Disney Marketing developed a ‘Roger Rabbit’ package for its merchandise licensees. It contained folders with design ideas, the pantone color palette used in the film, character poses, pre-production art, and promotional videotapes. Licensees were flown to Los Angeles for the presentation. Steven Spielberg and Michael Eisner were scheduled to be at the après-presentation cocktail party.
Wendy Gell is a successful designer of whimsical jewelry. Her work had caught the interest of Disney and they offered her a license to produce jewelry destined for the early days of the Disney Store. The date of the marketing presentation sticks in her memory… it was October 19, 1987 – Black Monday… the stock market collapse. It was the week following Jeffrey Katzenberg’s infamous ‘Concorde’ meeting in New York.
Notice that Benny was still Benny-the-Car at this time… the Benny-the-Cab model sheet came later.
