These dark pink sunglasses with pink heart-shaped frames were worn by actress Kim Basinger as Holli Would--a cartoon vamp in the 1992 Ralph Bakshi live action/animation hybrid film Cool World. In the film, Basinger's character Holli is a cartoon who wants to become human and escape from the animated world--"Cool World"--into the real world. These sunglasses were worn by Holli in the waistband of her cheerleader/candy-striper styled outfit, before she puts them on. She then escapes to the real world, causing dimensional chaos.
Cool World was Bakshi's attempt to make an more adult version of Who Framed Roger Rabbit; but, the studio demand to tone it down from R to PG-13, combined with contentious script rewrites and rushed animation, made for a disappointing film despite an A-list cast for the era--led by Kim Basinger, Brad Pitt, and Gabriel Byrne. It was given top marketing, including an expensive placement of the likeness of the character Holli Would on top of the landmark Hollywood Sign. But the film's tag line--"Holli Would if She Could...and She Will"--and suggestive marketing campaign were at odds with its PG-13 content, keeping kids away and not pleasing adult viewers. Ultimately, it's remembered as a big, expensive, failed experiment.
These sunglasses, and the promotional pin of Holli Would accompanying them, were kept by the lead actress Kim Basinger after filming as part of her personal memorabilia collection. Much of that collection from throughout her career was eventually sold to benefit charity, including these sunglasses. A large LA-based bookseller whom Basinger had long worked with, catalogued her items and sold them for her through Bonhams, Juliens, and elsewhere.
