Roanoke Times Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc. DATE: THURSDAY, June 29, 1995 TAG: 9506290084 SECTION: NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL PAGE: A-6 EDITION: METRO SOURCE: DAVID CRARY ASSOCIATED PRESS DATELINE: TORONTO LENGTH: Medium
Dudley Do-Right and Donald Duck? They won't be on joint patrols quite yet, but the Royal Canadian Mounted Police has surprised Canada by hiring the Walt Disney Co. to oversee the licensing and marketing of the Mounties' image.
The news was greeted with ridicule and anger, forcing Disney and the Mounties on the defensive Wednesday as they sought to explain a deal involving the most cherished of Canada's national symbols.
``The Mounties go Mickey Mouse,'' said Tim Cogan, a spokesman for the legendary federal police force. ``We saw that coming a mile away. There's nothing we can do about it.''
The Mounties had been looking for licensing expertise since January, when they declared they were fed up with tasteless exploitation of their image. Sample offenses: a pro wrestler dressed as a Mountie; a pseudo-Mountie in a porn movie; a Mountie on a poster hawking Canadian beer in Britain.
Even when Mountie products were tasteful, the police force was receiving no royalties from sales. So an all-volunteer Mounted Police Foundation was formed to negotiate strict licensing contracts.
After hearing proposals from Canadian and U.S. firms, the Mounties selected Disney's Canadian affiliate, Walt Disney Canada, to administer the worldwide licensing of Mountie hats, T-shirts, postcards and so forth.
The agreement does not portend any Disney films featuring Mounties, at least in the foreseeable future.
Gary Gurmukh, owner of a company that makes T-shirts with Mountie themes, was among several business executives irked by the deal. The Mounties were ``a Canadian institution'' and should not have chosen a U.S.-controlled company to market them, he told the Canadian Broadcasting Corp.
Disney Canada's vice president and managing director, Jim Rayburn, said his company knew there would be bitterness as well as smirks when the deal was announced.
``We were certainly aware of that,'' he said in a telephone interview. ``You don't move ahead if there isn't some risk taken.''
Cogan said the bottom line for the Mounties was to pick the most capable firm.
``There's bound to be some backlash from those who didn't get selected,'' he said.
by CNB