Buster Brown & Disney

[Sarangel]

Buster Brown & Co., 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. New footwear lines will feature: Disney's standard characters (e.g. Mickey and Minnie Mouse); Winnie the Pooh and his loveable friends; Classic Film Library characters like Bambi, Lady and the Tramp, etc.; 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 will to preview its first Disney shoe designs at WSA, the shoe industry's trade show in Las Vegas on August 5-8. The new Disney character lines for kids are expected to launch at retail in the early spring season of 2005. These will include athletic and casual shoes, sandals, and slippers for boys, girls and toddlers. Boots and winter-season shoes will follow. Footwear will be targeted to kids ages 1-12.


Brown Shoe also is designing a line of junior fashion footwear to
capitalize 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.