Character of the Week: Betty Boop

Betty Boop

Betty Boop, one of America’s most beloved characters, made her debut appearance in 1930 as a canine cabaret signer in the cartoon “Dizzy Dishes,” produced by Max Fleischer and released by Paramount Pictures.  Betty’s animator, Grim Natwick, created a dog-like woman with a large head to costar with Bimbo the dog.  She had floppy ears, a black button nose, and poodle-like curls.

By 1932, Betty Boop was given her own series of cartoon film shorts, and she had lost all traces of her canine qualities.  Her floppy ears became large hoop earrings, and her nose changed to a cute human button nose.  Betty’s animators finalized her look and she became the hot-blooded woman we know today.

It has been said that Betty Boop was modeled after the silent film star Clara Bow, and Helen Kane, a popular singer of the time.  Helen Kane was most known for her song “I Wanna Be Loved By You,” and her trademark phrase “Boop-Oop-A-Doop.”  She also had a high-pitched baby-like voice that inspired the Betty Boop designers.

Betty Boop is an animated sex symbol.  She has been said to represent the “flapper” lifestyle of the 1920’s, reminding people of past carefree days while in the midst of the Great Depression.  Betty wore short strapless dresses with high heels and flaunted a garter on her leg.  She often displayed some cleavage and had a tendency to wear sheer clothes so that her curvy silhouette would show through when she walked by lights.  Even though Betty Boop was seen as a sex symbol, she still managed to portray a sense of innocence.  This could be due to the fact her head is so large, with her proportions resembling that of a baby.

Betty’s sexual nature and innocent qualities were both brought into the theatrical cartoon film shorts that she starred in.  Her black and white cartoon series began in 1932 with “Stopping the Show,” and ended hundreds of cartoons later in 1939 with “Yip Yip Yippy.”

During the time period of her series, regulations came about that limited the way Betty could be portrayed.  In 1933, the National Legion of Decency and the Production Code (Hays Code) was adopted by Hollywood studios, largely due to the fact that the studios would rather censor themselves than be subject to government regulation.  The Code imposed a set of moral values and censorship on the motion picture industry, and as of July 1934, films were required to obtain a certificate of approval from the Production Code Administration before being released.

In Philadelphia, the Betty Boop short cartoon called ”Boilesque” was banned for being too risqué.  No longer could Betty Boop be so overtly sexy or wear such skimpy clothing.  Her character went from being a fun loving “flapper” to a husbandless housewife or career girl depending on the cartoon.  Betty went from wearing a short strapless dress to wearing a dress that had sleeves and a hemline that fell below her knees.

Not only was Betty censored in 1934; she also had a lawsuit brought against her. Helen Kane filed a lawsuit against Fleischer Studios and Paramount Pictures for $250,000.  She claimed that she had lost fans to Betty Boop due to the fact that Betty copied her look, imitated her voice, and stole her line “Boop-Oop-a-Doop.”  In fact, Kane’s career was heading downhill just as Betty’s was climbing.  Kane’s claims were eventually dropped due to the fact that another singer named Baby Esther was proven to have sung a song with “Boop-Oop-A-Doop” years before Kane used the line.

Betty Boop’s cartoon film series came to an end in 1939, but she did not leave the public eye for long.  In 1955, her 110 theatrical short cartoon films were sold for television syndication.  In the 1960’s, the arrival of color television forced black and white cartoons out of the market and Betty’s cartoons were retired.  Soon after, her cartoon film shorts started popping up at art movie theatre houses and college film showings, gaining a whole new generation of fans.

In the 1970’s, television syndicators attempted to bring the Betty Boop cartoons back to TV by having them remade into color in Korea, but because of the poor workmanship, the stations did not want to buy them.

Betty Boop enjoyed a comeback in the 1980s when the VCR and cable television became household fixtures.  Not only were the cartoons now available for watching in their original black and white format, a compilation of the cartoons was made into an eight volume VHS set called, “Betty Boop, the Definitive Collection.”  Betty also made an appearance in the movie “Who Framed Roger Rabbit” in 1988, after a 50-year absence from film.

No matter how many years go by, Betty Boop will always be a public favorite.  Merchandise has been available for purchase since the early 1930’s, and almost anything one can think of has been manufactured with Betty’s likeness on it.  Clothing, dishes, dolls, statuettes, and lunch boxes are just a few examples of what is available.  There are even conventions and vacations especially for fans of the loveable Betty Boop!

Betty Boop is one of the most recognizable characters in the world.  She has warmed our hearts, made us smile, and charmed us for over 70 years.  With her cute wink and saucy personality, she is sure to win the hearts of generations to come.  Check out our website for a huge selection of Betty collectibles and gifts, and let the “Boop-Oop-A-Doop” girl charm her way into your home.