Abbi Jacobson’s new collection of illustrations is out this week. (Photo courtesy of Penguin Random House.)
Abbi Jacobson is best known as one of the stars of Broad City, the rambunctious Comedy Central series adapted from her web series of the same name with best friend and professional partner Ilana Glazer. On the show, Abbi’s the dorky one, with a frustrating job at a local gym and a penchant for awkward social situations.
The real Jacobson is far more accomplished. In addition to starring in one of TV’s most acclaimed shows—which counts Hillary Clinton as a recent guest star—Jacobson boasts a degree in fine arts and video production from the Maryland Institute College of Art, and published two coloring books celebrating New York City and San Francisco in 2013.
Those two books are called, bluntly, Color This Book. Three years later, she’s publishing an even grander follow-up, Carry This Book, which features 144 pages of colorful illustrations imagining the objects that famous politicians and pop culture icons carry in their purses. The book boasts an eclectic roster of published plaudits including Questlove, Aziz Ansari, and, of course, Glazer herself. She’ll discuss the project at Sixth & I on Thursday — the event has sold out, but DCist got to preview a few of the book’s imaginative illustrations.
The contents of Hillary Clinton’s purse as imagined by Abbi Jacobson (Courtesy of Penguin Random House)
Hillary Clinton’s bag contains a membership card to the Lady Gaga fan club (not Katy Perry?), an MTA card to give her a shot at redemption, and of course, hot sauce.
The contents of Donald Trump’s man-purse as imagined by Abbi Jacobson (Penguin Random House)
Donald Trump’s carrying around a heavier load: a comb emblazoned with a catchy campaign slogan; “Pocket Mantras” like “You are a genius” and “You are extremely well-endowed”; and a pen that definitely wasn’t made in the U.S. Pay special attention to the presidential candidate’s handy-dandy checklist.
The contents of Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s purse as imagined by Abbi Jacobson (Penguin Random House)
One of Trump’s nemeses, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, has the most youthful spread of the three, despite her advanced age.
Other luminaries in the book include Kanye West, Oprah Winfrey, Prince, and Beyonce.
And if you can’t get enough of Jacobson, there’s plenty more on the way. She’s a voice in the upcoming spinoff The Lego Ninjago Movie, and she’s also starring in an upcoming Netflix drama about heroin addiction with her Neighbors 2: Sorority Rising co-star Dave Franco.
Abbi Jacobson will discuss Carry This Book at Sixth & I on Thursday at 6:30 p.m. She’ll be in conversation with Mike Perry, an artist who created the dazzling animated opening credits for Broad City.
