A Theology of Mickey Mouse Clubhouse

If that title got you interested, you’re either under six years of age (in which case you probably can’t read) or you’re a young parent. If you don’t fit either description and are reading anyhow, keep going! There are spiritual lessons to be gleaned from unlikely sources.

My oldest daughter watches a lot of Mickey Mouse Clubhouse. This means that my wife and I inadvertently watch a lot of Mickey Mouse Clubhouse as well. I promise that I don’t enjoy watching the show, but it must be better than grading, reading, or writing because I always find myself watching the show rather than doing what I need to be doing.

In any case, I recently decided to try to pull together a theological assessment of the show. Odd, I know. But I want to share two observations that stood out to me.

Observation #1: Mickey Mouse Clubhouse addresses what theologians refer to as “the fall” and “the curse.” The “drama” in each episode of Mickey Mouse Clubhouse often comes through the effects of the curse. In one episode, Daisy gets greedy, wants to hold all of the balloons, and then spends the episode floating in the air while the rest of the crew tries to rescue her. In another episode, the sand is too hot, so Mickey and his friends have to find a way to protect their feet. Another time, Pete is trying to steal the soup that Minnie made for Goofy. In yet another episode, the wind blows away the picnic blanket. As silly as these scenarios are, they all relate to the fall. In the garden of Eden and in the world as it will be when Christ returns, these things are not a part of God’s world. Pain, greed, evil (moral and natural), and every other problem we encounter entered the world as a result of man’s rebellion against God.

Disney has rightly been criticized at times for presenting the world in a lighthearted, sugary manner. That is, real life doesn’t always have fairytale endings, so when every Disney character lives happily ever after, it rings false.

But just because Disney typically features cute, cuddly animals, beautiful princesses, and make-all-your-dreams-come-true fairy godmothers doesn’t mean that they are ignoring the dark side of life. I can’t think of a single Disney feature that’s devoid of some manifestation of evil. Even some of the kid rides at Disneyland are pretty sinister! I wouldn’t fault Disney for not representing evil, but I would call attention to their silly and insufficient solutions to the problem of evil (their “saviors,” if you will).

Isn’t it interesting that even the simplest, happiest children’s shows are compelled to present the world in a way that fits the biblical account, at least to an extent? In other words, the curse is such an inescapable part of the world we live in that even Mickey Mouse Clubhouse has to deal with it.

Observation #2: Mickey Mouse Clubhouse doesn’t feature a firm and fixed villain. Devotees may object: “What about Pete?” Indeed, Pete often takes on the role of the villain. He tries to steal soup and cookie recipes, he charges exorbitant prices (collected in flower petals and gumballs) for access and tools that Mickey and friends require, and generally causes problems. As my 3 year old nephew told me: “Mommy no like Pete cause he has a bad attitude.”

But even Pete isn’t always the villain. Sometimes he is working against Mickey and the other “good guys” and sometimes he is on their side, battling the effects of the curse. Similarly, sometimes the “villain” is Daisy (who sometimes gets greedy), Goofy (who is often, well, goofy), or Donald (who sometimes gets pouty).

This might not sound like much, but isn’t that the reality we all experience in this fallen world? You’ll never meet an evil person who is always evil. Nor will you meet a good person who is always good. The villains in this world can’t be simply rounded up and removed from society. The line between good and evil runs through every human heart. Sometimes we play the hero, sometimes the villain.

I’m not suggesting that Disney is trying to present biblical theology in Mickey Mouse Clubhouse. And both of my observations above will have exceptions and counter-examples. Even so, every cultural creation is an attempt to make sense of the world. Mickey Mouse Clubhouse has to present the world in a specific way—you might say it conveys a particular worldview—and in these two cases its presentation of the world is fairly astute. Whatever people try to create, they always have to wrestle with the reality of the world as it is. They always have to live in the world that God made. They always find themselves battling the effects of sin.

Our job is to identify the problems that the creators of Mickey Mouse Clubhouse see in the world and then point them to the ultimate solution. You may not have a fruitful evangelistic conversation based on Mickey Mouse, but the culture that surrounds us is constantly wrestling to make sense of this world. And when we analyze their cultural creations carefully, we often find unique and fruitful inroads for sharing the gospel.