The Career of Disney Icon Jasmine

In the entertainment business, cartoon characters are treated as real celebrities and public figures with full careers and accolades to match.

Jasmine is an animated character who is widely known for her supporting role in the Disney classic Aladdin (1992). Fictionally speaking, as Princess of Agrabah she is the daughter of The Sultan (her father). Not a bad title to have for starters. She is the sixth Disney Princess and the franchise's first non-European member, as well as its first West Asian and or Arab princess. Due to this, the character is credited with introducing racial diversity to Disney's princess genre. Unlike most of Disney's princesses, Jasmine is a supporting character in her own film, taking the secondary role of the love interest.

Jasmine approaching Jafar in Aladdin 1992.

Disney's 31st Disney animated feature film being its fourth produced during the Disney Renaissance, marked Jasmine's debut into the entertainment industry and mainstream media. Aladdin was released on November 11, 1992. It received positive reviews from critics. It was a commercial success, becoming the highest-grossing film of 1992 with an earning of over $504 million in worldwide box office revenue. Upon release, it became the first animated feature to reach the half-billion-dollar mark and was the highest-grossing animated film of all time until it was surpassed by The Lion King (1994).

Jafar gives Jasmine a crown

She was not originally intended to play a significant role within the film, however this changed during production when her character value was strengthened. Becoming more important, Jasmine ultimately depicts a different type of Disney Princess, being rebellious against the royal life and the social structure. Mark Henn worked diligently with the process of her character development within the film from Disney-MGM Studios in Florida.

Jasmine gets zapped and trapped

Although, she initially had at least one song cut from the film, she ended up performing the duet, "A Whole New World", with Aladdin. Now known as film's signature, the song was created by Alan Menken with lyrics from Tim Rice. The ballad serves as both the film's love and theme song.

Jasmine and Aladdin riding the Magic Carpet

The song garnered an Academy Award for Best Original Song at the 65th Academy Awards and a Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song at the 50th Golden Globe Awards. "A Whole New World" also won the Grammy Awards for Best Song Written Specifically for a Motion Picture or for Television at the 36th Annual Grammy Awards, as well as Song of the Year, the only Disney song to do so (as of 2023). In the same year, the version sung by Peabo Bryson and Regina Belle was also nominated for Record of the Year and Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group With Vocals, winning the latter. Also reaching number one on several charts including the US Billboard Hot 100.

Jasmine in a giant hourglass

The song helped the soundtrack album become one of the best-selling soundtrack albums to an animated film, with 3 million copies sold in the United States alone. The song "Call Me a Princess" was intended for Jasmine and was one of the Menken and Howard Ashman demos that never made the final film score. A cover version was recorded by actress/singer Kerry Butler and released on her first solo album, Faith, Trust & Pixie Dust in May 2008.

Aladdin: the Series airing on the
 Toon Disney channel

Following the success of Aladdin, Jasmine appeared in Disney's Aladdin: The Series. Though, Jasmine was not a solid fixure within the series. Being counted absent for twenty-two episodes out of eighty-six throughout the shows three season run from 1994 to 1995. The series won four out of the seven Daytime Emmy Awards it was nominated for having premiered four months before Return of Jafar.

Jasmine had her very own home videos released during this time. The Greatest Treasure (June 6, 1995), Jasmine's Wish (June 6, 1995), Magic and Mystery (February 27, 1996) and True Hearts (February 27, 1996) respectively. Each release featured two episodes from the series centered around Jasmine in the plot. Others were released in 2005 and further.

4 of Jasmine's VHS releases

The sequel to the '92 film, The Return of Jafar (1994), was released on May 20, 1994 in North America, it was the second Disney animated film sequel after The Rescuers Down Under (1990) and the first Disney direct-to-video animated film, and marked the first American direct-to-video animated film. In the United States, more than ten million copies were sold, ranking among the top 15 top-selling videos of all time (at the time). Jasmine sung two songs for the film, "Nothing in the World (Quite Like a Friend)" with Genie and Aladdin and "Forget About Love" with Aladdin and Iago. The sequel's success removed what Los Angeles Times described as "the low-quality stigma" from direct-to-video, and caused Disney, Universal Pictures, and other studios to release more direct-to-video films.

