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[[File:Betty Boop colored patent.png|thumb|Betty Boop]]
{{Short description|Animated cartoon character}}
'''Betty Boop''' is one of the most iconic and influential animated characters in the history of American animation. Created by '''[[Grim Natwick]]''' and '''[[Max Fleischer]]''' in 1930, Betty Boop first appeared in the animated short '''[[Dizzy Dishes]]''' as a secondary character before becoming the star of her own series. Known for her flapper-style appearance, sultry voice, and unapologetic charm, Betty Boop became a cultural icon of the 1930s and remains one of the most beloved animated characters of all time.
{{Distinguish|Betty Boo}}
{{for|the band|Betty Boop (band)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=August 2023}}


== Creation and Development ==
{{Infobox character
Betty Boop was created by '''Max Fleischer''' and his brother '''Dave Fleischer''', founders of the '''Fleischer Studios''', which produced numerous groundbreaking animated films in the early 20th century. The character of Betty Boop was inspired by the popular flapper image of the time—an independent, carefree woman who defied traditional gender roles.
| name = Betty Boop
| image = Betty Boop colored patent.png
| caption = "The cartoon of Betty Boop illustrates some human features which are sometimes labeled as [[neoteny|neotenous]], such as a large head, short arms and legs relative to total height, and clumsy, child-like movements." —[[Barry Bogin]]{{sfn |Bogin |1999 |p=[https://archive.org/details/patternsofhumang0002bogi/page/159/mode/1up 159]}}
| image_size =
| alt = A cartoon flapper with neotenous features with short curly black hair and wearing a short black dress
| species = [[Human]] (although a dog in her first appearance)
| gender = Female
| first = ''[[Dizzy Dishes]]'' (1930)
| last  =
| creator = [[Max Fleischer]], with [[Grim Natwick]] et al.
| portrayer =
| voice = {{plainlist|
* [[Margie Hines]] (1930–1932, 1938–1939)<ref name="Betty Boop at BTVA">{{cite web|url=http://www.behindthevoiceactors.com/characters/Betty-Boop/Betty-Boop/|title=Voice(s) of Betty Boop|website=Behind the Voice Actors|language=en-US|access-date=2021-05-16}}</ref>
* [[Little Ann Little]] (1931–1933, 1938)<ref name="Finding Her Voice">{{cite web |title=Finding Her Voice |website=Fleischer Studios |url=https://www.fleischerstudios.com/voices.html |access-date=2024-01-22}}</ref>
* [[Harriet Lee (singer)|Harriet Lee]] (1931)<ref name="Betty Boop at BTVA"/><ref name="Finding Her Voice"/>
* [[Mae Questel]] (1931–1939, 1988)<ref name="Betty Boop at BTVA"/><ref name="Finding Her Voice"/>
* [[Bonnie Poe]] (1933–1934, 1938)<ref name="Betty Boop at BTVA"/>
}}
'''Post Golden-Age'''
{{plainlist|
* Victoria Dorazi (1980)<ref name="Betty Boop at BTVA"/>
* [[Desiree Goyette]] (1985)<ref name="Betty Boop at BTVA"/>
* [[Melissa Fahn]] (1989)<ref name="Betty Boop at BTVA"/>
* [[Sandy Fox]] (1991–2022)<ref name="Sandy Fox">{{cite web |title=Experience |at=Bio |website=Sandy Fox |url=https://sandyfox.com/experience.html |access-date=2024-01-22}}</ref><ref name="Betty Boop at BTVA"/>
* [[Cindy Robinson]] (2015–present)<ref name="Betty Boop at BTVA"/>
}}
}}
'''Betty Boop''' is an [[animation|animated]] [[cartoon]] character designed by [[Grim Natwick]] at the request of [[Dave Fleischer]].{{efn|[[Richard Fleischer]] wrote that "he, Max Fleischer, was the sole creator ... acknowledged that many animators contributed ... not just Natwick, but also Seymour Kneitel,Berny Wolf, Myron Waldman, ..."{{sfn |Fleischer |2005 |p=52}}}}{{sfn |Pointer|2017 |page=88}}<ref name="natwick-obit">{{cite news |agency=Associated Press|title=Myron Natwick, 100; Animated Betty Boop |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1990/10/10/obituaries/myron-natwick-100-animated-betty-boop.html |newspaper=[[The New York Times]] |page=B-24 |date=October 10, 1990 |access-date=July 1, 2009}}</ref>{{sfn |Maltin |1980 |p=[https://archive.org/details/ofmicemagic00leon/page/95/mode/2up 96]}} She originally appeared in the ''[[Talkartoon]]'' and ''Betty Boop'' film series, which were produced by [[Fleischer Studios]] and released by [[Paramount Pictures]]. She was featured in [[List of Betty Boop films and appearances|90 theatrical cartoons]] between 1930 and 1939.{{sfn |Lenburg |1999 |pp=[https://archive.org/details/isbn_9780816038312/page/54/mode/2up 54]–[https://archive.org/details/isbn_9780816038312/page/56/mode/2up 56]}} She has also been featured in comic strips and mass merchandising.


While Betty was initially a background character, her transformation into the main character began when '''Grim Natwick''', an animator, helped design her distinctive look. Betty's short bobbed hair, large eyes, and curvaceous figure quickly became her signature features. Her voice, provided by '''Mae Questel''', was high-pitched, flirtatious, and incredibly memorable, further solidifying her persona.
A caricature of a [[Jazz Age]] [[flapper]], Betty Boop was described in a 1934 court case as "combin[ing] in appearance the childish with the sophisticated—a large round baby face with big eyes and a nose like a button, framed in a somewhat careful coiffure, with a very small body of which perhaps the leading characteristic is the most self-confident little bust imaginable".<ref>{{cite web|title=''Fleischer Studios v. Ralph A. Freundlich, Inc.'', 5 F. Supp. 808, 809 (S.D.N.Y. 1934)|url=https://casetext.com/case/fleischer-studios-v-ralph-a-freundlich-inc-2|access-date=20 February 2014}}</ref> She was toned down in the mid-1930s as a result of the [[Hays Code]] to appear more demure, and has become one of the world's best-known and most popular cartoon characters.


