Disney Characters Bombarded as Company Offers Paris Shares

Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck and Pluto met a shower of ketchup and eggs on the steps of the Bourse, the Paris stock exchange, today.

The sticky barrage was hurled by about 100 French communist demonstrators seeking to spoil a party organized to announce the offer price of shares in Europe’s Disneyland.

Michael Eisner, chairman of Walt Disney Co., who was in Paris to announce the offer price of $11.20 a share, was also a target for the missiles, along with people dressed up in suits depicting other Disney characters.

The shares are being floated to help finance construction of a new Disney theme park on the outskirts of Paris.

Demonstrators yelling “Mickey go home!” and “EuroDisneyland: dirty deal of the century!” also showered onlookers with fake $500 bills as Disney executives looked on. No police were present.

Eisner said the demonstration had nothing to do with Disney. “Those people were asking for more money from the government. These local issues are not related to the Disney company.”

“Who could possibly be against Cinderella and Snow White? EuroDisneyland is going to create 12,000 jobs in France,” said Disney’s European chief, Frank Fitzpatrick.

Plans to celebrate the share launch with dancing in front of the Bourse were called off after the demonstration.