Aladdin and the King of Thieves, released in 1996 direct-to-video served as the second sequel to the 1992 film Aladdin, and serves as the final chapter and installment of the Aladdin Disney franchise. Jasmine sung the new duet, "Out of Thin Air" with Aladdin for the film.

Though this film serves as the series finale of the television series, the characters later appear in a 1999 crossover episode of the television show Hercules: The Animated Series, titled "Hercules and the Arabian Night", which premiered as a television special.

In 2000, Disney launched its Disney Princess media franchise. Jasmine was announced as a founding member of the club. The original 8; included Jasmine, Snow White (1937), Cinderella (1950), Aurora (1959), Belle (1991), Pocahontas (1995) and Mulan (1998).

The original 8 Disney Princesses

Jasmine finally got her chance to star in her own feature film in 2007 with the release of the home video Disney Princess Enchanted Tales: Follow Your Dreams. It was the first and only film released for a planned Disney Princess Enchanted Tales series of direct-to-video films, each featuring new stories about the Disney Princesses. Jasmine co-starred opposite Disney Princess Aurora from Sleeping Beauty (1959). Her own segment in the film was called More Than a Peacock Princess. Jasmine sung two new songs for the film including; "Peacock Princess" and "I've Got My Eyes on You".

Disney Princess Enchanted
Tales: Follow Your Dreams
DVD cover

Initially, after the release of Follow Your Dreams, there was planned to be an entire series of Enchanted Tales direct-to-video film installments. However, after DisneyToon Studios president Sharon Morrill stepped down in June 2007, and the animation studio units under the Walt Disney Company underwent into a corporate restructuring as the Pixar leadership assumed more control, the film series was cancelled. Also, Follow Your Dreams suffered poor sales.

Through it all Jasmine has maintained a distinctive sense of style, beauty, class and even sexuality that is unmatched. It reflects her bold and confident attitude.

Her fashion and style can be described as a blend of traditional Middle Eastern and modern styles. Her outfit consists of a cropped top with a jewel neckline and puffy sleeves, harem pants, and gold slipper-like shoes. She also wears gold jewelry including earrings, a necklace, and bracelets.

Jasmine's signature outfit is turquoise, which complements her dark hair and eyes. She is often seen wearing a sheer blue veil that covers her hair and sometimes her face. Her style also features intricate patterns and embroideries, as well as luxurious fabrics such as silk and velvet. She is also celebrated for her beauty and style, which has inspired countless fashion lines and beauty products.

Overall, Jasmine's fashion and style are characterized by elegance, grace, and a hint of rebellion.

She is also seen as a strong and independent woman who is not afraid to stand out from the crowd and be true to herself. Jasmine's determination to live life on her terms and to break down traditional gender roles make her a feminist icon. Jasmine has become a symbol of empowerment for women and has encouraged young girls to pursue their dreams without fear of societal expectations.

Overall, she has been inspirational and has broken barriers and redefined what it means to be a strong, independent woman in modern day popular culture.

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Static Shock: Culturally, Historically, and Aesthetically Significant

Static Shock (also known as Static Shock: The New Kid) was an american superhero animated television series based on the Milestone Media/DC Comics superhero Static. It premiered on September 23, 2000, on the WB Television Network's Kids' WB programming block. It's a show that was and remains ahead of its time in many respects.

At a time when cartoons were not expected or encouraged to tackle real-life issues, Static -- much like the original comic character -- dove straight toward them. Whether those issues be gang and gun violence, homelessness, bullying, racism, mental illness, bigotry, or drugs, Static Shock included these elements in the plots of many of it's 52 half-hour episodes.

The show revolved around Virgil Hawkins (voiced by black actor and comedian Phil LaMarr), a 14-year-old male of the African diaspora,  who uses the secret identity of "Static" after exposure to a mutagen gas which gave him electromagnetic powers. Making history, it was the first time that an African-American superhero was the titular character of their own broadcast animation series. An important factor is the landscape of cartoons at that time. When Static Shock first premiered, cartoons with lead characters that were African American were not very common. The Proud Family and Fillmore are exceptions, but as a whole, there were not many shows that allowed for characters of color to shine, and that's what made Static so important. For superhero fans that were watching TV, Virgil was a character that they could relate to and aspire to be like. They saw him being worthy of standing with the greats. That had always been the point of the Milestone Comics he originated from: to make heroes for people who didn't see themselves very often in media.

