• USA Today , Monday, November 5, 2007 10:33 AM

Former Walt Disney CEO Michael Eisner wants Topps to create a movie, TV, Internet and publishing franchise around Bazooka Joe, the eye-patch-wearing kid featured in the waxy comics that wrap around Topps' Bazooka bubble gum.

Eisner is head of a consortium that recently purchased the 69-year-old trading card and candy company for $385 million. "Bazooka Joe is my new Mickey Mouse," Eisner says, but he has his work cut out for him. Few young people know about Bazooka Joe.

Topps has deals with baseball, football and basketball players and leagues, as well as properties including Star Wars, SpongeBob SquarePants and Pokémon. To capture a new generation, Eisner wants cards imprinted with codes that can be used to find additional information about sports stars or entertainment characters on the Internet.

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