Michael Jackson costumes center of lawsuit from English wig makerMichael Jackson costumes center of lawsuit from English wig maker
Tuesday, August 25th 2009, 4:00 AM
Anderson/News
Michael Jackson's resemblance is clear in 'Plastic Man Wig with Glasses,' being sold by Rubie's Costume Co.
A famed English wigmaker is flipping its top over a Queens company's plans to hawk Michael Jackson costumes.
Century-old Smiffy's sued Rubie's Costume Co. in Manhattan Federal Court on Monday, claiming it has the worldwide rights to sell King of Pop getups for years to come.
Smiffy's, which was founded as a maker of powdered wigs for stuffy English judges, has successfully branched out into selling Jackson costumes.
Among its best sellers are the single-gloved "Billie Jean" costume and the "Bad" costume with a flowing black wig.
The venerable wigmaker says it owns the rights to the costumes and says Rubie's already has cost it more than $250,000 in orders by making phony marketing pitches to potential customers.
Not so, says Rubie's.
The Richmond Hill company says the suit is totally "Off the Wall" and claims it obtained the Jackson costume rights from a California company.
"Rubie's Officially is the Worldwide Licensee for Michael Jackson Costumes and Accessories," Rubie's Vice President Howard Beige wrote in an e-mail sent out last week, according to the lawsuit.
Rubie's already has the rights to market Elvis Presley costumes, and predicts Jackson will rival the swivel-hipped rocker in costume sales.
"He's going to be an iconic figure, like Elvis and Marilyn Monroe who will be a perennial seller," Beige said.