If you happened to be at Walt Disney World recently, you might have recognized a face among the crowd from a classic TV show when original “Mickey Mouse Club” Mouseketeer Sherry Van Meter (née Alberoni) was here on vacation. (Even if you didn’t, read on, because we have an opportunity for some of you).
“I had the greatest time here,” Sherry told me. “I love Disneyland. I literally grew up there, but Walt Disney World is so big and there’s so much to see.”
This time around, the focus of her visit was to enjoy Walt Disney World with one of her best friends and their respective granddaughters. Sherry was impressed with how much there was for young children to do and see at Epcot and was particularly delighted to experience Disney’s Animal Kingdom for the first time.
“The safaris are incredible, both the riding and walking ones. I had no idea how many things there are to do here.”
As she was saying this, I marveled to myself how cool it was to hear that crisp, familiar voice, sounding just as it did when she played the irresistibly snarky Alexandra Cabot on “Josie and the Pussycats” and hero-in-training Wendy on “Super Friends” cartoons. I also recalled her numerous on-camera TV and movie appearances, including the role of “giant” Glumdalclitch in the big-screen fantasy classic, “The Three Worlds of Gulliver.” But according to Sherry, being one of Walt Disney’s Mouseketeers transcended performing any other film or television role.
“The great thing about the ‘Mickey Mouse Club’ is that it really is ongoing, for those of us on the show and all the viewers at home,” she explained. “It was such a unique, special show – more than a show, really. To this day, we’re still meeting new people who remember us. We bring them such happy memories.”
The friendships among the original Mouseketeers have also continued.
“[The Mouseketeers] were – and are – like my family,” Sherry said. “These are people I knew long before I knew my husband or my kids. We knew each other’s parents. When my daughter Kelly got married, Bobby [Burgess], Sharon [Baird] and Cheryl [Holdridge] were there. The friendships we’ve kept all these years are really special.”
Naturally, during Sherry’s recent Magic Kingdom visit, she caught up with dear friends Minnie and Mickey at Town Square Theater, where guests and cast members alike were abuzz witnessing this magical reunion.
When she’s not visiting a Disney theme park with her family (including her children and grandchildren, who are all Disney fans), Sherry focuses on helping others through fundraising efforts and speaking engagements on behalf of worldwide charitable organizations.
Now here’s the opportunity: Do you have a question for Mouseketeer Sherry? Send it in the comments section below. A selection of her answers will appear in a future Disney Parks Blog entry!
Comments
What is your favorite part of the parks?
What advice would you give a girl who wants to become as immersed in all things Disney as possible?
Has Disney considered an on air reunion? How many of the orginal mousketeers are still with us?
u and everyone on that show are special, now that they are on dvd everyone can watch it any time, i still remember when annette tell everyone she had MS, i knew everyone she had friends like u, even others, and of course M-I-C-K-E-Y M-O-U-S-E! & MINNIE!, since then beating evey single odds while fighting that, u got to have friends, and for the groups of mouseketeers that follow while coming to disneyland and WDW and the original cast, u can always go “home” again, say prayers to our favorite mouseketeer Annette to us! hope u all make a surprise stop at the D23 expo this year that will make her show proud!
I am a fan since the ’60 and I would like to see the Reunion Special released on DVD/Blu-Ray. What I would like to ask Sherry is do any of the original cast members keep in touch with Annette and Glen? I heard of the tragic fire at her Calif home and I was heartbroken. I pray she and the family are alright. Also I would like to see a museum built at Disneyland or World to house all the memorabilia from the MMC so everyone can get back in touch with those days and also share with their kids and grand kids.
The mouseketeers were at Disneyland on opening day. How was that experience and what are your memories?
I saw Sherry at Destination D as well, and I took my mom since I knew that some of the original Mouseketeers would be there. I just want to say thank you, my mom was on the verge of crying because she couldn’t believe that she was getting to meet them. Not not just see them, but she got to have conversations with them. Thank you Sherry and the other Mouseketeers that were there. You help make dreams come true, and still bring happiness to many.
I just want to say that I hope she had a good of time as we did watching her and the rest of the cast and crew !
Did any of you have any idea how big Disney was going to be while you were Mousketeers?
Sherry was very kind at Destination D in California, after I told her how much it meant to see the Mouseketeers for the first time. She told me to come around and have my photo with her and Tommy, so I just wanted to thank her again!
Denise
What does she remember about her first “day on the job”? Does she remember meeting Walt Disney?
-Barbara
WILL THERE EVER BE A MOUSEKETEER REUNION AGAIN ON TV I AM 50 YEARS OLD AND LOVE ANYTHING DISNEY AND I STILL ADORE ALL OF YOUS
–therfore sticking to format– ask Sherry for her best Walt story as it relates to the original MMC
I have been fortunate enough to meet 7 different original Mouseketeers at events- both at Disney and at a local collectibles store in Illinois where they held a weekend event. For someone my age (56) this is meeting ones childhood stars and very cool.
also they have the BEST stories to tell about everything from Disneyland – to the TV show – to Walt. If the opportunity presents itself to attend an event where they are speaking/mingling- go..regardless of age you will have a blast !!
I would love to know what it felt like to be part of the Mickey Mouse Club? What was it like to be around Walt Disney?
I’d like to ask how she got on the Mickey Mouse Club. Did she audition or did Walt pick her from somewhere, like he did Annette?
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