== Early Appearances ==
==History==
Betty Boop made her first appearance in '''Dizzy Dishes''' in '''1930''' as a supporting character in a series called '''Talkartoon''' produced by Fleischer Studios. However, it wasn’t until '''1932''' that Betty became the central figure in the series, starting with the short '''Betty Boop’s Birthday Party'''. By 1933, Betty had firmly established herself as the leading lady in the animated world, starring in her own series of cartoons.
[[File:Helen Kane and Betty Boop - Photoplay, April 1932.jpg|thumb|The caption claims that Betty Boop was indeed based on Helen Kane. This was published before the lawsuit in May.]]
Betty’s early appearances were a blend of sexual innuendo, jazz music, and playful rebellion against societal norms. These elements combined to create a character that was ahead of its time, tapping into the popular culture of the Jazz Age and the sexual liberation movements of the early 1930s.


== Betty’s Character and Personality ==
===Origins===
Betty Boop’s character was a reflection of the flapper image that defined much of the 1920s and early 1930s. She was confident, bold, and embodied a sense of independence. She had a playful and seductive demeanor, often breaking into song or dance, and was always the life of the party. Despite her saucy personality, Betty was never portrayed as a villain—she was usually depicted as an innocent, good-hearted character who simply enjoyed life on her own terms.
Betty Boop made her first appearance in the cartoon ''[[Dizzy Dishes]]'', released on August 9, 1930, the seventh installment in Fleischer's ''[[Talkartoon]]'' series. Inspired by a popular performing style, the character was originally created as an [[anthropomorphic]] [[poodle|French poodle]].<ref name=grim_early_years>[https://animationresources.org/biography-grim-natwick-in-new-york/ "Grim Natwick in New York&nbsp;– Part One: The Early Years"], an exhibit of the ASIFA-Hollywood Animation Archive, a 501(c)3 museum and archive. (November 3, 2007) Quote: "</ref> [[Clara Bow]] is sometimes given credit as being the inspiration for Boop,<ref name="McGuire 1985">{{cite web |last=McGuire |first=Carolyn |title=Will Betty Boop Be A Hit As 'It?' |website=Chicago Tribune |date=1985-03-20 |url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/1985/03/20/will-betty-boop-be-a-hit-as-it/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110807121507/https://articles.chicagotribune.com/1985-03-20/features/8501150965_1_betty-boop-voice-charlie-brown-specials |archive-date=August 7, 2011 |url-status=live |access-date=January 24, 2024 }}</ref> though Fleischer told his artists that he wanted a caricature of singer [[Helen Kane]].<ref name=grim_early_years/> Kane later sued Fleischer over the signature "Boop Oop a Doop" line.<ref name="Supreme Court Appellate Division 1936c">{{cite court |litigants=Helen Kane against Max Fleischer, Fleischer Studios, Inc., and Paramount Publix Corporation: CASE ON APPEAL |vol= |reporter= |opinion= |pinpoint= |court=[[New York Supreme Court, Appellate Division]], First Department |date=1936 |url={{GBurl |id=_lfli1cCqE8C |pg=RA1-PP29}} |quote= |postscript= }}</ref> Betty Boop appeared as a supporting character in ten cartoons as a [[flapper]] girl with more heart than brains. In individual cartoons, she was called "Nancy Lee" or "Nan McGrew"—derived from the [[Helen Kane]] film ''[[Dangerous Nan McGrew]]'' (1930)—usually serving as a girlfriend to studio star [[Bimbo (cartoon)|Bimbo]].


Her most iconic catchphrase, '''"Boop-Oop-a-Doop!"''', became synonymous with her character. This phrase, along with her exaggerated, childlike voice, contributed to her flirtatious and coy persona.
Within a year, Betty made the transition from an incidental human-canine breed to a completely human female character. While much credit has been given to Grim Natwick for helping to transform Max Fleischer's creation, her transition into the cute cartoon girl was also in part due to the work of [[Bernard Wolf]], Otto Feuer, [[Seymour Kneitel]], [[Roland Crandall|Roland "Doc" Crandall]], [[Willard Bowsky]], and [[Shamus Culhane|James "Shamus" Culhane]].{{sfn |Pointer |2017 |p=116}} By the release of ''[[Any Rags?|Any Rags]]'', Betty Boop was forever established as a human character. Her floppy poodle ears became hoop [[earrings]], and her black poodle nose became a girl's button-like nose.


Betty’s character often defied traditional gender roles, presenting a woman who was both strong and sensual, yet also capable of kindness and innocence. This made her a complex character for her time, and although she was often objectified in her early years, Betty also had moments of empowerment, and she was later seen as a feminist icon by many fans.
[[File:BB-CC.PNG|thumb|upright=1.2|A colorful Betty Boop in ''Poor Cinderella'', 1934]]


== Betty Boop’s Influence on Animation ==
Betty was first voiced by [[Margie Hines]]. Later, several different voice actresses performed the role, including [[Kate Wright]], [[Bonnie Poe]], Ann Rothschild (also known as [[Little Ann Little]]), and especially [[Mae Questel]], who began voicing Betty Boop in ''Bimbo's Silly Scandals'' (1931), and continued with the role until 1939, returning nearly 50 years later in [[Disney's]] ''[[Who Framed Roger Rabbit]]'' (1988). Today, Betty is voiced by [[Cindy Robinson]] since 2015.<ref name="Cristi 2023">{{cite web |last=Cristi |first=A.A. |title=The Hidden History of BOOP! THE MUSICAL Animation Icon, Betty Boop! |website=BroadwayWorld.com |date=2023-11-27 |url=https://www.broadwayworld.com/article/The-Hidden-History-of-BOOP-THE-MUSICAL-Animation-Icon-Betty-Boop-20231127 |access-date=2024-01-23}}</ref><ref name="Patrick 2016">{{cite web |last=Patrick |first=Neil |title=WATCH! Betty Boop Cartoon Banned For Drug Use 1934! ... |website=thevintagenews |date=2016-08-16 |url=https://www.thevintagenews.com/2016/08/16/watch-betty-boop-cartoon-banned-for-drug-use-1934-2/ |access-date=2024-01-23}}</ref><ref name="AnimeCons.com 2020">{{cite web |title=Cindy Robinson |website=AnimeCons.com |date=2020-07-03 |url=https://animecons.com/guests/bio/1141/cindy-robinson |access-date=2024-01-23}}</ref>
Betty Boop was one of the first animated characters to feature a distinctive personality and become a central figure in a series. Before Betty, animated characters were often secondary, used mostly for gags and simple jokes. Betty Boop helped pave the way for the development of character-driven animation, with a focus on personality and storytelling.