The show made sure not just to entertain the kids watching, but also try to educate them a little. As such, one of the issues the series touched on was representation.

The episode that meaningfully explored this topic is Season 3's third episode "Static in Africa," which starts with Virgil Hawkins and his family taking a trip to the aforementioned continent. Specifically, the Hawkins family visits Ghana where they meet the local hero Anansi. The episode touches on Pan-Africanism and ethnic identity alongside a plot to stop an evil cat villain. Classic cartoon stuff, but at the end of the episode, Static and Anansi say their goodbyes, with Virgil thanking the latter for being a good role model. This effectively established Anansi as true black superhero.

This conversation between Virgil and Anansi is one that speaks to many members of underprivileged communities. Virgil is grateful to see Anansi, as he was never able to see an African-American hero back home in Dakota. Virgil was lucky to have his father around to serve as a role model and instill values, but not everyone was so fortunate. It's why Dakota has a problem with gangs and street violence.

One of the reasons this discussion is so effective is because it makes sure to also bring up the other side of the argument. Anansi himself says that heroes "come in all colors," and Virgil himself agrees with this. He can't discount that since he lives in the same world as Superman and Batman -- two heroes he's interacted with and respects. It's important to emphasize, however, that the "all colors" angle is used to still validate the importance of heroes of color. As Virgil says, it helps to make him feel valid and it makes him feel just as important.

In a meta sense, this conversation could also be interpreted as the importance of the show itself. Virgil didn't have a black superhero to look up to when he was a kid, but now he is that black superhero that other kids can look up to. He became the thing he never had. This becomes even more meta when taking in account the entire DC Animated Universe. In this case, Static Shock was the only show out of this universe to be fronted by a protagonist of color.

This was a well-written scene in a well-written episode from a well-written show. This one scene that barely lasts more than a minute does a good job of setting up a point and delivering on it. It explains simply and eloquently the importance of letting kids be able to see people that resemble them being heroes. It affirms that heroes come in every shade and from every place. The episode uses that point to strengthen its own argument. Just like Static himself, this scene succinctly articulates how anyone can be a hero.

Besides tackling different difficult issues, other episodes featured the subject of Hanukkah and Christmas celebrations.

The series was also marked by several crossover episodes with characters from the DC animated universe like Superman, Green Lantern, the Justice League, and the Batman Beyond cast.

Several episodes also featured guest voice actors, including basketballers (like Shaquille O'Neal and Karl Malone), the Backstreet Boys' A. J. McLean and Lil' Romeo (who performed a remixed version of the shows theme song).

Terry McGinnis: Batman Beyond

In the entertainment business, cartoon characters are treated as real celebrities and public figures with full careers and accolades to match.

Terry McGinnis is no exception. As one of four known biological children born to the legendary Bruce Wayne and a potential inheritor of Wayne Enterprise, "The Tomorrow Knight" was born with the destiny of greatness on his shoulders.

Batman Beyond (known as Batman of the Future outside the United States) was an American superhero animated television series based on the DC Comics superhero Batman.

Produced by Warner Bros. Animation, the series began airing on January 10, 1999 on Kids' WB in the United States (5 years into Kids WB Saturday Morning War against Fox Kids). The first episode brought in 4.16 million viewers for its premiere. In the United Kingdom, it began airing on September 4, 2000. The show starred Bruce Wayne's eldest son Terrence "Terry" McGinnis (sometimes McGinnis Wayne) taking on the role of Batman in place of his father (a.k.a. Batman II).

Batman Beyond was Terry's introduction to the world. The series lasted for 3 seasons and serves as the sequel to both Batman: The Animated Series and The New Batman Adventures.

On December 12, 2000, right before the last 3 episodes of the series from season 3, McGinnis starred in a feature film titled, Batman Beyond: Return of the Joker.

Batman Beyond film poster

While the 2000 release was not rated, the uncut version was the first animated Batman film to receive a PG-13 rating from the Motion Picture Association.

