• New York Times; Wall Street Journal; Ad Age , Friday, November 7, 2008 11 AM

Brooks Barnes takes a comprehensive look at Walt Disney Company's master plan to extend its brand from trinkets, kitsch and T-shirts to more upscale offerings, including Mickey-free wedding gowns, $1,200 executive fountain pens, $6,000 Art Deco chandeliers and designer clothing.

But is nothing sacred?

"A T-shirt sold at Fred Segal Fun in Santa Monica, Calif., showed Mickey Mouse looking like a pimp, with a gold-studded chain and a fedora. An upcoming jewelry offering from Disney's fashion collection for young men is a ring that depicts a rabid-looking Mickey Mouse with freakish long fangs," Barnes reports.

Designers are happy to see Disney "take chances," however, and that is attracting them to the brand, according to Pam Lifford, evp of Disney Consumer Products. "We take it to the edge but keep it controlled and maintained," she says.

All this didn't help Disney's quarterlies, which dropped 13%, the Journal reports. President and CEO Robert Iger blames a drop in consumer spending, and says 2009 will probably be even worse. The silver lining (or, perhaps, sliver lining as I originally typed),

is that Disney recorded record full-year revenue of $37.8 billion, Adweek's headline reports. Consumer products led the way, with a 41% jump in revenue, to $812 million .

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