Beloved Cartoon ‘Scrat’ is Scrapped in new film

Ivy Supersonic is Victorious in New ‘Ice Age Film’ Trademark Fight

By Amy Nicole Tangel

The newest Ice Age film premiered on Disney+ missing a signature character. After a two-decade battle in court over a character Ivy “Supersonic,” the artist and famed feathered-hat-fashion designer, claims to have created, “Scrat” was scrapped from the film after she was awarded principal trademark in a 2020 settlement.

Seen only once in the official trailer for, ‘The Ice Age Adventures of Buck Wild’ in true “Ice Age” fashion was of course the clumsy and comical combination squirrel/rat character in the opening. Movie clips that followed abruptly became absent of the character, and it began to become clear to Ivy, who claims her ‘Sqrat’ was initially stolen by Blue Sky Studios, Inc., and Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation film executives in 1999 that Disney was beginning to make right.

“I created Sqrat first, before Fox, Blue Sky Studios, and Disney on May 19, 1999,” said Ivy.

Reaching the almost two-year anniversary of principal trademark ownership, Ivy has moved forward and putting her fight for justice in the hands of Intellectual Property & Entertainment Lawyer Neil A. Burstein. Burstein has represented small and large companies along with high-profile celebrities such as the late fashion designer, Kate Spade and has legally represented film projects for streaming companies HBO and Netflix.

With no pending litigation between Ivy and Disney, who acquired the franchise in March 20, 2019, she said she believes it would be a “win-win for everyone.” According to Fandom.com, in the five ‘Ice Age’ films prior to today’s release, the franchise has grossed approximately $3.2 billion worldwide making it one of the top-earning animated franchises in the world. Ivy said she is pursuing merchandising and licensing deals all the while hoping Disney will reach out to her attorney with an offer first.

“You just have to admire Ivy Silberstein d/b/a Ivy Supersonic for fighting the good fight against powerful entertainment companies over so many years. Ivy prevailed in securing the valuable trademark rights to Sqrat® as well as certain copyrights. Ivy’s saga is a compelling story in its own right,” said Burstein.

Multiple people originally involved with the top-selling franchise stemming from the now-defunct Blue Sky Studios, Inc., and Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation have over the years taken additional claims to also be creators of the film’s character of ‘Scrat.’ While creative projects often include teams of people to bring visions to life, it often appeared in statements over the years that somethings didn’t add up.

In an article published by Soo Theatre News in November of 2009, screenwriter and creator of “Ice Age,” Michael J. Wilson claimed his daughter gave him the idea for the character when she was a 3-year-old little girl. But in a November 2002 court declaration, professional freelance sculptor and model maker, John Dodelson who worked on the first film in 1999 stated his opposition to Ivy’s motion and claimed he came up with the name “Sqrat” to identify the character he was sculpting because it looked like a “squirrel and a rat” to him.

Although courts were never able to rule completely in Ivy’s favor, quite simply, due to a lack of legal copyright documentation held at the time of initial claim, eventually Ivy said she prevailed when trademarks were dropped in March of 2020 by all parties and by July 2020 principal trademark for ‘Sqrat’ was in her hands.

“Fox applied for 26 ‘Scrat’ trademarks through the years and have been unsuccessful with all 26. Any new trademarks would now be barred by my registrations,” said Ivy.

Since Ivy began her campaign in 1999, she has had countless high-profile and long-time friends such as entrepreneur Jesse Itzler, Howard Stern, actor, and businessman Nick Loeb and the late renowned photographer Steve Azzara, who voluntarily supported her entire ‘Sqrat’ campaign, spoken out and validated her creation.

However, the force was too strong to be reckoned with for many years. Even long-time friend Tommy Lee of Motley Crue spoke under oath in a testament of support of Ivy’s ‘Sqrat’ stating how he believed in her idea when she created it in the late ’90s and even agreed to be the voice of ‘Sqrat’ to help her gain some traction.

“My dream for Sqrat to be a star has already been manifested, I’m with hope and faith that one day Disney will credit me as Sqrat’s creator,” said Ivy.

Over the past two years, Ivy has continued to live a life exuding constant creativity moving beyond the courtroom and even collaborated with Big Apple Comic Con founder, Michael Carbonaro. In February 2021 she opened her first-ever ‘Sqrat’ pop-up store selling trademarked merchandise such as t-shirts, notebooks, and paintings alongside Carbonaro’s collections of comic books in Middle Village, Queens.

Ivy’s determination to never give up has carried her through. She said she is finally at a place where at 54-years-old she is done fighting and just wants peace. From the age of 34, Ivy said battling in court dominated her life and now that she has won she just wants to bring ‘Sqrat’ to fruition with his own adventures as she envisioned when she created the character long ago.

Most well-known for designing the pink feathered hat Pamela Anderson wore to the 1999 MTV VMA’s, Ivy has been designing her one-of-a-kind creations for celebrities and fashion lovers alike for years. She currently has about two dozen handmade couture feathered hats in her collection.

On top of it all, her true passion to create carries through in her paintings and she is currently working on a new collection she calls, “Supersonic Land.” The series of paintings are created with watercolors and a sparkling mixture of Ivy’s mystical touch which she said is magical to her with their splashes of fairy dust, angel perfume and healing water.

“The paintings have letters and thoughts to God in them for luck, prosperity and good fortune,” said Ivy.

At the forefront of Ivy’s mission through whatever path she may take, ‘Sqrat’ has her heart and she said she is ready for what good is to come next.

Ivy will be in attendance with ‘Sqrat’ merchandise and a showcase of her feathered hat collection this Saturday, January 29, 2022 at The New Yorker Hotel as she partners with Michael Carbonaro once again for the first-ever, Big Apple Trading Card Show from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

To read more about everything Sqrat and Ivy Supersonic, visit her sites, http://www.ivysupersonic.com, http://www.sqrat.com and www.scrat.com. You can also keep up with Ivy on Facebook and Instagram for the most up-to-date events and happenings.