Ready for bad boy Mickey?

So-good-that-he-has-become-boring, Mickey Mouse is ready to turn grey. Epic Mickey, a new video game, that releases next year, will see the 81-year-old cartoon character, who has made generations smile with his antics, in a new manipulating, cunning avatar.

So-good-that-he-has-become-boring, Mickey Mouse is ready to turn grey. Epic Mickey, a new video game, that releases next year, will see the 81-year-old cartoon character, who has made generations smile with his antics, in a new manipulating, cunning avatar.

While it is unclear how much will be the turnaround to Mickey's nice-man image, the Disney executives are being overtly cautious while tampering with the one of the world's most identifiable comic icons. "Mickey is never going to be evil or go around killing people," says Warren Spector, creative director of the Disney-owned game developer that is spearheading Epic Mickey.

And the Capital's Mickey fanatics are ready with their wishlist for the 'bad-boy Mickey'. Five-year-old Aftab wants Mickey to do "judo karate". "Then it will be more fun to watch," he adds. Says student Rachna Gupta, "I love bad boys. New Mickey should be more masculine. He should drive fast cars, hang out with three girls and have a complete Casanova image."

"Mickey should leave his Disneyland and talk about our homes and schools like Shinchan," says twelve-year-old Piyush Agrawal. Teenager Tanya Suneja wouldn't mind Mickey do a superhero act, a la Ninja Turtles. But college student Rachna Madhav prefers "just the way he is".