MUMBAI: The 100-year-old kids' division of Brown Shoe Company Inc, has signed a major licensing agreement for footwear with Disney Consumer Products encompassing more than 30 of Disney's famous characters.

The new footwear lines will feature Disney's standard characters like Mickey and Minnie Mouse, Winnie the Pooh and his loveable friends, Bambi, Lady and the Tramp, etc. Also Disney's TV action heroes like Power Rangers- SPD and Kim Possible, and characters from upcoming feature films including Pooh's Heffalump Movie and the Disney/Pixar Cars film.

Brown Shoe also is designing a line of junior fashion footwear to capitalise on the appeal of vintage Disney characters with the junior consumer, particularly Mickey Mouse. This footwear should launch at retail in spring 2005.

"We are thrilled to be developing this alliance with Disney," said Brown Shoe Wholesale president Gary Rich. "Disney's beloved characters add their own special magic to children's feet. Further, Disney's position as the number one global consumer products company aligns well with Brown Shoe's strength, especially in children's footwear. We believe this combination will add new excitement to the children's footwear marketplace."

"This announcement is also significant because it comes as our Buster Brown kids' division celebrates its 100th anniversary. We see it as a tribute to our heritage of developing quality footwear that has been trusted by retailers and parents through generations," Rich added.