Emily (the) Strange was not a planned birth. In 1993, in embryonic form, she was just a T-shirt created by Rob Reger, inspired by a skateboard sketch by Nate Carrico.
After that, she was a series of stickers handed out at shows. Gradually her look and personality have been fleshed out.
Reger is also co-founder of Thuja – the first group to become identified with the Jewelled Antler collective whose label and bands helped define the sound of New Weird America.
She wears black and is fascinated by all things gothic. She feels at home in the realm of Tim Burton. She likes spiders because spiders are black and like to live in dark corners. She feels at home in cemeteries. She doesn’t read ‘normal’ books. Her parents fret about her and tell her she should get out more.
In short, Emily’s world is the flipside of everything Barbie stands for and aspires to. What Barbie girls love, Emily hates and vice versa. While Barbie luxuriates in a fluffy pink land of dreams – Emily relishes in the realm of dark nightmares.
What they do share is the rejection of what most would perceive as the life of the ordinary with its endless responsibilities and sensible choices. While Barbie wants to escape into the glamorous world full of handsome princes, beautiful clothes and pure luxury; Emily abhors this shiny, happy world . She would feel at home in a dungeon or in libraries full of large tomes gathering dust on shelves.
She stands for the exact opposite to the lifestyle tips presented to readers of glossy magazines.
She is a heroine for our times.
I feel very much like Emily Strange, except for the spiders.. I hate spiders. 😀
I love Emily Strange stuff- accessories like purses and Emily Strange shoes too. She’s fantastic.
I only wish there was a men’s line too – how about someone creating an Eddy Strange?
Yeah, thats a great idea! 😀 Or Emilio Strange (Italian I believe)
LIAR!!!! Emily strange is a rip off of a 1978 image from a the children’s book Nate the Great Goes Undercover, by Marc Simont.
Check out this link: http://www.boingboing.net/2008/12/03/emily-the-strange-is.html
Emilio is a man’s name… Emilia would be a girl. but that’s such an ugly name, almost no one is called like that in Italy.
Are you calling ME a liar. Alessandro??! Not fair as I can assure you that this connection is new to me. Still ,slurs aside, thanks for highlighting this topic. This is clearly a case that the Emily camp need to answer. The following blog: http://youthoughtwewouldntnotice.com/blog3/?p=1701 is also interesting as Rob Reger comments on the accusation of breach of copyright.The loser here is Marc Simont (now in his 90s) who should surely have received financial recognition for ‘inspiring’ Emily Strange.
BTW I kinda like the name Emilia – does that make me strange?
Yeah, I’d say the Emily camp is going to be in hot, hot water soon. Especially since the artist is quoted as listing all of the references that were points of inspiration for Emily, yet he very conveniently- perhaps with the advice of counsel- avoids listing Mr. Simont as having had a contributing influence of any kind. Now we see that that is just not the fucking case at all.
I’ve always thought this Emily stuff was predigested shit, and no one ever went broke selling teenage girls shit before (Twilight? The Jonas Bros.? etc) so I suppose that’s why it’s taken so long to bust him on this.
I think that Emily the Strange is great, freeing girls from the steriotypical view of them all liking pink and hating spiders, mice and rats. I HATE pink and LOVE spiders, mice and rats!
Emily is awsome( not because we have the same name)