Walt Disney to Launch Cell Service in Japan

Kids are out and adult women are in as Disney's target audience in the land of the rising sun, where pink Mickey-speckled cell phones will soon make their debut.

While Disney’s kid-targeted cell phone service here in the U.S. flopped a year ago, the company has packed up its bags and moved the operation to Japan, where it will ratchet up its target age to appeal to a new audience. According to the Wall Street Journal, Disney hopes its strong fan base of adult women in the country will help it gain footing there with a unique branded service.

Reports of a revided Disney Mobile for Japan surfaced at the end of 2007.

Rather than attempt to establish itself as an entirely new operator, Disney has paired with Softbank Mobile Corp, the third largest cell provider in the country based on subscriptions. It will offer the same plans and prices as Softbank, but with a selection of Disney-only phones. The first, a model produced by Sharp, has Mickey-Mouse pattern emblazoned on the cover, and comes in pink, silver and gold.

Disney plans to launch three such phones every year, and will also tailor its service to Disney fans in different ways. Ring tones, videos, games, and screen backgrounds will all have a Disney bent, and subscribers will even get their own Disney e-mail addresses.