Her influence extended far beyond animation. Betty was one of the first characters to integrate '''jazz music''' into her films, and her appearances often featured popular jazz songs of the time. This helped establish a connection between animation and popular culture, making her cartoons a reflection of contemporary trends.
Although Betty's first name was assumed to have been established in the 1931 [[Screen Songs]] cartoon ''Betty Co-ed'', this "Betty" is a different character, which the official Betty Boop website describes as a "prototype" of Betty Boop. At least 12 Screen Songs cartoons featured Betty Boop or a similar character.{{Citation needed|date=October 2021}}


Betty Boop’s saucy charm, flirtatious behavior, and sense of independence made her an early symbol of '''female empowerment''', even in a time when such ideas were not widely accepted. She became a trailblazer for later animated heroines and had an enduring influence on future generations of female characters in animation, such as '''[[Jessica Rabbit]]''' from ''Who Framed Roger Rabbit'' (1988) and '''Kim Possible''' from ''Kim Possible'' (2002-2007).
Betty Boop was the star of the ''Talkartoons'' by 1932 and was given her own series that same year, beginning with ''[[Stopping the Show]]''. From that point on, she was crowned "The Queen of the Animated Screen". The series was popular throughout the 1930s.


== The Decline and Censorship ==
Since the character was created by an Austrian Jew and eventually voiced by a Jewish actress, Mae Questel, animation fans sometimes try to pinpoint various aspects that hint at Betty's Jewishness. The 1932 Talkartoon ''[[Minnie the Moocher (film)|Minnie the Moocher]]'' featured the only appearance of Betty's parents: a strict immigrant couple, who get upset that Betty does not want to eat the traditional German foods ''[[hasenpfeffer]]'' (rabbit stew) and ''[[sauerbraten]]''. [[Benjamin Ivry]] of ''[[The Forward|Forward]]'' says that any of this evidence is ambiguous, as these are not [[kosher]] foods, and the accents of the parents are comical German accents, rather than Jewish.<ref name="Ivry 2020">{{cite web |last=Ivry |first=Benjamin |author-link=Benjamin Ivry |title=On her 90th birthday, the Jewish origin story of Betty Boop |website=The Forward |date=2020-08-08 |url=https://forward.com/culture/450929/on-her-90th-birthday-the-jewish-origin-story-of-betty-boop/ |access-date=2024-01-24}}</ref>
Betty Boop’s popularity reached its peak during the early 1930s, but as the decade wore on, her career began to face challenges. The rise of the '''Hays Code''' in the mid-1930s, which imposed strict censorship guidelines on films, had a significant impact on Betty’s character and the kinds of content that could be included in her cartoons. Her increasingly risque and sexually suggestive behavior was deemed inappropriate under the new moral standards.


As a result of these restrictions, Betty’s character underwent a transformation. Her more suggestive features were toned down, and she was redesigned to appear more wholesome. Her flapper style was replaced by more modest clothing, and her flirtatious behavior was toned down in favor of more innocent, family-friendly portrayals.
Betty appeared in the first "Color Classic" cartoon ''[[Poor Cinderella]]'', her only theatrical color appearance in 1934. In the film, she was depicted with red hair as opposed to her typical black hair.


By the late 1930s, Betty Boop’s popularity waned, partly due to these changes and the shifting tastes of audiences. As Fleischer Studios faced financial difficulties, the Betty Boop series was eventually discontinued, and Betty’s presence in the world of animation became less prominent.
===Contemporary resurgence===
The Betty Boop films were revived after Paramount sold them for [[television syndication|syndication]] in 1955. UM&M and [[National Telefilm Associates]] were required to remove the original Paramount logo from the opening and closing, as well as any references to Paramount in the copyright line on the main titles. However, the mountain motif remains on some television prints, usually with a UM&M copyright line, while recent versions have circulated with the Paramount-Publix reference in cartoons from 1931.


== Betty Boop’s Legacy ==
The original Betty Boop cartoons were made in black and white. As new color cartoons made specifically for television began to appear in the 1960s, the original black-and-white cartoons were retired. Boop's film career had a revival with the release of ''The Betty Boop Scandals of 1974'', becoming a part of the post-1960s [[counterculture]]. NTA attempted to capitalize on this with a new syndication package, but because no market existed for cartoons in black and white, they sent them to South Korea, where the cartoons were hand-traced frame-by-frame in color, resulting in the degradation of the animation quality and timing. Unable to sell these to television largely because of the sloppy colorization, they assembled a number of the color cartoons in a [[compilation film|compilation feature]] titled ''[[Betty Boop for President]]'', to connect with the 1976 election, but it did not receive a theatrical release.
Despite the decline of her career, Betty Boop remains a '''cultural icon''' and continues to be celebrated as one of the most memorable animated characters of all time. Her image has endured through merchandise, advertising, and appearances in pop culture. The character was revitalized in the 1980s and 1990s when her image was used in retro advertising campaigns and various pop culture references, particularly in the '''art world''' and '''fashion''' industry.


Betty Boop also became a symbol of '''feminism''' and '''female empowerment'''. Her initial portrayal as a fun, free-spirited character and her breaking of societal norms resonated with many who saw her as a symbol of independence and freedom of expression. She also became an icon of '''Art Deco''' and '''vintage pop culture''', with her distinct, stylized appearance making her an enduring symbol of 1930s glamour.
The release of the films on video cassette for home viewing created a new market for the films in their original form. The [[AMC (TV channel)|American Movie Classics]] cable television channel showcased a selection of the original black-and-white Betty Boop cartoons in the 1990s, which led to an eight-volume VHS and LV set, ''Betty Boop, the Definitive Collection''. Some of the nonpublic-domain ''Boop'' cartoons copyrighted by Republic successor Melange Pictures (Paramount Global's holding company that handles the Republic theatrical library) have been released by Olive Films under Paramount's license, while the [[Internet Archive]] hosts 22 Betty Boop cartoons that are [[public domain]].


