History of Betty Boop

Betty Boop has been around since her first cartoon in 1930.  The first appearance of Betty Boop was in the 6th Talkartoon starring Bimbo, entitled "Dizzy Dishes" (1930.). Grim Natwick was the first animator to draw Betty, who had not yet been officially named. He took inspiration for Betty's spit curls from a song sheet of Helen Kane, commonly called the "Boop Oop a Doop Girl". Betty started out being designed as a human-like dog, only her black button nose and floppy ears hinting at her canine nature. These ears later became her round earrings, in part due to the fact that the Fleischer animators had a tendency to change animating styles and features of characters from cartoon to cartoon, and sometimes within the same cartoon. (In "Bum Bandit"-1931- Betty's nose changes from black to white and then back again in the same cartoon.) Her high baby voice, like her spit curls, were in imitation of singer Helen Kane. Her first starring role was in "Betty Coed" (1931), which also marked the first time the name Betty was connected with the character. In "Any Rags" (1932), Betty became completely human, and her ears permanently became earrings. As for her famous garter, Betty started out with two, then early drawings showing her still with ears show the garter on her right leg. When she became a regular, however, and her features were officially set, the garter moved to her left leg, and stayed there.

Betty's series ended in 1939 with "Yip Yip Yippy". In the years to follow, she would appear in clumsily colour re-releases (1970) on television, but her real revival came about during the late 60's and early 70's, when her cartoons began to appear in late night showings at college town theatres, as well as part of psychedelic light shows. Since then she has remained popular, with a fan following that becomes larger every day. The 90's celebration of her 60th anniversary brought her back into the public eye even more.

In 1934, Betty began appearing in comic strips drawn by Bud Counihan (though they were signed with Max Fleischer's name.) The daily strip ran for one year (1934-1935), then was released only on Sundays until 1937.

In 1932 Betty took over as the Fleischer star, and Bimbo was relegated to the role of her companion. He didn't seem to mind, even when she stopped being a dog and became human. Other regular co-stars included Ko-Ko the clown, who had been retired for some years from his previous cartoon series, and Pudgy, her faithful puppy companion (created by Myron Waldman). Also seen in many cartoons with Betty were Grampy (who appeared in over 10 Betty cartoons), and the pretty boy Freddy, her sometime love interest, as well as a host of other personified animals (most of whom disappeared after 1934). Only appearing once with Betty were Henry, the Little King and Little Jimmy, all adopted from other cartoon strips. As for romantic connection, she was seen not only with Freddy, but also with Bimbo on a regular basis, and Ko-Ko, with slightly less regularity. Ko-Ko was occasionally given the singing voice and dance moves of Cab Calloway during his guest appearances.

Unlike Disney, Fleischer Studios' only real competitor at the time, Fleischer allowed several racy images and scenarios to enter his cartoons. In several cartoons, Betty loses the top of her dress ("Any Rags"-1932 and "Poor Cinderella"-1934), exposing a frilly strapless bra, and in others her skirt flies up ("Dizzy Red Riding Hood"-1931 and "Barnacle Bill"-1930.) You can even catch a glimpse of her breast in "Betty Boop's Rise To Fame", while she changes into her hula outfit, but only if you look quickly (The scene lasts only 1/24th of a second.) In the same picture, she performs the hula dance with only a strategically placed flower lei to cover her chest. In a couple of cartoons ("Mysterious Mose"-1930 and "The Old Man of the Mountain"-1933), Betty loses her dress completely, but is conveniently hidden behind a tree or in her bed. Very often Betty's curved silhouette could be seen through her clothing as she passed before a fire or other light. By 1935, in the era where sitcom married couples slept in separate beds, Betty was toned down. Her skirt was lengthened and her strapless dress given a top and short sleeves. Thankfully, today censors are not so strict, and Betty has returned to her former self.

The first Boopabelia hit the stores in 1934, decorating such items as coats, tea sets, cards, dolls and watches with her now familiar image. Today, you can find anything from t-shirts and shower curtains, to personalized checks and nail polish, each bearing Betty's charming likeness