The JibJab Blog

Stick Your Face In It!

Widescreen, Wigged Valentines

Along with our new Samba Dance and I Got You Babe music video, keen eyes may notice that our fare from years previous have received makeovers! First up, widescreen. 14 videos were retrofitted in dimension from 4×3 to 16×9 to give you a cinematic JibJab experience.

We’ve also added wigs and hats to the Starring You videos in our library. The new headpieces work to integrate you deeper into the experience, while making it easier for you to create great looking Starring You heads. Hair is typically the hardest element to cut out, (it’s different on everyone), so these changes take the role of barber away from you, providing you with hair created by our JibJab artists.

Want to find the revamped video Valentines? Try Shoot Cupid, Silent Film, the Charleston, Tango, La Cucaracha, Disco, Striptease Male, Striptease Female, Farty Valentine, Romeo & Juliet, Let’s Get Physical, Kama Sutra, Chippendales and Let’s Make Out! Uh-oh… looks like you’re going to have to get a few more Valentines.

February 9, 2011
Justin Hits JibJab

When Justin Bieber’s crew came our way a few months ago about the prospect of a Starring You music video, we instantly came down with the fever. Evan spent hours on end listening to Bieber jams (and singing them around the office) as he cut a Starring You video from Justin’s uber-popular video for “One Time”.

The launch this week coincides with the release Justin’s new movie Justin Bieber: Never Say Never, so once you’ve declared yourself a Belieber by casting yourself in his music video (hey, it’s free too!), check out the movie in theaters Feb 11th!

February 8, 2011
Teaser Fever

This just in. He’s coming to JibJab. Brace yourselves.

February 7, 2011
Bonus Babe Vid

Just a video as we near Valentine’s Day next week, showing our techniques behind rolling downhill, sans hill.

February 7, 2011
The Art of “I Got You Babe”

We’ve just posted the best photos and art from the making of “I Got You Babe” over on Facebook! As our Valentine’s Day tentpole for 2011, “I Got You Babe” was meticulously arranged from start to finish. Check out how we made it by clicking the photo below, then cast it over in the Valentine’s Day section of our site!

February 3, 2011
We Got Animatics Babe!

See how we took our “I Got You Babe” video from soup to nuts! Below is our first animatic.

Using the animation as a guide, Evan and his wife Adrienne took to the screen and brought the characters to life with extra gusto. We had to take footage from the ceiling using a wide angle lens to bring that field shot to life.

Now check out the final version live at our Valentine’s Day page! Stop back at the blog tomorrow and we’ll be highlighting some of the incredible concept art and final backgrounds used in the piece. Until then, good luck getting that song out of your head.

February 2, 2011
The New eCards Page is live!

It’s been a few years since we tweaked the design of our eCards layout and after several months work, we think we’ve perfected making the page useful, simple and eye pleasing all at once.

What’s different? You’ll notice birthday alerts at the top of the page if you are signed in through Facebook, a new welcome video if you are new to the site and a simplified presentation of all the holidays and occasions we have to offer.

More information, less clutter. What do you think, dig the new style? Check it out and sound off!

February 1, 2011
It’s Ladies Night!

Hey ladies. We’ve launched three new lady-approved Profile Pics, and to celebrate, we’re holding our first ever JibJab Ladies Night. Tonight, all our profile pics featuring the fairer sex are free to make and add to Facebook for your profile picture needs.

Oh and fellas, you can feel free to partake as well. If you’re into that sort of thing. Oh and ladies, we’ve got even more profile pics on the way! New: Lady LaLa, The Gardener, Forest Princess, All Profile Pics.

[Update: Ladies night was a rousing success! Thanks for joining in gals!]

January 27, 2011
We Scoff at Your Box of Chocolates

And also at your bouquet of flowers. While our new Valentine’s Day stuff hits the site next week, now is the time to order Valentine’s Day gifts of the JibJab variety. How can you do this? Visit this page and create any still image. Once you’re done, you’ll see a prompt to make gifts out of your freshly created picture.

Depending on the item you chose you may make Mugs, Mousepads and/or Greeting Cards out of the gifts. Click, order and surprise your special man/lady with a creative gift!

January 24, 2011
JibJab at SXSW!

Good news! Our bid to get into SXSW made it’s way into a session called Future 15, hosted by Ryan Junell. The panel on Tuesday March 15th features 15 guest speakers including our own Evan Spiridellis, who will talk about Starring You technology and how the world of interactive entertainment is evolving.

Thanks to our voters for their support casting votes for our panel, it definitely helped to get us in. We will have more info below as the date approaches. Until then… calling all JibJabbers, South by SouthWest Festival fans and Texans of all shapes and sizes!

FUTURE 15 “Post Post-Modern Celebrity”
hosted by Ryan Junell

TUESDAY, MARCH 15th

11:45am – Evan Spiridellis “Starring You”

[UPDATE January 24th: Two links with more info. Our official panel description. The Future 15 Panel Hub.]

January 11, 2011
Star Wars Starring You Profile Pics!

Along with our relaunch of Star Wars Starring You, we’re offering JibJab Members a dozen new castable Star Wars photos, featuring a slew of classic characters and their buddies, primed to be Facebook profile pics!

We’ve also updated the site and made it super easy to download your pictures after creating them (ie: a giant download button on the right hand side of the image). Try one out on your profile and feel the force on Facebook!

January 10, 2011
Star Wars Relaunch!

We’ve relaunched the Star Wars Starring You trilogy, integrating the experience more seamlessly onto our site and making the three films even easier to create and share! Use heads you’ve already uploaded to JibJab.com to cast your movies, share with ease and enjoy A New Hope, which has been made free for the first time to mark this epic occasion!

January 7, 2011
Tandem Trouble

One of the new Valentine’s Day music videos we’re filming this week features a tandem bicycle, and working right near the Venice boardwalk, the easiest way to get our hands on a bike for two was renting one of the tourist bikes from down by the beach. With the rental shop on the beach, there’s really only one way to take a two person bike in or out… riding with a partner. Or walking it, alone, but how depressing is that? Amia and Maureen were determined to return the bicycle-built-for-two together after our shoot yesterday, only to find that riding a tandem bike is not as easy as riding a bike. Video below.

January 7, 2011
2010 in Starring You Videos

In September we posted up a chart of top secret Starring You projects in progress. Just a few months later we had completed a slew of them to cap off 2010! Here’s the list in a more complete form. Believe us, it felt good to put that last skull sticker on the chart.

Not including new birthday and special occasion content, JibJab’s 2010 saw Skiing, Figure Skating, 80’s Workouts, Breakdancing Leprechauns, the Star Wars Trilogy, Soccer, Kitchen Musicals, Kung Fu Moms and Dads, our Dad Rap, the Founding Father Rap, Mad Men, Halloween Rap, Frankenstein and dozens of holiday movie variants. Time to do it all over again, what do you think JibJab should tackle in 2011?

January 5, 2011
Fresh Year, Fresh Coat of Paint

We trounce hard on our blue screen… and between dancers, paint, clay, puppeteering and confectioneries… the thing gets filthy. So once every few months we give it a fresh coat. Amia worked on this one late last night so it could be dry for shooting this morning. Hat tips to you, madame!

January 4, 2011