With this release approaching, it’s only right to recognize those fans that have been waiting over twenty years for the third book. Fandom surrounding Roger Rabbit has never been lacking, and a common fan favorite has always been the ever-sultry Jessica Rabbit. If you’re wondering what she’s been up to these past few decades, look no further than the only Jessica Rabbit news site and photo archive on the web: ImNotBad.com, to discover everything Jessica. Below, I ask the site’s author, Jarrod, a few questions about his personal journey and experiences with Jessica Rabbit fandom:
Tell us about yourself and ImNotBad.com—how and why did you start it?
I've always loved art and animation ever since I was a kid. It impressed me that people were drawing those characters. I enjoyed watching the process of that as well - the behind the scenes stuff. I loved art, and drawing. I would often copy what I would see in a picture or on TV and try to match it as close as I could. I still do art, traditionally or digitally. I created my first ever Jessica Rabbit custom doll. I never painted before and it came out better than I expected.
I originally had a Who Framed Roger Rabbit Yahoo group, but the character Disney was focusing more attention on, surprisingly, was Jessica. So In 2003 I started the Jessica Rabbit Group. I started mainly because she was my favorite character and thought it would be fun. It allowed me to make lots of new artwork of her, which I put on the site monthly. Then her collectible pins were really taking off and there was a smattering of other merchandise - so I knew Disney was pushing the character more. Why they did it still remains a mystery. I had wanted a true stand-alone Jessica website. There were only two good sites before which didn't last long. After a few years on Yahoo I knew I needed to branch out, so I started ImNotBad.com- really thinking only a few people would see and visit. There's actually thousands of visits a week during holiday times and when big news hits. It's exciting.
What does Jessica Rabbit mean to you?
There is a wide range of characters I like - but Jessica Rabbit is THE favorite. She was such a different female cartoon for that time: A great combination of sexiness and Disney, which we had never seen before. Knowing real people created her by hand also added to it. The animators really put effort into the film and it shows. Because of the look of the character I think she became hard to create as a collectible back then, so her merchandise was rare. It was like a hunt to find anything, but I enjoyed it. Aside from that, the movie came out during a very hard time in my life when I was so young. It really was my escape. The whole experience of the movie was like fate helping me through something so difficult. So it all grew from there.
Do you have a wide collection of Jessica Rabbit memorabilia?
Yes, though I definitely don't have everything. I own the merchandise I review on my site. I have Jessica statues, snow globes, mugs, shirts, and just over three hundred Jessica pins. The Jessica Rabbit store was open for about a year and by chance I was able to visit. Had I known it was going to be temporary, I'd have stocked up!
Have you always been a Roger Rabbit fan? What's your earliest memory of first watching Who Framed Roger Rabbit?
I've always loved the movie, and all the characters. The first memory I have of seeing the characters was in a commercial for the film. It pretty much stopped me in my tracks, and all I knew was I wanted to see it - especially when I saw Jessica walk across the screen. In fact I insisted leaving a friend's house early to see the movie with my family. For some reason I think I knew this was going to be something special, so I didn't want to see it with anyone but them.
How would you describe the fandom surrounding Who Framed Roger Rabbit?
With the Internet, people really got vocal about Roger Rabbit when the Blu-Ray was released. It was also shown on TV around that time, and people were commenting how it was one of the best movies ever. I think that’s great. I feel the true "fandom" got whittled down to less people when Roger and Co. disappeared from the parks for whatever reason that was.
…versus the fandom surrounding Jessica?
The fandom for Jessica alone was different, because her merchandise kept going, and she was a character who collectors kept alive. I hoped that would be enough to keep her in the forefront of minds, and perhaps it was. Now, you see many women dressing like Jessica at conventions. So she's definitely remembered, and people want more of the character.
On ImNotBad.com it shows that Disneyland (in Paris) has finally represented Jessica Rabbit in the parks—this is something a long time in the making.
Do you think it will ever carry over here in the states?
I really hope so. The fact that they did this is huge - at least that's how I view it. No matter how it that mask looked, it was so cool to see Jessica along with all the other characters. People want to see her in the parks. That's been wanted for a while now.