A comic adaptation of the film was released in February 2001, drawn by Craig Rousseau. A tie-in video game was released in 2000 for Game Boy Color, PlayStation, and Nintendo 64. Scholastic released a novelization of the film.

The film won 2 out of the 5 awards it was nominated for. Joker won an award for Best Animated Character Performance at DVD Exclusive Awards and the film itself won Best Animated Home Entertainment Production at the 29th Annie Awards.

A spin-off from Batman Beyond, an animated series called The Zeta Projejct, featured a revamped version of the synthoid Zeta from the Batman Beyond episode "Zeta". Batman would guest star in the episode "Shadows" which aired April 7, 2001.

Finally after 52 episodes, the series was brought to an end in favor of the Justice League animated series, and plans for a fourth season were cancelled. The last episode aired December 18, 2001.

During its run, the show was nominated for four Daytime Emmy Awards, two of which it won in 2001 for Outstanding Special Class Animated Program and Outstanding Music Direction and Composition. In 2009, IGN.com named Batman Beyond the 40th-best animated television series of all time.

McGinnis on Static Shock as seen on Kids WB

Since the show ended McGinnis has made television appearances here and there. He appeared on Static Shock's episode "Future Shock" in 2004, Justice League Unlimited's episode "Epilogue" in 2005, Batman: The Brave and the Bold episode "Night of the Batmen!" in 2011, a DC Nation Shorts adaptation of Batman Beyond during the 75th-anniversary celebration for Batman in 2014 directed and written by Darwyn Cooke sometimes called, Darwyn Cooke's Batman Beyond, alongside his father Bruce that same year.

The March 1999 issue of Batman Beyond comic book.

However, it's not all about television and film appearances for McGinnis. In addition to not having made a television appearance since the 2010's as of March 2023, he has obviously been heavily involved behind the scenes with the ongoing comic book series, Batman Beyond. Having had his own comic book since March 1999 when the television series got started, the latest edition to the series has been Batman Beyond: Neo Year, released in the 2022 - 2023 year. The comic book series has seen a total of six volumes and one hundred forty-four issues to date. As well as receiving contribution from industry experts like Adam Beechen (who has worked on Ben 10, Teen Titans Go! and Guardians of the Galaxy).

No doubt he's receiving hefty checks from his comics. As for the future? More cameo appearances on television? A new movie? Who knows! His fans will definitely be watching and waiting!

👂👂🏻👂🏼👂🏽👂🏾👂🏿

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Traditional Animation (2D) VS. CGI/3D

When it comes to CGI/3D animation some would say that CGI (Computer Generated Imagery), the more generic word, includes both dynamic visuals and static scenes, whereas 3D animation only refers to moving images. In essence, it is the digital equivalent of classic stop motion techniques. It creates moving images without the use of performers, expensive set pieces, or props by using 3D-created models.

Frozen 2D vs. 3D side by side comparison

CGI is merely the creation of content digitally in a computer. It can be as simple as a wisp of smoke, or a light, or a marble rolling on the floor. It can be as complex as an entire movie being completely done in the computer.

The CGI animation studios Pixar has clearly mastered the art of creating memorable CGI.

Pixar and Disney's Toy Story 2

How does CGI and 3D hold up against a more traditional format known as 2D animation?

Well, 2D animation is animation of flat, two-dimensional images. Simply put.

Don Morgan, a storyboard artist born in 1938 and worked in animation as an art director for decades until his death in 2019, made some very educated remarks about hand-drawn animation versus animations done by computer during his involvement in helping create drawings for Scooby-Doo and the Cyber Chase.

3D animation works in a completely different way than traditional animation. Yet, they both require an understanding of the same principles of movement and composition, but the technical skill set is very different for each task. 3D animation is more similar to playing with puppets rather than drawing.

3D animation, also referred to as CGI, or just CG, is made by generating images using computers. That series of images are the frames of an animated shot.The animation techniques of 3D animation has a lot of similarities with stop-motion animation, as they both deal with animating and posing models, and still conforms to the frame-by-frame approach of 2D animation, but it is a lot more controllable since it’s in a digital work-space.

PBS Kids' CGI series Jay Jay The Jet Plane

Instead of drawn or constructed with clay, characters in 3D animation are digitally modeled in the program, and then fitted with a ‘skeleton’ that allows animators to move the models.

