Paul S Umstead

Betty Boop - an Introduction and Short History



Posted: Tuesday, November 15, 2005

by Paul S Umstead
Char's eBay Gift Emporium

After almost 100 years from her humble beginning as a dog, Betty Boop grew and developed and ultimately has proven to have withstood the test of time. She has outlasted the pet rock, mood rings, lava lamps and virtually all other fad collectibles. We will chronicle her history and if you are a fan, perhaps you can answer the question "Why is Betty Boop so Popular?".

Betty Boop was first created as a dog character by Grim Natwick and appeared as the girl friend of another dog named Bimbo. Betty's figure was modeled after Mae West's and her singing style taken from Helen Kane the "Boop-Boop-a-Doop" girl. The voice of Betty was that of a young lady by the name of May Questal. Max & Dave Fleisher produced the Talkartoons for Paramount. Max drew his first comic strip for the "Brooklyn Daily Eagle" in 1902 and went on to join the "Popular Science" magazine in 1906.

In 1915 Max, Dave and brother Joe invented a new way of cartooning that revolutionized animation. The "rotoscope" became one of the key patents in animation. It gave a much smoother, more life-like quality to the motion of the characters. Betty Boop's on screen debut was in 1930 in a little film called "Dizzy Dishes". The part was small but it gave her the opportunity to show off her musical talents. In 1931 Betty's friends Koko the clown and Pudgy, Bimbo's replacement, were introduced. Betty finally came into her own with "Betty Co-Ed" when she shed her dog identity and the long ears became earrings. By1932 Betty was considered to be the first and only female animated screen star who could do it all - Drama, Musicals and Comedy. She took the country by storm and Straight into society's hearts. Betty had a flare all her own, she could be daring and assertive all the while keeping an air of innocence the public loved.

There were more than one hundred Betty Boop cartoons produced including ninety in the official Betty Boop series. "Stopping the show", "Betty Boop for President" and "Boilesk" are among the most noteworthy. Others included "Betty Boop's birthday", "Red Hot Mama", "Betty Boop and the Little King", "Zula Hula" and "Riding the Rails". In 1939 her last film "Yip Yip Yipee" was released. Betty Boop has been made into toys and dolls since the 1930's and in 1934, King Features Syndicate started distribution of "Betty Boop", a newspaper comic strip drawn by Bud Counihan. Today after many years, audiences seem to have rediscovered the wit, the music and the charm of Betty Boop and has been become a very popular collectible.



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