Emily the Strange

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Emily the Strange and her cats.

Emily the Strange (sometimes written as Emily Strange) is a fictional counterculture character by Rob Reger and his company Cosmic Debris Etc. Inc.

Contents

[edit] History

Emily the Strange first appeared on a sticker, distributed at concerts, record stores and skate shops to promote Cosmic Debris, the clothing line founded by skateboarder Rob Reger and racecar driver Matt Reed. Reger's friend Nathan Carrico designed Emily in 1991 for Santa Cruz Skateboards in Santa Cruz, California, where Cosmic Debris was born. Cosmic Debris has grown into a multi-million dollar firm with dozens of employees. Cosmic Debris has most recently moved its operations to Berkeley, California, and plans to open an Emily retail store. With the momentum of mainstream success, several comics about Emily have also been made, as well as a movie in the works.

[edit] Origin of Character: Plagiarism Controversy

The first Emily the Strange illustration dates from 1991, however the 1978 children's book Nate the Great and the Lost List features a similar young girl named Rosamond. She also has long black hair and is frequently accompanied by her black cats. When Rosamond is introduced she wears a short dress and white Mary Jane shoes, similar to Emily, and in a similar pose.[1]

This illustration is accompanied by the text:
“Rosamond did not look
hungry or sleepy.
She looked like she always looks.
Strange."

The first Emily the Strange design by Cosmic Debris says:
"Emily did not look
tired or happy.
She looked like she always looks.
Strange.”

Multiple Internet blogs have noted this overlap[2][3][4][5][6]. Reger denied any influence by saying “I have never drawn inspiration from the Nate the Great series or Rosamond.”[citation needed] Cosmic Debris later announced that it was preemptively suing the two authors of Nate the Great, providing the following explanation in a statement on the Emily the Strange website:

In one of the points in the case, they allege that copyright infringement claims of the authors are "barred by the applicable statute of limitations." They go on to further say that they have "no obligation" to pay the authors for any alleged violations[7]. They believe that the defendants should not be allowed to stop Cosmic Debris to further "promote, license, and exploit Emily the Strange in all media."

The author and illustrator of the Nate the Great children’s book series then counter-sued Cosmic Debris Etc., claiming the Emily the Strange franchise violates their copyright. Dark Horse Entertainment, which is producing an Emily the Strange movie, also is named as a defendant in the counter-suit.[8] "Emily the Strange, like Rosamond, is a young girl in a short dress, black tights, and Mary Jane shoes. Emily, like Rosamond, has long dark hair with square-cut bangs. Emily, like Rosamond, is typically attended by four black cats. Emily, like Rosamond, is described as being strange and has a fascination with dark themes," according to the complaint. Sharmat and Simont seek a declaration that their copyright has been infringed as well as unspecified damages.[9].

[edit] Tie-ins

The franchise has a considerable merchandising catalog, including clothing, stationery, stickers, and accessories, all featuring Emily's distinctive appearance and frequently featuring one of her sayings (such as a beach-towel emblazoned with "Wish You Weren't Here").

[edit] Comics

Emily the Strange is published by both Chronicle Books and Dark Horse Comics in the USA.

The Chronicle Books hardback graphic novellas include:

  • Emily the Strange (2001)
  • Emily's Secret Book of Strange (2003)
  • Emily's Good Nightmares (2004)
  • Emily's Seeing is Deceiving (2006)

In 2005, the first two issues of her comic book were released through Dark Horse Comics: "The Boring Issue" (#1) and "The Lost Issue" (#2). "The Dark Issue" (#3) was published in 2006. The collected edition of the first three comic books ("Emily the Strange: Lost, Dark, and Bored") was published in November 2006. "The Rock Issue" (#4) was published in 2007. An ongoing monthly, standard length series has been published since March 2008.

Since 2008 Emily the Strange is published in France by Soleil Productions.

[edit] Clothing

In July/August 2003 V magazine ran a double page spread of clothing inspired by the character, created by Chanel, Gautier, Helmut Lang, Marc Jacobs, and others.[10] Emily has been shown in Vanilla Sky and on MADtv. Celebrities including Julia Roberts, Britney Spears, and Björk have all worn the brand. Epiphone have created an Emily Strange themed SG guitar, based on a Gibson 310 Custom.[11]

[edit] Novels

In October 2007, it was announced that four young adult novels based on Emily the Strange will be published by HarperCollins. They will be co-written by Rob Reger and Jessica Gruner. [12]

[edit] Film

An Emily the Strange feature film is in the works with Mike Richardson, of Dark Horse Entertainment, as producer.[13] It is slated for release in 2010.

[edit] References

  1. ^ Emily the Strange is a rip off of a 1978 book character
  2. ^ Rosamond the Strange
  3. ^ Emily the Strange Totally Looks Like Rosamond from Nate the Great
  4. ^ http://www.mediabistro.com/galleycat/monday_morning/goth_pop_icon_a_childrens_book_knockoff_101978.asp
  5. ^ http://www.adn.es/cultura/20081201/PGL-0004-emily-strange-rosamund-plagio/1.html
  6. ^ The Snitch - Is Emily the Strange a Copycat?
  7. ^ [1]
  8. ^ The Comics Internet in 2 Minutes
  9. ^ Nate the Great v. Emily the Strange in Comic Book Battle
  10. ^ V Magazine
  11. ^ link
  12. ^ Rights Report, Publishers Weekly
  13. ^ Emily the Strange heads to big screen, Hollywood Reporter, May 30, 2008

[edit] External links

Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emily_the_Strange"
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