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Emily the Strange

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File:Wfm emily strange fairuse poster.jpg
Emily the Strange and her cats.

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

History

Emily the Strange first appeared on a sticker, a freebie 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. In his Santa Cruz garage (and later an artist warehouse in San Francisco) Reger created the designs and with Matt Reed brought them into the fashion world by creating t-shirt designs that captured the essence of this mysterious young girl with 4 black cats. Since then, 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 there soon. With the momentum of mainstream success, several comics about Emily have also been made. Key creative people over the years (designers, graphic artists, illustrators), who have worked with Reger's Cosmic Debris design house are Buzz Parker, Brian Brooks, Grace Fontaine, Liz Baca, Noel Tolentino, Fawn Gehweiler, Jessica Gruner, Adele Pedersen and Nicomi "Nix" Turner. Rob Reger remains the key creative force behind the brand, and Buzz Parker is the key illustrator for the comic books and Web site. Buzz Parker runs EmilyStrange.com from his offices in Arcata, California.

Controversy: Origin of work

Although the Emily the Strange character dates from 1991, the 1978 children's book Nate the Great and the Lost List features a similar young girl named Rosamond. Like Emily, Rosamond has long black hair and a short black dress, white mary jane shoes, four black cats of different sizes, and is frequently described as "strange." In particular, the text of Nate the Great introduces Rosamond: "Rosamond did not look hungry or sleepy. She looked like she always looks. Strange." An early Emily the Strange sticker has the text: "Emily did not look tired or happy. She looked like she always looks. Strange." Multiple sources have noted this overlap. In December 2008, the original creator of Rosamond, Marc Simont, told LA Times that he was recently made aware of Emily the Strange and has consulted with his legal team. http://youthoughtwewouldntnotice.com/blog3/?p=1701

Emily

Emily is a 13-year-old (birthday: 9/23) of exceptionally pale complexion. She has jet black hair, and wears a black dress and black tights, set off by large white Mary Jane shoes. She has a dark, gothic world view.

Accompanying Emily are her four black cats. Sabbath, who is distinguished by a scar on his left ear, is the troublemaker of the four and rarely seen close up and also says dude a lot. Nee-Chee, who has a black and white striped tail, is the schemer. The creative cat, Miles, has a white X on his right eye. Mystery, the leader of the group, has a white star on her right eye. Because she is the leader, she is the closest to Emily.

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"). Emily the Strange fashion is popular and attractive in the Goth subculture with young adults and teenagers.[citation needed]

Miscellaneous

Epiphone has released a limited edition SG of the counterculture icon. it features 700T and 650R Humbuckers, Chrome hardware, Basswood body, Rosewood fingerboard, Mahogany neck and graphics inspired by Emily herself.

Comics

Emily the Strange is published by both Chronicle Books and Dark Horse Comics in the USA. the Emily the Strange G-310

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 Fake 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.

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.[1] 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.[2]

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. [3]

Film

An Emily the Strange feature film is in the works with Mike Richardson, of Dark Horse Entertainment, as producer.[4] It is slated for release in 2010.

Society Of Strange

The Society of Strange is the official, online Emily the Strange fan-club, forum and message board. It is found in a self-titled section of the Emily the Strange website but can also be accessed from a separate .net address. [5] The Society of Strange is referred to as 'the S.O.S.' by its members. Registered members may add friends (known as 'fiends') akin to a mySpace or Facebook profile and also take advantage of a member message service known as 'Strange Messages' to contact their 'fiends'.

The Society of Strange is popular with fans of Emily the Strange[citation needed], however it is also utilized as a forum for other popular cultural topics and subjects such as television shows, bands and anime. There has been some member debate over the upcoming Emily the Strange film and whether it will be good for the brand's image[citation needed]. Fans are highly concerned with how Emily will be represented if she is to 'talk' (as Emily has only ever 'spoken' in a read, comic format) and who will play Emily if she is displayed in a live-action context[citation needed].

Notes

The brand was displayed in Australian soap opera and television program, 'Home and Away' by the character 'Belle'.

References

  1. ^ V Magazine
  2. ^ link
  3. ^ Rights Report, Publishers Weekly
  4. ^ Emily the Strange heads to big screen, Hollywood Reporter, May 30, 2008
  5. ^ The Society of Strange on EmilyStrange.net
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