Nickelodeon's 2D kids series Hey Arnold!

Animation is done by posing the models on certain key frames, after which the computer will calculate and perform an interpolation between those frames to create movement.

The history of CGI goes back to the 1950s when mechanical computers were used to create patterns onto animation cels which were then included in a feature film. The first film which used CGI was Alfred Hitchcock's Vertigo (1958).

As for 2D, since motion picture cameras weren't invented until 1890s, the art of animation predates live-action filmmaking by nearly 60 years. With such a head start on motion pictures, it's incredible that it took until 1937 for animation to start getting the kind of attention it deserved in the form of Disney's first feature, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. That's especially shocking when you see the quality of animation that existed even before Disney made a big splash and launched their now iconic feature animation division.

While Disney is the clear standout here, there are plenty of snippets from films that aren't tied to the House of Mouse. But animation as a medium owes a lot to Disney for making animation a staple of entertainment. Early animation was something intended to please audiences of all ages, but as Disney grew, their films appeared to be more explicitly geared towards kids while still keeping adults in mind.

As time has gone on, 2D animation has reached its full potential and only variations in style have changed the medium. Meanwhile, technology has made creating 2D animation so much easier than it was decades ago. What once took 24 individual frames to make up a second of footage can now be completed in a computer, allowing for much more detailed, intricate films to be created.

Which form animation do you personally prefer?

The Career of Elmyra Duff

In the entertainment business, cartoon characters are treated as real celebrities and public figures with full careers and accolades to match.

Elmyra Duff, voiced by Cree Summer in all of her appearances, made her debut in the Warner Bros. television series, Tiny Toon Adventures (3 seasons), executive produced by the great Steven Spielberg on September 14, 1990.

Elmyra climbing up Steven Spielberg's left leg

A young, redheaded female human character, who wears a white pleated skirt, a light blue blouse with white collar and frills, a light blue bowed ribbon in her hair that has an gerbil's skull in the middle, black strapped Mary Jane shoes and white socks. The female animation was based superficially on her name derivative and mentor, Elmer Fudd; "Elmyra" being a female form of "Elmer" and her last name, "Duff," as "Fudd" pronounced backwards.

Although, Fudd was not one of the big stars among the Looney Tunes crowd. He appeared in a great number of cartoons, but almost always as a second banana. In Tiny Toon Adventures, which featured modern counterparts to those old characters, Elmyra Duff, the correspondent to Elmer, was more of a featured player, that seemed to have some significance. Yet, she was the only one of two (other being Plucky Duck) to get a regular gig after the Daytime Emmy Award winning series ran its course.

In the series, Elmyra lives in a nice, suburban home in Acme Acres with her parents, older sister and two younger brothers. She attends Acme Looniversity where she also serves as the school nurse. Elmyra's pets are constantly escaping in terror because she is obsessed with animals and cute things, even chasing after animals whom she knows are her classmates at Acme Looniversity, obliviously causing great discomfort or serious injury to potential pets from her overenthusiastic affection and complete lack of even the most rudimentary knowledge of pet care. She does not really mean to mistreat her pets, she simply doesn't understand the negative effects of her behavior - SEE HERE. Her torture of animals became well known and synonymous with her name and image and helped her break out as a star on her own.

Her performance on "Tiny Toons" inspired producer Tom Ruegger to give Elmyra two entire episodes later in the series. The Duff Family, which had been previously unmentioned, appears in two episodes, "Take Elmyra Please" (episode 13 of Season 2 in February 1992) and "Grandma's Dead" (episode 13 of Season 3 in November 1992). As these episodes feature none of the rest of the regular Tiny Toons cast, other than Elmyra's pets Furrball and Byron Basset, they may have been a test to see if Elmyra's character could get her own spin-off series, centered around her family.

"Take Elmyra Please" is the debut of Mr. Skullhead, a character imagined by Elmyra from the skull she wears in the middle of her bow. He later become a recurring character in Animaniacs, notably in the "Good Idea, Bad Idea" sketches, where he and his family would be horribly maimed.

