Member Note
Cartoon character Betty Boop was the star of Paramount Pictures Talkartoon and Betty Boop films produced by Max Fleischer. Betty’s famous "Boop-oop-a-doop" tag line and innocent but overt sexuality made her "The Queen of the Animated Screen" throughout the 1930s.
The original Betty Boop character was a dog, but her floppy ears became earrings and her boyfriend, Bimbo became her pet when she became a human character modeled after jazz flapper girls of the era. One of the real-life inspirations for Boop was singer Helen Kane, who sued Paramount in 1934 for "deliberate caricature" that produced "unfair competition."
Many fans felt that Boop lost much of her charm and sex appeal after The National Legion of Decency influenced the Motion Picture Industry to impose restrictions on sexual innuendo in films in 1933. The rediscovery of Betty Boop through merchandise in the 1980s renewed her popularity and introduced her to new generations of fans.
Fast Facts
- Created by Myron "Grim" Natwick
- Margie Hines first supplied Betty Boop's voice
- First appeared on August 9, 1930 in the cartoon Dizzy Dishes
- Last appearance was in 1939's Yip Yip Yippy
- Made a cameo appearance in 1988's Who Framed Roger Rabbit
- According to producer Max Fleischer, Betty was only 16
- Featured in the first Color Classic cartoon Poor Cinderella (1934)
- Appeared in her own comic strip from 1934 to 1937
