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Jessica Rabbit was a milestone character for Disney. She was the first female character designed to be over-the-top sexy. We became instant fans of Jessica Rabbit and her Honey-Bunny husband Roger when the animated feature "Who Framed Roger Rabbit?" made its theatrical debut in 1987. The film had many remarkable aspects.
First of all, "Who Framed Roger Rabbit?" marked the return of Disney Studio's commitment to feature animation. The Company had a string of lack-luster performances after "The Rescuers" was released in 1977. Films like "The Black Cauldron" died in movie theaters, and home video had yet to make a significant impact on Disney's revenues. But Roy Disney, jr., the Vice-President in charge of Feature Animation convinced Chairman Michael Eisner and CEO Frank Wells that feature animation still had a future, and Roger Rabbit was produced, much to the delight of fans like us.
Maggie and I were visiting Walt Disney World in May 1989 to attend the opening of the new park - The Disney/MGM Studios Theme Park. During our stay, we were very attracted to another park of the resort called "Pleasure Island" which was named after the den of iniquity in 1940's "Pinocchio." And there were more similarities than we ever expected. I was shocked, just like Claude Raines in Casablanca, to find the streets of Pleasure Island lined with vendors selling alcoholic beverages - from colorful cocktails in a variety of containers to your basic can of beer. It was everywhere in Pleasure Island. The restaurants all had a full bar. People were walking all over with drinks in their hands. I immediately thought Walt must be spinning in his grave. Walt Disney forbade the serving of alcohol in his beloved Disneyland, although that rule was amended to allow for it in the private dining room called Club 33 in New Orleans Square. So, to me, this was quite a sight to see.
But certainly my favorite discovery in Pleasure Island was The Jessica Rabbit Shop. First of all, because I'm such a huge fan of the character. Kathleen Turner made Jessica Rabbit a heart-breaking drop-dead grogeous femme fetale name-your-favorite-cliche'. And so as I walked up the main street of Pleasure Island for the first time and spotted this 4-story neon image of Jessica Rabbit looming overhead, I was simply dumbstruck. Not only was she beautiful - her leg swung back and forth! It was simply too much! And then inside the building was an entire shop filled with Jessica Rabbit merchandise.
The shop wasn't very big, not more than a few hundred square feet, but it had everything from figurines of Roger and Jessica Rabbit to t-shirts, nightshirts, and even tantilizing lingerie complete with Jessica's image all over everything. The best piece by far was the Jessica Rabbit wristwatch that sported a replica of the giant Jessica sign outside. And, to make it absolutely perfect, Jessica's leg swung back and forth just like the sign. It was amazing, and that watch is certainly one of the most sought-after Jessica Rabbit collectibles I know of.
Sadly, Disney closed the Jessica Rabbit Shop in the mid-1990's.
Apparently there just weren't enough fans to justify dedicated the space to that
wonderful character. We make sure to tell several Cast Members how much we miss
The Jessica Rabbit shop every time we visit, but so far we haven't convinced the
Company to bring her back.
Be sure to see our special Roger Rabbit and Jessica Rabbit Collectibles page.
And while you're here, Space Rangers, take a peek at our Toy Story Toys and Collectibles page, too!
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