== Betty Boop in Modern Culture ==
==Portrayal==
Betty Boop’s influence can be seen across various sectors of popular culture, including '''music''', '''fashion''', '''advertising''', and '''art'''. In the 1980s and 1990s, her character was reintroduced to a new generation through various merchandise lines, including '''fashion apparel''', '''jewelry''', and '''collectibles'''. Betty Boop’s image has been used to promote everything from '''cosmetics''' to '''restaurants''', and her iconic figure remains a beloved emblem of vintage style and glamour.
[[File:Betty Boop, April 1932.svg|thumb|upright=0.7|Betty Boop in 1932]]


In the '''art world''', Betty Boop has been the subject of works by artists like '''Andy Warhol''', who incorporated her image into his pop art creations. The character’s timeless appeal and vibrant design have continued to captivate both art collectors and casual fans alike.
===Sex symbol===


Betty Boop also appears regularly in '''[[comic books]]''' and '''television''' specials. She has been featured in '''animated television shows''' and occasionally makes guest appearances in other animated works, often playing on her retro, flirty persona. Betty has also been referenced in '''music videos''' and continues to inspire '''cosplay''' and fashion trends that reflect her 1930s flapper style.
Betty Boop is regarded as one of the first and best-known [[sex symbol]]s on the animated screen;<ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.nytimes.com/1998/01/19/business/video-world-is-smitten-by-a-gun-toting-tomb-raiding-sex-symbol.html |title=Video World Is Smitten by a Gun-Toting, Tomb-Raiding Sex Symbol |work=The New York Times |first=David | last=Barboza | date=19 January 1988 | access-date=1 July 2009 | page=D3}}</ref> she is a symbol of the [[Great Depression|Depression era]] and a reminder of the more carefree days of Jazz Age [[flapper]]s. Her popularity was drawn largely from adult audiences, and the cartoons, while seemingly surreal, contained many sexual and psychological elements, particularly in the 1932 "Talkartoon" ''[[Minnie the Moocher (film)|Minnie the Moocher]]'' (1932), featuring [[Cab Calloway]] and his orchestra.


Betty Boop stands as one of the most significant and influential characters in the history of animation. From her '''Jazz Age debut''' to her status as a feminist icon, Betty has transcended the limitations of her era and remains a symbol of '''independence''', '''fun''', and '''female empowerment'''. Through her career and legacy, Betty Boop helped shape the direction of animation, not only influencing the medium but also making a lasting impact on popular culture, fashion, and art. Her timeless appeal continues to captivate audiences, making Betty Boop a truly iconic figure in the world of animation and beyond.
''Minnie the Moocher'' defined Betty's character as a teenager of a modern era, at odds with the old-world ways of her parents. In the cartoon, after a disagreement with her strict parents, Betty runs away from home, accompanied by her boyfriend Bimbo, only to get lost in a haunted cave. A ghostly [[walrus]] ([[rotoscope]]d from live-action footage of Calloway) sings Calloway's song "Minnie the Moocher", accompanied by several other ghosts and skeletons. This haunting performance sends the frightened Betty and Bimbo back to the safety of home. "Minnie the Moocher" served as a promotion for Calloway's subsequent stage appearances and also established Betty Boop as a cartoon star. The eight Talkartoons that followed all starred Betty, leading her into her own series beginning in 1932. With the release of ''Stopping the Show'' (August 1932), the Talkartoons were replaced by the ''Betty Boop'' series, which continued for the next seven years.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://variety.com/2010/music/news/selected-short-subject-minnie-the-moocher-30739/|title=Selected short subject: "Minnie the Moocher"|first1=Chris|last1=Morris|date=June 19, 2010}}</ref>
[[Category:American Animation]]
 
[[Category:Animation]]
Betty Boop was unique among female cartoon characters because she represented a sexual woman. Other female cartoon characters of the same period, such as [[Minnie Mouse]], displayed their underwear or [[Bloomers (clothing)|bloomers]] regularly, in the style of childish or comical characters, not a fully defined woman's form. Many other female cartoons were merely clones of their male co-stars, with alterations in costume, the addition of eyelashes, and a female voice. Betty Boop wore short dresses, high heels, a garter, and her breasts were highlighted with a low, contoured bodice that showed cleavage. In her cartoons, male characters frequently try to sneak a peek at her while she is changing or simply going about her business. In ''Betty Boop's Bamboo Isle'', she does the [[Hula (dance)|hula]] wearing nothing but a [[lei (Hawaii)|lei]], strategically placed to cover her breasts, and a grass skirt. This was repeated in her first cameo appearance in ''[[Popeye the Sailor (1933 cartoon)|Popeye the Sailor]]'' (1933). A certain girlish quality was given to the character. She was drawn with a head more similar to a baby's than an adult's in proportion to her body. This suggested the combination of girlishness and maturity that many people saw in the flapper type, which Betty represented.
[[Category:Animated Character]]
 
[[Category:Cartoon Character]]
While the character was kept pure and girl-like onscreen, compromises to her virtue were a challenge. The studio's 1931 Christmas card featured Betty in bed with Santa Claus, winking at the viewer. The Talkartoons ''[[The Bum Bandit]]'' and ''[[Dizzy Red Riding Hood]]'' (both 1931) were given distinctly "impure" endings. Officially, Betty was only 16 years old, according to a 1932 interview with Fleischer (although in ''The Bum Bandit'', she is portrayed as a married woman with many children and with an adult woman's voice, rather than the standard "boop-boop-a-doop" voice).{{efn|[[Ben Zimmer]] notes that the syncopation of "goo-goo-ga-joob" in [[John Lennon]]'s song ''[[I Am the Walrus]]'' from [[the Beatles]]' album ''[[Magical Mystery Tour]]'' and "coo-coo-ca-choo" from [[Simon & Garfunkel]]'s song "[[Mrs. Robinson]]" on their album ''[[Bookends (album)|Bookends]]'' is the same as Boop's "boop-boop-a-doop" or "boop-boop-be-doop". The same pattern was used in the sung "la-da-di-dah" introduction to the "Laugh-In Looks at the News" segments on ''[[Rowan & Martin's Laugh-In]]''.<ref name="Zimmer 2017">{{cite web |last=Zimmer |first=Ben |author-link=Ben Zimmer |title=The Delights of Parsing the Beatles' Most Nonsensical Song |website=The Atlantic |date=2017-11-24 |url=https://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2017/11/i-am-the-walrus-50-years-later/546698/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171129004105/https://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2017/11/i-am-the-walrus-50-years-later/546698/ |archive-date=November 29, 2017 |url-status=dead |access-date=November 25, 2017 }}</ref>}}
 
