JimSmash reader Sandy has shared a nice discovery.... it appears that the goth girl character EMILY is a pretty hard ripoff of ROSAMOND, a "strange girl" in the 1978 children's book Nate the Great and the Lost.The similarities are uncanny:
Emily and Rosamond both have long black hair.
Emily and Rosamond both have a very pale complexion.
Emily and Rosamond both have 4 black cats.
Emily and Rosamond both wear white mary janes.
Emily and Rosamond both are referred to as “strange”.
Unbelievable. Especially since Emily "creator" Rob Reger is making bank on merchandising. Someone contact Marjorie Weinman Sharmat and Marc Simon - creators of Nate the Great and the Lost.
Reger says of Emily, "To me, she’s more of an icon for the think-for-yourself, do-it-yourself movement.”
Maybe Reger should practice what he preaches.
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*thanks, Sandy!
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5 comments:
OH, my gosh! I NEVER noticed that before. I can't tell you HOW many times I've read Nate the Great books with my students, too! Hadn't put two and two together! Nice catch, guys!
Playing "Devil's Advocate" here, but could that image be merely an homage? Is it presented out of context?
the entire concept of Emily; look, personality, number of cats... is a ripoff.
Oh, Rob Reger already knows about this.
He's actually responded in several blogs that have called him out on the similarities.
Here's one...
http://www.inkygirl.com/rob-reger-response-re-rosamundeemily-strange/
Reger says, “I have never drawn inspiration from the Nate the Great series or Rosamond.”
I find that very hard to believe. Emily looks almost exactly like Rosamond, even down to the same amount of black cats at her feet... that wear the same shoes! Come on.
Also, the writing is THE SAME!!!!
From Nate The Great Goes Undercover, published in 1978:
Rosamond did not look
hungry or sleepy.
She looked like she always looks.
Strange.
From an early Emily The Strange bumper sticker:
Emily didn’t look
tired or happy.
She looked like
she always looks.
Strange.
Whatever, Reger.
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