Mickey's back: Disney to launch mobile services, handsets in Japan
By Darren Murph 
posted Nov 11th 2007 6:13PM
posted Nov 11th 2007 6:13PM
You know what they say: nothing gets you over the last one like the next one. Apparently, Disney is totally signed on to the aforementioned mantra, as just under seven weeks after Disney Mobile hung its US-based ears in shame, the Japanese unit of Walt Disney Company will reportedly be firing up similar operations in its neck of the woods. Apparently, the outfit has "reached a basic agreement" with Softbank Mobile to lease telecom networks and start providing nationwide service to those interested. Furthermore, it will be buddying up with Softbank to "develop handsets and consign its output to other companies," and if all goes to plan, Disney hopes to sign up "more than one million subscribers." Oh, and if that wasn't enough to make you scrounge up that decade-old Mickey Mouse figurine and give it a long overdue hug, users of the service will also have exclusive access to "animated film downloads." Regrettably, there's no word on an actual launch date just yet, but we'll be keeping a (grossly oversized) set of ears to the ground.[Via Yahoo / Reuters]
So who exactly is this aimed at: Elementary school kids that don't need phones, or high school kids that feel they're too old for Disney products?
"You can call Candyland with this one, talk to Gumdrop Larry. You need a calling card made of candy."
looks like some sort of phone from the year 2000
The girl who is holding them, looks a bit like shes REALLY trying not to laught
Didn't Disney's mobile service recently shutdown in the US? And how do they expect it to take off in Japan with phones looking like that?
I am going to trade in my ugly iphone and switch to 3 or 4 of those babies now...
I think this will be a hit in japan being that they are obsessed with cute things. At my university I don't think I have ever seen a Japanese girl that didn't have a least one piece on mickey mouse garb on...sickening really....
Why does the read link point to a tennis article?
http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5jPZORUF5YFAJAlngZx8lZak2UWsg
(original link in case it's changed)
No clue why the information in the link changed -- I updated it with a (hopefully) static one.
The Japanese are big on cute character brands — Hello Kitty, Spongebob, you name it — but Disney is sort of discount brand. You find Mickey and Minny products at the 99-yen shops (dollar stores) rather than department stores.
Models for girls and boys) I would buy such phone for my baby if i had))
-----------
Best homes
First, I think the picture above has nothing to do with the phones that will be released in Japan. Second, according to a survey handled by a subsidiary of Dentsu (Japan's largest advertising agency with nearly a 40% market share), Tokyo Disneyland is the brand that has the most potential in Japan. The survey considered over 1000 domestic and foreign companies. I would provide the Nikkei link, but it's by subscription only. A brand with such potential should be able to attract customers if the rollout and promotion is handled correctly.