Attempts to compromise her virginity were reflected in ''[[Chess-Nuts]]'' (1932) and most importantly in ''[[Boop-Oop-a-Doop]]'' (1932). In ''Chess-Nuts'', the Black King goes into the house where Betty is and ties her up. When she rejects him, he pulls her out of the ropes, drags her off to the bedroom and says, "I will have you". The bed, however, runs away, and Betty calls for help through the window. Bimbo comes to her rescue, and she is saved before anything happens. In ''Boop-Oop-a-Doop'', Betty is a high-wire performer in a circus. The ringmaster lusts for Betty as he watches her from below, singing "Do Something", a song previously performed by Helen Kane. As Betty returns to her tent, the ringmaster follows her inside and sensually massages her legs, surrounds her, and threatens her job if she does not submit. Betty pleads with the ringmaster to cease his advances, as she sings "[[Don't Take My Boop-Oop-A-Doop Away]]". [[Koko the Clown]] is practicing his juggling outside the tent and overhears the struggle inside. He leaps in to save Betty, struggling with the ringmaster, who loads him into a cannon and fires it. Koko, who remained hiding inside the cannon, knocks the ringmaster out cold with a mallet, while imitating the ringmaster's laugh. Koko then inquires about Betty's welfare, to which she answers in song, "No, he couldn't take my boop-oop-a-doop away". According to Jill Harness of ''[[Mental Floss]]'', these portrayals of Boop fighting off sexual harassment on the animated screen made many see her as a [[feminist]] icon.<ref>Harness, Jill. [http://mentalfloss.com/article/25509/happy-belated-birthday-betty-boop "Happy Belated Birthday, Betty Boop!"]. ''mental floss''. Retrieved July 21, 2015.</ref>
 
===Under the Production Code===
Betty Boop's best appearances are considered to be in her first three years due to her "[[Jazz Baby]]" character and innocent sexuality, which was aimed at adults, but the content of her films was affected by the [[National Legion of Decency]] and the [[Production Code]] of 1934, which imposed guidelines on the motion-picture industry and placed specific restrictions on the content films could reference with sexual innuendos. This greatly affected the Betty Boop cartoons.
 
No longer a carefree flapper from the date the code went into effect on July 1, 1934, Betty became a spinster housewife or a career girl who wore a fuller dress or skirt. Additionally, as time progressed, the curls in her hair gradually decreased in number. She also eventually stopped wearing her gold bracelets and hoop earrings, and she became more mature and wiser in personality, compared to her earlier years. Right from the start, [[Joseph Breen]], the new head film censor, had numerous complaints. Breen ordered the removal of the suggestive introduction that had started the cartoons because Betty Boop's winks and shaking hips were deemed "suggestive of immorality". For a few entries, Betty was given a new human boyfriend named Freddy, who was introduced in ''[[She Wronged Him Right]]'' (1934).{{sfn |Pointer |2017 |p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=ghluDgAAQBAJ&pg=PA106 106]}} Next, Betty was teamed with a puppy named Pudgy, beginning with ''[[Betty Boop's Little Pal]]'' (1934).{{sfn |Pointer |2017 |p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=ghluDgAAQBAJ&pg=PA107 107]}} The following year saw the addition of the eccentric inventor [[Grampy]], who debuted in ''[[Betty Boop and Grampy]]'' (1935).
 
[[File:Betty Boop 1933 v 1939.jpg|thumb|upright=1.3|The transformation from pre-Code to post-Code]]
While these cartoons were tame compared to her earlier appearances, their self-conscious wholesomeness was aimed at a more juvenile audience, which contributed to the decline of the series. Much of the decline was due to the lessening of Betty's role in the cartoons in favor of her co-stars, not to mention Fleischer's biggest success, [[Popeye]]. This was a similar problem experienced during the same period with [[Walt Disney]]'s [[Mickey Mouse]], who was becoming eclipsed by the popularity of his co-stars [[Donald Duck]], [[Goofy]], and [[Pluto (Disney)|Pluto]].<ref>{{cite news| url=http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_g1epc/is_tov/ai_2419100117?hblstpn=search_sampler&lstpc=search&lstpr=external&lstprs=other&lstwid=1&lstwn=search_results&lstwp=body_middle | archive-url=https://archive.today/20120710111205/http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_g1epc/is_tov/ai_2419100117?hblstpn=search_sampler&lstpc=search&lstpr=external&lstprs=other&lstwid=1&lstwn=search_results&lstwp=body_middle | url-status=dead | archive-date=2012-07-10 | work=St. James Encyclopedia of Pop Culture | title=Betty Boop | first=Charles | last=Coletta | year=2002}}</ref>
 
Since she was largely a musical novelty character, the animators attempted to keep Betty's cartoons interesting by pairing her with popular [[comic strip]] characters such as [[Henry (comic)|Henry]], [[The Little King]] and [[Little Jimmy]], hoping to create an additional spin-off series with her pairing with Popeye in 1933. None of these films, though, generated a new series. When the flapper/jazz era that Betty represented had been replaced by the [[big bands]] of the [[swing era]], Fleischer Studios made an attempt to develop a replacement character in this style in the 1938 ''Betty Boop'' cartoon ''[[Sally Swing|Betty Boop and Sally Swing]]'', but it was not a success.
 
The last ''Betty Boop'' cartoons were released in 1939, and a few made attempts to bring Betty into the swing era. In her last appearance, ''Rhythm on the Reservation'' (1939), Betty drives an open convertible, labeled "Betty Boop's Swing Band", through a Native American reservation, where she introduces the people to swing music and creates a "Swinging Sioux Band". The ''Betty Boop'' cartoon series officially ended with ''[[Yip Yip Yippy]]'' (1939). While ''Yip Yip Yippy'' appears at the end of the Betty Boop series, it is actually a one-shot about a "Drug Store" mail-order cowboy "wannabe" without Betty, which was written mainly to fill the release schedule and fulfill the contract.{{sfn |Pointer |2017 |p=111}}
 
==Media==
 
===Television===
In 1955, Betty's 110 cartoon appearances were sold to television syndicator [[U.M. & M. TV Corporation|UM&M]], which was acquired by [[National Telefilm Associates]] (NTA) in 1956. NTA was reorganized in 1985 as [[Republic Pictures]], which folded in 2012, and became Melange Pictures, a subsidiary of [[Paramount Global]], the parent company of Paramount. Paramount, Boop's original home studio (via Melange/Paramount Global), acts as a theatrical distributor for the Boop cartoons that they originally released. Television rights are handled on Paramount's behalf by [[Trifecta Entertainment & Media]], which in turn were inherited from CBS Television Distribution (renamed [[CBS Media Ventures]] in 2021), successor to other related companies, including [[Worldvision Enterprises]], [[Republic Pictures Television]], and [[NTA Film Network|NTA]].
 
