Disney T-Shirt Inspired By Joy Division?

(EndPlay Staff Reports) - What do Mickey Mouse and 1970s post-punk rock band Joy Division have in common? Not much, you might think at first.

However, one clever Disney designer came up with a way to incorporate the cover of Joy Division's 1979 album "Unknown Pleasures" into a t-shirt also featuring the world's favorite mouse. The design featured an image of a pulsar that originally published in the Cambridge Encyclopedia of Astronomy, according to reports .

Disney seemed to own up to borrowing the iconic image. The item description at Disney's online store read: "Inspired by the iconic sleeve of Joy Division's 'Unknown Pleasures' album, this Waves Mickey Mouse Tee incorporates Mickey's image within the graphic of the pulse of a star. That's appropriate given few stars have made bigger waves than Mickey!"

But as of Wednesday morning the items is no longer available on the Disney store website.

It seemed like an ironic mix. According to AllMusic.com , fans have described Joy Division's music with words including "austere," "cold," "distraught," "insular," "visceral" and "gloomy."

Fans have also noted the juxtaposition. Scott Dunn, a commenter at NME.com , noted that Joy Division front man Ian Curtis probably wouldn't be too fond of the shirts: "I'm sure Ian would have been very happy with this, you know, the bands legacy being desecrated by a company that is as far detached from Joy Division's lyrics and messages as can be. Plus, they can't even make a decent film anymore. Except Pixar. Pixar based Joy Division shirts anyone?" he wrote.

On the other hand, some fans are more accepting. RollingStone.com reader Amanda Daeger Chevalier said she was into the idea behind the shirt: "As a huge fan of Joy Division and a mother of two. I really dig it, actually."

The shirt, priced at $24.99, was available at the Disney Store .