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Gingerbread Jimmi creator asks Disney to stop using character’s likeness

Ron Holbrook reads the "Gingerbread Jimmi Magical Storybook" to children during the 10th annual Gingerbread Jimmi celebration at the Park City Library Monday evening, December 3, 2018. Children were treated to a gingerbread house competition, cookies and hot chocolate as well as a visit from Santa Claus. (Tanzi Propst/Park Record)
Park Record file photo

Gingerbread Jimmi and Mickey Mouse may be squaring off.

Nicole Deforge, the lawyer for Gingerbread Jimmi creator and local author J.R. Holbrook and his company Holbrook Studios, said she sent a cease-and-desist letter to the Walt Disney Company’s trademark division on Nov. 1 to ask the entertainment company to stop using the name and a character that looks similar to Gingerbread Jimmi.

Holbrook created Gingerbread Jimmi in 2002, and published The “Gingerbread Jimmi: Magical Storybook” in 2004.



Since 2008 Holbrook has developed the Gingerbread Jimmi House Competition into a local holiday tradition, and he created Gingerbread Jimmi wish benches that were installed in 2017 in Park City and Kimball Junction, Deforge said.

Deforge, an attorney at Fabian VanCott in Salt Lake City, and Holbrook allege Disney used Gingerbread Jimmi’s name and likeness in episodes of Disney Jr.’s “Goldie and the Bear” specials in 2018 and in a 2016 episode of “Fuller House” without permission from Holbrook, she said.



“There have also been other references to that, which have been popping up on Wikipedia pages that are causing confusion to J.R.’s creation,” Deforge said.

Disney trademark lawyer Kevin Daley confirmed to The Park Record that he received the letter and sent a preliminary reply to Deforge, saying he would look into the allegations.

“I haven’t officially replied, but I plan to do so sometime this week,” Daley said.

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