Betty Boop appeared in two television specials, ''[[The Romance of Betty Boop]]'' in 1985, which was produced by [[Lee Mendelson]] and [[Bill Melendez]], the same creative team behind the [[Peanuts]] specials, and 1989's ''[[The Betty Boop Movie Mystery]]''; both specials are available on DVD as part of the Advantage Cartoon Mega Pack. While television revivals were conceived, nothing has materialized from the plans. Her most recent television appearance was an episode of ''[[Project Runway All Stars (season 6)|Project Runaway All Stars]]'' in February 2018.<ref name=ew>{{Cite magazine |title=Project Runway All Stars recap: 'Thrown for a Loop by Betty Boop' |url=https://ew.com/recap/project-runway-all-stars-season-6-episode-6/ |last=Marcias |first=Ernest |date=2018-02-08 |access-date=2023-01-13 |magazine=[[Entertainment Weekly]]}}</ref>
 
On February 11, 2016, ''Deadline'' announced that a new 26-episode television series focusing on Betty Boop is in production, in partnership with Normaal Animation, [[Fleischer Studios]], and [[King Features Syndicate|King Features]]. The show was to be aimed towards the tween and teenaged audiences. The show's premise, according to the article, will "recount the daily struggles, joys, and victories of young Betty Boop, who has every intention of being on stage and becoming a superstar".<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://deadline.com/2016/02/betty-boop-animated-series-max-fleischer-1201700613/|title=Betty Boop To Star In New Animated Series From 'Peanuts' Producers|last=Petski|first=Denise|date=2016-02-11|website=Deadline|access-date=2019-10-22}}</ref>
 
===Home media===
While the animated cartoons featuring Betty Boop have enjoyed renewed attention over the last 30&nbsp;years, official home-video releases have been limited to the VHS and [[LaserDisc]] collector's sets in the 1990s. No such releases for the Betty Boop cartoons on [[DVD]] and [[Blu-ray]] were made until 2013, when Olive Films, under license from [[Paramount Home Entertainment]], finally released the nonpublic domain cartoons, although they were restored from the original internegatives, these were altered in 1954 by a now defunct TV distributor named [[UM&M|UM&M TV Corp.]] and the altered opening and closing credits appear on these discs.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2013/08/18/movies/homevideo/betty-boop-the-essential-collection-comes-to-blu-ray.html|title=Boop-Boop-a-Doo on Blu-ray|last=Kehr|first=Dave|date=August 16, 2013|website=[[The New York Times]] |access-date=July 22, 2021}}</ref> Volume 1 was released on August 20, 2013, and volume 2 on September 24, 2013. Volume 3 was released on April 29, 2014, and volume 4 on September 30, 2014.
 
===Comics===
The ''Betty Boop'' comic strip by Bud Counihan (assisted by Fleischer staffer [[Hal Seeger]]) was distributed by King Features Syndicate from July 23, 1934, to November 28, 1937.{{sfn |Holtz |2012 |p=71}} From November 19, 1984, to January 31, 1988, a revival strip with [[Felix the Cat]], ''[[Betty Boop and Felix]]'', was produced by [[Mort Walker]]'s sons Brian, Neal, Greg, and Morgan.{{sfn |Holtz |2012 |p=71}}{{sfn |Strickler | 1995 |p=[https://archive.org/details/syndicatedcomics0000unse/page/206/mode/2up 206]}} In 1990, [[First Comics]] published ''Betty Boop's Big Break'', a 52-page original [[graphic novel]] by [[Joshua Quagmire]], [[Milton Knight]], and [[Leslie Cabarga]]. In 2016, [[Dynamite Entertainment]] published new [[Betty Boop (Dynamite Entertainment)|''Betty Boop'' comics]] with 20 pages in the alternative American anime graphic novel style; four issues were released.
[[File:Boopoct2334.jpg|center|thumb|upright=3.5|Bud Counihan's ''Betty Boop'' (October 23, 1934)]]
 
===Cancelled film projects===
In 1993, plans were made for an animated feature film of Betty Boop, but they were later cancelled. The musical storyboard scene of the proposed film can be seen online. The finished reel consists of Betty and her estranged father performing a jazz number together called "Where are you?" [[Jimmy Rowles]] and [[Sue Raney]] provide the vocals for Betty and Benny Boop.<ref name="Steve Moore">{{Cite web |last=Moore |first=Steve |author-link=Steve Moore (cartoonist) |url=http://www.moorestudiosinc.com/bettyboop.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130512190244/http://www.moorestudiosinc.com/bettyboop.htm |url-status=dead|title=Moore Studios<!-- Bot generated title -->|archive-date=May 12, 2013}}</ref>
 
Producers Steven Paul Leiva and Jerry Rees began production on a new Betty Boop feature film for the Zanuck Company and [[Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer]]. The script by Rees detailed Betty's rise in Hollywood in the Golden Age of Hollywood. It was to be a musical with music by jazz musician Bennie Wallace and lyrics by Cheryl Ernst Wells. Wallace and Wells had completed several songs and 75% of the film had been storyboarded when, two weeks before voice recording was to begin with [[Bernadette Peters]] as Betty, the head of MGM, [[Alan Ladd Jr.]], was replaced by [[Frank Mancuso Sr.|Frank Mancuso]], and the project was abandoned.{{citation needed|date=November 2023}} On August 14, 2014, [[Simon Cowell]]'s [[Syco]] and [[Animal Logic]] announced they were developing a feature-length film based on the character.<ref>{{cite news| last1=McNary| first1=Dave| title=Betty Boop Movie in the Works With Simon Cowell|url=https://variety.com/2014/film/news/betty-boop-movie-in-the-works-with-simon-cowell-exclusive-1201278204/|access-date=August 15, 2014|date=August 14, 2014|publisher=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]|website=variety.com}}</ref>
 
=== Video game ===
* [[Betty Boop's Double Shift]] (2007) developed and published by [[DSI Games]].
 