The reactions you got from people about Jessica being a face vs. masked debate in the park seems split. You say on ImNotBad.com: "The shape of Jessica's face alone does not match a real human, so if a woman were to take on this role as a face character - as good as she might look - she won't really look like Jessica." Which I agree with, but I also agree with Gary K Wolf (the creator of Jessica Rabbit) when he says: "...I think this could be a better Jessica. In this rendition, she does look a lot like a blow up doll." Is there any way Disney can improve upon her masked look?
Yes, Gary is right on that. It's missing the whole attitude of Jessica Rabbit we know from the movie. She has no expression at all. The mask is also really small - character heads need to be slightly bigger and exaggerated. I tried to translate as much from Disney Paris messages boards as I could, and people think perhaps she was a last minute addition. Either way, I wish people were a bit more open to the fact Disney tried this than criticizing the look.
What is the Jessica Rabbit community like?
The community was mainly collectors. It is definitely expanding though, even after all these years. People love the character. Jessica Rabbit was like our Betty Boop of the 80's. I see women Tweeting about how they wanted to be Jessica when they grew up, or are now copying her hairstyle. The men have always liked her for many reasons, but male collectors do have an eye for her as an art piece. I think if you like Jessica, you're kind of forced into being a collector because her merchandise was usually higher end stuff. A Premium Format statue was released of her, the most accurate you can find. People not even a fan of the movie were buying it because they said it looked so good. That's the power of Jessica Rabbit, and that statue helped push her out in front little more at conventions.
You've been running your site for over 10 years now, what are some of your fondest memories and best interactions with your readers?
People have asked me for certain pictures or merchandise knowledge. I do my best to accommodate when someone is trying to find something in particular. Readers will tell me how much they enjoy the site, I'm happy they are even visiting! Someone gave me the heads up on Jessica in Paris, so it's cool that they are helping me too. Some really great interactions have come from the Disney Artists I've interviewed, sharing all their stories about creating Jessica. I also talk with other artists who create custom pieces of Jessica and feature them on the site. There are some really talented people out there.
Assuming you have met your fair share of Jessica fanatics throughout the years, do any stand out? Any impressive impersonators?
I've become friends with two other fanatics, Andoni and Mark. They often help me with the site if they find out news or merchandise. For a long time I thought it was only the three of us - but I know there are more fans out there. I think Jessica fans were shy. I don't know what's up with that. I think it was because of the nature of the character, and that she wasn't as well known. That's changing though. I've never met anyone in Jessica costume, but the ones I've seen on the Internet lately have been amazing!
How do Roger fans feel about the upcoming release of Who Wacked Roger Rabbit?
They are hungry for it, especially with being teased for twenty-five years now of a movie sequel. The books might be the only kind of sequels we ever have, so I think it's great that Gary K. Wolf is continuing with the characters stories. We have gotten to a point where a successful book is immediately looked at for making into a movie - which could still make it possibility. The fans are in support of this new book fully - as well as the other Roger Rabbit projects Gary has in the works. Those other projects garnered quite a lot of interest.
What are you hoping to see for Jessica in Gary's upcoming novel?
Just more! I'm afraid that Jessica's popularity has eclipsed Roger's slightly because her curvaceous look, and that her merchandise kept her in the public eye, but Roger is such a wonderful character. The two of them are peanut butter and jelly - different, but made for each other. They both make the other more unique in a complimentary way. So, I'm hoping that there's some great interactions between the two of them and we get more of a look into their relationship.
What are you especially looking forward to see in the upcoming novel?
I've gotten a few clues on what might possibly be in the works, but I think it will be so much fun to have the character's back again - in a way that is a reminder of how it all really began - with Gary's wonderful storytelling.
Reuniting fans with their beloved Roger Rabbit characters in Who Wacked Roger Rabbit? will absolutely be a wonderful, worthwhile reward after all these years.
Thank you Jarrod for sharing your Jessica Rabbit expertise! Check out ImNotBad.com to see what is happening with Jessica worldwide on a daily basis, and stay tuned here for more Who Wacked Roger Rabbit? news!
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