In March of 1992, Elmyra was apart of  the film Tiny Toon Adventures: How I Spent My Vacation, after "Take Elmyra Please" aired. The film has been rated as one of the "Top 20 (U.S.-Produced) Direct-to-Video Animated Films" by The Animated Movie Guide. The VHS release was one of the highest selling videos in the United states; on the Billboard charts, the video ranked 12th in sales in April 1992. In May 1992, How I Spent My Vacation rose to 9th in video sales. On July 18, 1992, How I Spent My Vacation had been on Billboard Magazine's 40 "Top Video Sales" for 16 weeks. On June 27, 1992, the film was ranked the 5th highest on Billboard's "Top Kid Video". On February 6, 1993, How I Spent My Vacation had been on the "Top Kid Video" list for 41 weeks.

Elmyra on the cover of a Tiny Toon's comic

"Tiny Toon Adventures Magazine", debuted in October 1990 and a variety of toys, video games, clothing, figurines, a Tiny Toons comic book series in collaboration with Marvel Comics and other products were released in which Elmyra was merchandised in along with the rest of the Tiny Toons. By 1995, the seven time Daytime Emmy Award winning show came to an end along with her 15 minutes of stardom.

Elmyra on the box cover of a Tiny Toons puzzle

Two years later, Elmyra's second shot at fame came in 1998, when she was added to the cast of Pinky & the Brain, a spin-off of Animaniacs. Warner Bros. network executives had reportedly wanted Pinky and the Brain to be part of a sitcom "more like The Simpsons" after the initial run of their "Animaniacs" spin-off. The idea of a new Pinky and the Brain series was reportedly met with resistance from the producers of the series.

The apparent dissatisfaction with Warner Bros.' decision to change Pinky and the Brain showed up in episodes. The last script that producer Peter Hastings wrote before leaving Warner Bros. for Disney Television Animation was the episode "You'll Never Eat Food Pellets in This Town Again!", in which the demise of Pinky and the Brain is caused by network decisions to change the show.

In September 19, 1998, the new Pinky & the Brain series premiered, with the title characters being joined by Elmyra Duff. Pinky, Elmyra & the Brain was also executive produced by Steven Spielberg and the series was produced by Amblin Entertainment in association with Warner Bros. Animation. It aired on Kids' WB. This show would be Spielberg's final collaborative effort with Warner Bros. Animation until the 2020 revival of Animaniacs.

Perhaps because of inconsistencies in comparison with Tiny Toon Adventures, the show was heavily disliked by fans of both Tiny Toon Adventures and Pinky and the Brain alike, and was cancelled after only 13 episodes. The last episode was broadcast April 10, 1999. Although the series did not end without winning a Daytime Emmy Award in 2000 for "Outstanding Children's Animated Program", the screenwriters disliked the series as well. They expressed their disgust in the theme song, in the lyrics, "It's what the network wants, why bother to complain?", as well as Brain's line, "I deeply resent this." Curiously, Pinky and the Brain had earlier made a cameo as two of Elmyra's caged pets in Tiny Toon Spring Break. Also, when Brain makes a cameo in the Tiny Toons Night Ghoulery Special, Elmyra remarks, "I'll play with you later," a possible foreshadowing.

A reboot series titled, Tiny Toons Looniversity, was announced on October 28, 2020 through the Amblin Entertainment website. It was ordered for two seasons, with each episode running 30 minutes. As with the original series, Steven Spielberg will return to his role as executive producer. The series is set to premiere on HBO Max, and simulcast on Cartoon Network.

Shortly after the reboot's announcement, it was reported that several of the original cast members were not going to be involved in the series. It was revealed that Elmyra Duff was excluded.

On July 9, 2022, it was announced that Tiny Toons Looniversity would be part of the "Looney Tunes" panel at San Diego Comic-Con 2022. On July 22, numerous pieces of concept art were shown, revealing a revamped Acme Looniversity and its interiors. This also confirmed many of the original series' major characters would be returning, some with updated appearances. Most notably, Elmyra was included in one of these pictures, disproving the claims of her removal. On September 8, 2023, Tiny Toons spin-off Tiny Toons Looniversity premiered on Max and simulcast on Cartoon Network the next day. Elmyra is listed on the show's Wikipedia page as apart of the series.