===Stage musical===
{{main|Boop! The Musical}}
A musical entitled ''Boop! The Musical'', with music by [[David Foster]], lyrics by [[Susan Birkenhead]] and book by [[Bob Martin (comedian)|Bob Martin]], made its pre-Broadway debut at the [[CIBC Theatre]] in Chicago, Illinois, from November 19, 2023, to December 24, 2023. Direction and choreography are by [[Jerry Mitchell]], and the musical starred Jasmine Amy Rogers as Betty Boop, with [[Faith Prince]] as Valentina, [[Ainsley Melham]] as Dwayne, [[Erich Bergen]] as Raymond, [[Stephen DeRosa]] as Grampy, [[Angelica Hale]] as Trisha and Anastacia McCleskey as Carol.<ref>{{cite web|last=Gans|first=Andrew|title=''BOOP! The Betty Boop Musical'' Will Make Pre-Broadway World Premiere in Chicago|url=https://playbill.com/article/boop-the-betty-boop-musical-will-make-pre-broadway-world-premiere-in-chicago|date=February 14, 2023|website=playbill.com|publisher=[[Playbill]]|access-date=September 6, 2023}}</ref><ref name="Boop! The Musical">{{cite web|last1=Higgins|first1=Molly|last2=Gans|first2=Andrew|title=''BOOP! The Betty Boop Musical'' Reveals Complete Casting|url=https://playbill.com/article/boop-the-betty-boop-musical-reveals-complete-casting|date=September 28, 2023|website=playbill.com|publisher=[[Playbill]]|access-date=November 21, 2023}}</ref>
 
===Film cameo===
In the 1988 film ''[[Who Framed Roger Rabbit]]'', Betty Boop was voiced once more by Mae Questel.<ref name="Ainsworth 2018">{{cite web |last=Ainsworth |first=Alexis |title=Who Framed Roger Rabbit |url=https://www.loc.gov/static/programs/national-film-preservation-board/documents/WhoFramedRogerRabbit.pdf |date=2018-12-04 |website=Library of Congress |access-date=2024-09-16}}</ref> The character appears in a scene with detective [[Eddie Valiant]]. At the end, she appears in the crowd with a group of other [[cartoon]] characters who all sing "[[Smile, Darn Ya, Smile]]".
 
==Marketing and merchandise==
Marketers rediscovered Betty Boop in the 1980s, and Betty Boop merchandise has far outdistanced her exposure in films, with many not aware of her cinematic origin. Much of this merchandise features the character in her popular, sexier form, and has become popular worldwide once again.{{citation needed|date=January 2022}}
 
In 2010, Betty Boop became the official fantasy cheerleader for the upstart [[United Football League (2009)|United Football League]]. She was featured in merchandise targeted towards the league's female demographic.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://alternativeleagueaccess.com/ufl-pr-betty-boop-official-fantasy-cheerleader-of-ufl/ |title=UFL PR: Betty Boop Official Fantasy Cheerleader of UFL – Alternative League Access – Alternative League Access |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20131215095845/http://alternativeleagueaccess.com/ufl-pr-betty-boop-official-fantasy-cheerleader-of-ufl/ |archivedate=2013-12-15 }}</ref>
 
As of 2021, international licensing company Global Icons has acquired the licensing rights to Betty Boop and other Fleischer Studios characters, thus ending Fleischer's longtime relationship with King Features Syndicate.<ref name="licenseglobal.com 2021-01-13">{{cite web |title=Betty Boop Sashays into Global Icons Partnership |website=licenseglobal.com |date=2021-01-13 |url=https://www.licenseglobal.com/industry-news/betty-boop-sashays-global-icons-partnership |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210113080119/https://www.licenseglobal.com/industry-news/betty-boop-sashays-global-icons-partnership |archive-date=January 13, 2021 |url-status=dead |access-date=September 2, 2021 }}</ref> She still appears in merchandise and social media, appealing to a 21st-century audience, using slang from the social media website [[TikTok]], and she has various hobbies. ([[cyclist]], [[recycling]], etc.)<ref>{{Cite news |title=The Evolution of Betty Boop |url=https://www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/the-evolution-of-betty-boop-180979666/ |last=Wishingrad |first=Emily |date=2022-03-09 |access-date=2023-01-13 |work=[[Smithsonian Magazine]]}}</ref>
 
Marking Betty Boop's 55th birthday, in 1985 she made her first appearance as a [[Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade]] balloon.<ref name="Cartoon Research 2023-11-20">{{cite web |title=Up, Up and Away: Cartoon Character Balloons in Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade |website=Cartoon Research |date=2023-11-20 |url=https://cartoonresearch.com/index.php/up-up-and-away-cartoon-character-balloons-in-macys-thanksgiving-day-parade/ |access-date=2024-06-15}}</ref><ref name="NYTimes 1985-11-29">{{cite news|title=BETTY BOOP BRIGHTENS A RAINY PARADE |website=[[The New York Times]] |date=1985-11-29 |url=https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1985/11/29/190932.html?pageNumber=36 |access-date=2024-06-15}}</ref> The balloon held more than {{convert|15000|cuft|m3}} of helium and was {{convert|67|ft|m}} tall.<ref name="Lakritz 2021">{{cite web |last=Lakritz |first=Talia |title=What the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade has looked like since the first event in 1924 |website=Yahoo News |date=2021-11-25 |url=https://www.yahoo.com/news/macys-thanksgiving-day-parade-looked-174338110.html |access-date=2024-06-15}}</ref> The balloon did not finish the 1986 parade due to collapsing near [[Times Square]].<ref name="AP Photos 2019-11-26">{{cite web |title=95 years of Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade |website=AP Photos |date=2019-11-26 |url=https://apimagesblog.com/historical/2019/11/25/95-years-of-macys-thanksgiving-day-parade |access-date=2024-06-15}}</ref> The balloon appeared again in 1987<ref name="13th Dimension">{{cite web |title=13 Times Comics Characters Soared in the MACY'S THANKSGIVING DAY PARADE |website=13th Dimension |date=November 23, 2023 |url=https://13thdimension.com/13-times-comics-characters-soared-in-the-macys-thanksgiving-day-parade/ |access-date=2024-06-15}}</ref> then returned for occasional use in the 1990s.<ref name="Manty 2023">{{cite web |last=Manty |first=Kris |title=Macy's Parade a Thanksgiving Tradition |website=Antique Trader |date=2023-11-21 |url=https://www.antiquetrader.com/antiques-news/macys-parade-a-holiday-tradition |access-date=2024-06-15}}</ref>
 
