Remember The Wonderful World of Disney? It first aired on ABC on this date in 1954. Generations of kids have been growing up on Disney ever since.

I watched the new episodes and the re-runs (they were new to me!). I especially loved it when Disney movies were broken into two or three parts for broadcast on television. Alice in Wonderland was the first, followed by most of Disney's classic library.

The show aired under various titles and moved from network to network until 2008. After a 54-year run, Walt Disney's groundbreaking series ended with another of my Disney favorites: The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. I watched, of course.

I also learned a few fun facts about one of America's oldest and best-loved television series:

• While other film studios feared that the 'newfangled technology' would ruin the movie business, Walt Disney embraced television wholeheartedly. 
• So maybe it's no coincidence that Disneyland was the first successful TV show ever created by a movie studio. 
• It was also the first television show to generate a spin-off - the Davy Crockett miniseries, which created a nationwide craze that included a chart-topping song and warehouses of "frontiersman" merchandise.
• Though ABC broadcast in black-and-white, Walt Disney filmed in color, so most of the earlier shows could be rebroadcast when the show moved to NBC's all-color network. (The show was renamed Walt Disney's Wonderful World of Color for NBC.)
• Ludwig Von Drake, Donald Duck's uncle, was the first Disney character created for TV. When the show first aired on NBC, the bungling professor explained the principles of color TV to viewers.

I remember that Donald's goofy uncle was one of my favorite characters on the show. Most people (including me) can't pick a number one favorite character from the Disney Universe - they're all so lovable.

But I will say this: I still have my very first Mickey Mouse watch. And just like Disney movies and characters, I still love it. But best of all? Just like the magic of Disney, it still works!