, Totally Minnie albums go for a lot more than Disco Mickey Mouse, perhaps because they are more rare?  Either way, a vinyl record goes for $400, a sealed CD goes for over $100 on eBay.  The CD version came out in 1995 by the way.  You can also download the entire Totally Minnie album on iTunes.  I downloaded it several years ago and I would be lying if I said that the Totally Minnie song itself didnt make me want to dance every time I hear it.  It brings me back to my sister being a little kid, maybe 5 or 6 years old, without a care in the world and full of happiness and laughter.  If only there was a time machine.  Relieving these memories are certainly a bit of a time machine for me, thanks for climbing aboard, I hope you enjoyed today’s ride!

I hope you have enjoyed this look back at two classic children’s albums from the 70s and 80s, Disco MM and Totally Minnie.  I came across a quote I think we can all relate to:  “Music is the closest means we have to time travel. One piece of melody can get you reminiscing your past or dreaming up your future.” I wouldn’t consider myself a religious person, but AMEN to that!

Before I forget, I wanted to make sure to share some poll results from a few recent polls I put out to the universe on Twitter & Instagram.  

I asked followers about what I should do with an old Fisher Price ride on horse I found in storage.  We used it as toddlers.  On twitter:  0 said get rid of it, 83 display it somewhere, 17 try to sell on ebay.  After last month’s episode about 80s holiday toys that I did with Jason Lady, I asked if people knew who poochie was: 25 say yes, 25 said no, 50 said don’t know, don’t care.  On Twitter. 

I hope you will join me for my next show where we will be discussing yet another fascinating facet of the 80s, 90s and early 2000s in memory of my sister.  UTBKBSAHOTYM.