Prince: The Broken Man Beyond The Lights

The price one would pay for fame, glitz and glamour has always been high. A bill too hefty for anyone to foot. Expectations too much to try to live up to. At some point, anyone would want out! However, the trappings of fame come with heavy chains that bounds one to it forever, even in death! Prince Rogers Nelson must have known of this all too well.

Rough Childhood

Strutting down the hallway in ­platform shoes with a giant afro and a choker round his neck, the teenage Prince looked unlike anyone else at his suburban high school.

Though he was already a gifted musician, the outlandish outfits were the only way the short, skinny kid from a broken home could get noticed.

“He was trying to be cute and get attention. He didn’t get it at home,” recalls schoolmate Paul Mitchell. “A lot of people felt sorry for him.”

Though he would go on to sell over 100 million records, scoop seven Grammys, a Golden Globe and an Oscar, Prince’s life was moulded by his troubled childhood.

His parents split when he was two, resulting in him being a young man who was a mass of contradictions. Shy yet desperate for attention, he craved sex, then found religion. He became famous, then a virtual recluse. And through it all, the musical genius kept on playing.

According to his song "Sister" he was legit raped by his 32 year old half-sister. He went on record and admitted it. No one batted an eye!

"Sister" Lyrics

Destined For A Non-Private Life

Fame is a beast. For a man who was obviously shy and held many fascinating secrets, it unfortunately seems he (like many, regardless of struggle already being present in life) was somehow destined for fame. In other words, fame means being a public figure and a role model when you might not desire to be. Which means having to set a good example and be inspiration and encouragement to strangers. Which means you become subject to harsh judgment and scrutiny on a mass level. It also means you can never go back to living a "normal life".

At the age of 11-years-old in April 1970 Prince made a local news station, Minneapolis WCCO.
It wasn't until early 2022, that Matt Liddy found the clip while reporting on a much more recent teacher’s strike in Minneapolis. Which means the media has had the footage for years. Did Prince remember? Did he ever think the footage would resurface?

Throughout his career, a number of personal files and important documents have been made available for public viewing amongst regular people including certificates of birth and marriage, passports, report cards and you name it! Even after he was pronounced dead to the public, there has been countless authorized and unauthorized investigations, snooping and prying into the inner workings of Prince's life and legal matters.

Prince's 1986 Passport

Court cases and documents have been accessed as well as some questionable transactions by those closest to him at the time of his death (including hacked computers and deleted email accounts). Not to mention the conspiracy theories surrounding his death and the fact that many believe he's not even dead. Obviously no one wants to believe that their Michael Jackson or Elvis Presley has really perished. The lack of respect that has been shown for this man's privacy is unbelievable. Not to mention his lengthy Wikipedia page.

Complicated Sexuality

In today's world, to be honest, everything surrounding anything related to sex or sexuality including gender is a hot mess. Back in the day certain topics were taboo. Prince was no acception. He addressed sexual accusations about his sexuality early on in his career. In the title track to his 1981 album Controversy he sung:

Not to mention his adolescent queer behavior during his appearance on American Bandstand on January 26, 1980.

Prince sported a perm hairstyle for the cover of his self-titled 1979 album and wore a bikini bottom for the cover of 1980's Dirty Mind. As the music for these projects ranged from a variety of oral sex, threesomes, incest, ejaculation, being only physically attracted to someone plus wanting to be his lover's mother and sister too! Over the years, as his artistic direction led him through various different hairstyles, fashion pieces and musical genres by the latter half of his career, Prince seemed to be a changed man. Transformed by it all, he became increasingly more spiritual and appealingly more masculine in his presentation to the public. He became a master of both the feminine and the masculine energy. Why not? Wasn't he created by both a woman and man used as vessels to bring forth this creature from the ultimate divine energy from the great beyond?

The allegedly fake photo of Prince as his female alter-ego ‘Camille’ that appeared in some bootleg versions of "The Black Album" cassettes.

Yes, he had thousands of custom made mule pump high heels with matching costumes (like only a true DIVA would 💋) bell bottoms, neck chokers, ear rings, makeup including eye liner, eye shadow, blush and lip stick. Yes, he was unapologetic. He didn’t apologize for any of it. Let the chips fall where they may. In honor of his royal badness and his ultimate love for makeup, the Prince Estate in collaboration with Urban Decay released a special kit called The Prince Collection on May 27, 2021.

