Mimi & Eunice’s character designs evolved (barely) from this Copying Is Not Theft animation:
You’ll notice it starts off with the nose-stealing gag. I saw a similar gag over a decade ago in a brilliant Sam Henderson comic, the Magic Whistle, which made me laugh and laugh. Since Sam has made about a zillion such comics, I can’t find that one, but I did find this amusing one that relates to one of my favorite subjects, the First Amendment:
Eunice prices Mimi’s nose at $220,000. That was the bargain-basement low-budget-indie-film rate I was quoted to clear the songs I used in Sita Sings the Blues. Like Mimi’s nose, those songs were stolen – from the Public Domain. Although these comics are so simple they can mean anything to anyone – I like that about them – to me this one is about Intellectual Pooperty monopolists stealing our culture from us and then selling it back at ridiculous prices. And yes, Poopertists claim that nothing has value if it’s Free, a topic Mimi & Eunice have also touched on.
![](/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/Autographed-ME_120.jpg" "Intellectual Pooperty")
You are spectacular! My first intro to you and your talents was way back when 13 showed Sita Sings the blues & just featured it in one of a series of Valentine posts I’ve crafted to release from the 11th through the 15th (the period of celebration for the Lupercalia, pagan forerunner of Valentines day). I am following your blog now as well. I would like to set up a series of free speech blog posts to release after the 15th, and to incorporate some of the Mimi&Eunice spots within. Just want you to know, though I am an elder low income woman who can not send the contribution you deserve, I hope I can contribute by sharing your thoughts within my own limited community. You are another invaluable treasure. Ms.East Coast 2.13.2011
Yeah, copying isn’t theft. Perfectly correct, they are different things.
However (in my opinion) copying an artist’s work without payment, if they do not give you permission to do so, is still wrong.
Sweet, catchy song to promote the idea that artists shouldn’t get paid for their work though. I look forward to the bright shiny future when no artists ever get paid, won’t that be just great?!
If you want to give your art away for free, good for you. I assume that it won’t make the difference between being able to pay this month’s bills or not. But not sure that gives you the right to advocate cheating other artists out of their rightful payments.
Colette,
You’re assumption that copying inevitably leads to artists not getting paid for their work is faulty and rejects all empirical evidence.