Princess Tiana Vs. Princess Briana

Disney: "The Princess and The Frog"

For your information, it seems that a controversy is brewing surrounding the so-called "Disney's First Black Princess" Tiana. Did Disney copy the look and name of Just Like Me's "Princess Briana" to create the character of Princess Tiana in the movie "The Princess and The Frog"? Well, according to recent reports, there may be good reason to question the origin of this lead princess character and the claim that Disney has made in its promotion of the movie.

It might interest you to know that the first black princess on the same level as Snow White and Cinderella was not Disney's Princess Tiana... it was Princess Briana. How Disney came up with a name and a look so similar to another black princess story already on the market three years prior to the announcement of Princess Tiana raises serious questions. The questions gain further traction when a Senior Manager of Disney Consumer Products requested and received the Princess Briana book and other supporting materials from the president of Just Like Me, Inc. Upon receipt, the senior manager said that she would forward all of the materials to Disney Animation and if they were interested in using the character they would call. Needless to say, Disney Animation never called Just Like Me, Inc.

JustLikeMe.com: "Princess Briana"

Princess Briana was first created in a script in 2003. The script won second runner-up at the Hollywood Black Film Festival. The first Princess Briana book was sold in November 2004, three years prior to the world-wide media frenzy about Disney's first black princess. Obviously, a small company like Just Like Me, Inc. could not compete with the media machine that Disney has generating buzz about the film around the world. However, the Princess Briana book is very successful in its own right.

The Princess Briana fairytale sold out within the first 15 days of its debut at B. Dalton, a subsidiary of Barnes & Noble bookstores located in Union Station in Washington, DC. The book also sold out within 30 days at the Borders bookstore in Largo, MD. In addition, Princess Briana was the No. 1 selling children's book in 2005 at Karibu Books, the largest African-American bookstore chain in America at that time. Just Like Me, Inc. secured a national distribution deal for the Princess Briana book in 2005. The 2005 Princess Briana book tour was held in Borders bookstores in six major U.S. cities.

By 2007, the princess was so popular that, if you entered the term "black princess" in Google or Yahoo, Princess Briana appeared on the 1st page of the #1 and #2 internet search engines in America. In 2008, Just Like Me, Inc. secured an international distribution deal that allows the Princess Briana book in paperback (ISBN: 978-1928889069) to be purchased at any major bookstore upon request in the United States, Europe, or Canada. Princess Briana continues to be an Amazon.com success with astounding testimonials from customers who've purchased the fairytale.

With the success of the Princess Briana book and script, why didn't Disney's Legal Department discover the Princess Briana character and warn Disney Animation about the possible copyright infringement? If Disney Animation had the Princess Briana book and supporting materials why would they create a character so similar to Princess Briana? Out of the millions of names to choose from, is it just coincidence that Disney chose a name that is almost identical to Princess Briana, the only other successful black princess fairytale on the market? It is not hard to imagine that by having almost identical names, similar looks, and both being black princesses that this will cause considerable confusion with consumers when the Princess Briana movie and licensed products are released.

Disney's response to these questions can be considered odd, to say the least. Disney's Legal Department claims that no one at Disney Animation ever viewed any materials pertaining to Princess Briana. The company asserts that the name "Tiana" was chosen because it means princess in Greek. Disney also claims the senior manager who contacted Just Like Me, Inc. was a temporary employee and was not authorized to make that contact.

Disney's answers to the original set of questions only generate more questions. If the Princess Briana character truly had no influence on Disney character's name, then why put the title of princess in front of her name? No other Disney Princess had princess before their name when they were introduced (i.e. there was never a Princess Cinderella, Princess Ariel, Princess Jasmine, etc.). According to Disney, Tiana's name already means princess... therefore, the name Princess Tiana translates into Princess Princess?

Further, when did major corporations start hiring temps to fill their senior management positions? Under the copyright and trademark laws, companies are under the obligation to conduct extensive research to avoid copyright and/or trademark infringement. How is it possible for a "temporary" employee of Disney to find Princess Briana on the internet but Disney Animation as well as Disney's Legal Department, with billions of dollars in resources, could not find Princess Briana to avoid the similarities of these two characters? Disney's Legal Department, by their own admission, did have the Princess Briana book and supporting materials several months before the announcement of Disney's Princess Tiana.

Yaba Baker

Yaba Baker, the creator of Princess Briana, had this to say... "For 6 years, I worked day and night, traveled all over the country promoting, acquired loans from family members and banks, and sank every penny I earned back into making the Princess Briana movie. After all of my hard work, a big corporation is attempting to take it all away from me. It's just not right. In America, the small businessman is supposed to get a fair shake but this anything but a fair shake." When asked what he would like to happen at this point, Baker responded...

"If anyone believes that Disney's Princess Tiana is a copy of Princess Briana, please go to PrincessBriana.com or Amazon.com and support my fight against Disney by buying a Princess Briana book. The book is only $9.99 (the regular price is $12.99) on the Princess Briana website. If you buy at least 5 books, I will take off an additional 10%. If you don't have children or do not have a little girl to purchase the book for, please purchase as many books as possible and donate the books to a good cause this holiday season (i.e. Girl Scouts, Brownies, children in a homeless shelter, etc.)."

Personally, I don't quite know what to think about all of this but I felt the need to pass on this information via my blog. I must confess that I knew nothing about the Princess Briana fairytale until I discovered this controversy on the internet. Further, in addition to the plea for purchasing the book, I think that Baker should have responded to the last question with a definite statement that he plans to take legal action against Disney and requested contributions to a legal fund to defend his position. It is implied but I can only "hope" that he will use the money from the sale of the books to protect all of his hard work and perceived legal rights to the princess character that he created.

It will be interesting to see how this "tale of two black princesses" will end and I'm going to keep my eyes and ears open for further developments. I saw the previews for "The Princess and The Frog" about two weeks ago but, prior to this writing, made no plans to go and see it. I must admit that all of this has aroused my curiosity. Now, I intend to read the Princess Briana book and see the Disney movie so I can form my own opinion. In the meantime, for those of you who "might" want to lend your support to this cause in another way, you can also Become a Fan of Princess Briana on Facebook. I'm sure that your support will be appreciated in any form and above all, spread the word!

Note: The photo of Yaba Baker was changed/corrected on this post.