As far as the public knows, the recording artist has had two failed marriages, suffered through a few miscarriages and countless conundrums with several different parties. Maybe even some men.

Jerome Benton and Prince in Under the Cherry Moon.

In 1990, he saw 16-year-old dancer Mayte García standing outside his tour bus, and referred to her as his "future wife". She soon began working as one of his backup singers and dancers after graduating high school. They were married on February 14, 1996, when he was 37 and she was 22. They had a son named Amiir (born October 16, 1996), who died a week after being born due to Pfeiffer syndrome. The distress of losing a child and García's second miscarriage took a toll on the marriage, and the couple divorced in 2000. Mayte later sold her wedding dress in an auction on an episode  of VH1's Hollywood Exes.

Prince's Marriage Certificate To Mayte Garia

He went on to marry Manuela Testolini in 2001, when he was 43 and she was 25. The couple had no children together. They separated in 2005 and divorced in May 2006.

Besides his perverted entanglements with women much younger than him, he faces claims of having a certain coldness towards women. Which we covered in our three-part video Things Prince Said About 4 Of His Love Interests (SEE HERE - Part 1: https://youtu.be/H9e7blg6cF0; Part 2: https://youtu.be/WBvk9LyjDH8; Part 3: https://youtu.be/vKvoA4PtBMw?si=Z-ibT-txT6FPNfCg).

Insecurities

The 5 foot 2 (or 3) Minneapolis, Minnesota native was raised by his father after his parents split. 
“From that point, I’ve been having to deal with a lot of things, getting teased in school. And early in my career I tried to compensate by being as flashy and as noisy as I could.” He said of the time. He remained close to his father. But they lived in virtual poverty, which saw Prince develop anger issues.

“We used to go to McDonald’s,” he once said. “I didn’t have any money, so I’d just stand outside and smell stuff. Poverty makes people angry, brings out their worst side. I was very bitter when I was young. I was insecure and I’d attack anybody.” If Prince achieved fame and success for money, his ideas about money and poverty may have changed along with each experience.
In 2004, during his induction speech at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame he stated:

In the intro to his song "No More Candy 4 U" from his 2009 album MPLSound he reiterated:

Indicated that he sold his soul for fame and fortune to prove himself to those who otherwise may not have known or liked him in an attempt to escape poverty by using a very common conscious strategy used to reduce unpleasant emotions and experiences. A mechanism!
However it was in his song "Breakdown" that he simply explained:

Alleged Drug Addiction

On April 20, 2016, Prince's representatives called Howard Kornfeld, a California specialist in addiction medicine and pain management, seeking medical help for the star. Kornfeld scheduled to meet with him on April 22, and he contacted a local physician who cleared his schedule for a physical exam on April 21.

On April 21, at 9:43 am, the Carver County Sheriff's Office received a 911 call requesting an ambulance be sent to Prince's home at Paisley Park. The caller initially told the dispatcher that an unidentified person at the home was unconscious, then moments later said he was dead, and finally identified the person as Prince. The caller was Kornfeld's son, who had flown in with buprenorphine that morning to devise a treatment plan for opioid addiction. There has been rumors in circulation for years that Prince was secretly addicted to "angel dust". Whoever the supplier of these random drugs if there was any addiction he hid it and hid it well. He must have masked it with anti-drug activism and veganism. The media has spun the narrative that he damaged his hips while performing in the '80s, saying he jumped off risers while wearing high heels during his "Purple Rain" days and that "it damaged parts of his body." Prince was seen in frequentl years using a cane. This reportdly triggered his love of painkillers due to his hip and ankle issues.

Conclusion

No one is perfect. No one has ever been. No one will ever be. Prince didn't try to be perfect. Well, at least not too hard. Look, he was a broken man. No one goes unscathed by life's turmoil. Inside himself he was shattered no doubt. Beyond his cool, calm and collected swave outer persona - he had flaws! He accepted them. Embraced them. Put them on public display for all to see. Love him or hate him. Think what you want about him. Say what you want about him. He was Prince. He was himself. He was here. His legacy proves just that!