==Legal issues==
 
===Helen Kane lawsuit===
[[File:Helen Kane and Betty Boop - Photoplay, April 1932.jpg|thumb|Helen Kane and Betty Boop - Photoplay, April 1932]]
In May 1932, [[Helen Kane]] filed a $250,000 infringement lawsuit against Fleischer Studios, [[Max Fleischer]] and Paramount Publix Corporation for the "deliberate caricature" that produced "unfair competition", exploiting her personality and image. While Kane had risen to fame in the late 1920s as "The Boop-Oop-a-Doop Girl", a star of stage, recordings, and films for Paramount, her career was nearing its end by 1931, and Paramount promoted the development of Betty Boop following Kane's decline. The case was brought in New York in 1934. On April 19, Fleischer testified that Betty Boop purely was a product of his imagination and detailed by members of his staff.<ref name="Salt Lake Tribune 1934-04-20 p. 13">{{cite news |title=N.Y. Supreme Court Hears 'Boop-Boop' Vs. 'A-Doup'; Artist Denies Helen Kane Was Used as Model in Trial of $250,000 Damage Suit |url=https://newspaperarchive.com/other-articles-clipping-apr-20-1934-4259648/ |newspaper=Salt Lake Tribune |publication-place=Salt Lake City, UT |date=April 20, 1934 |volume=129 |issue=6 |page=13 |issn=0746-3502 |via=NewspaperArchive}}</ref><ref name="Paris News 1934-04-19 p. 10">{{cite news |title=Betty Boop Creator Sued |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-paris-news-betty-boop-creator-sued/139301525/ |newspaper=The Paris News |publication-place=Paris, TX |issn=8756-2081 |volume=65 |number=167 |page=10 |date=April 19, 1934 |via=Newspapers.com}}</ref>
 
Theatrical manager Lou Bolton testified that Kane had witnessed an African-American child performer, [[Baby Esther]] (Esther Jones), using a similar vocal style in an act at the Everglades Restaurant club in [[midtown Manhattan]], in "April or May 1928".{{sfn |Taylor |2017 |pp=184–185, 187–188}} Under cross-examination Bolton said that he had met with Kane at the club after Esther's performance, but could not say when she had walked in.{{sfn |Taylor |2017 |pp=187–188}} Bolton also stated that Paramount's lawyers had paid him $200 to come to New York.{{sfn |Taylor |2017 |p=192}}  Esther's name was given in the trial as Esther Jones. (During the trial, Lou Bolton, who was Esther Jones' manager, also testified his belief that she was probably in Paris.{{sfn |Taylor |2017 |pp=185-186}}) An early test sound-on-disc film (lost after the trial), was produced, which featured Esther performing in this style and introduced as evidence.{{sfn |Pointer |2017 |p=100}} In the film, Esther sings three songs that had earlier been popularized by Helen Kane – "Don't Be Like That", "Is There Anything Wrong with That?", and "Wa-da-da" – which writer Mark Langer says "was hardly proof that Helen Kane derived her singing style from Baby Esther".<ref>Langer, Mark (Winter 2005). [https://www.animationstudies.org/v3/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/vol18_2005_iss1.pdf "Birth of the Boop"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220331115215/https://www.animationstudies.org/v3/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/vol18_2005_iss1.pdf |date=March 31, 2022 }}. ''Society for Animation Studies newsletter'', Volume 18, Issue 1.</ref>
Jazz studies scholar [[Robert O'Meally]] stated this evidence, though, "might very well have been cooked up by the Fleischers to discredit Kane, whom they later admitted to have been their model for Betty Boop."{{sfn |O'Meally |Edwards |Griffin |2004 |p=[{{GBurl |id=u3EUvy2P2v8C |pg=PA184}} 295]}}  O'Meally also questioned if some sort of deal existed between Paramount and Bolton, and questioned if Esther were ever paid for her presumed loss of revenue.{{sfn |O'Meally |Edwards |Griffin |2004 |p=[{{GBurl |id=u3EUvy2P2v8C |pg=PA184}} 295]}}
 
New York Supreme Court Justice Edward J. McGoldrick ruled, "The plaintiff has failed to sustain either cause of action by proof of sufficient probative force". In his opinion, based on the totality of the evidence presented in the trial, the "baby" technique of singing did not originate with Kane.<ref name="Harrisburg Telegraph 1934-05-05 p. 1">{{cite news |title=Boop-A-Dooping Not Property of Miss Helen Kane; Court Rules Bewildering Sound Not Cause for Heavy Damages |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/harrisburg-telegraph/2096450/ |date=1934-05-05 |newspaper=Harrisburg Telegraph |volume=104 |number=108 |via=Newspapers.com |page=1 |issn=2376-3442}}</ref>{{sfn |Taylor |2017 |p=208}} No confirmed recordings of Jones are known to exist.<ref name="Blakemore 2017">{{cite web |last=Blakemore |first=Erin |title=The People v. Betty Boop |website=HISTORY |date=2017-07-20 |url=https://www.history.com/news/the-people-v-betty-boop |access-date=2024-01-22}}</ref>
 
Under current US copyright law, Betty Boop is due to enter the public domain in 2026.<ref>{{harvp|Sergi|2015|p=214}}</ref>{{efn|See [https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/United_States_Code/Title_17/Chapter_3/Sections_304_and_305 USC Title 17, Chapter 3, § 304(b)]}} Later versions of her character will enter the public domain in the years that they become eligible.
 
[[File:BettyBoopCollection.jpg|upright=1.1|thumb|A display of Betty Boop collectibles]]
 
===Lawsuits and recent ownership===
 
Ownership of the ''Boop'' cartoons has changed hands over the intervening decades due to a series of corporate mergers, acquisitions, and divestitures. In 1954 [[Paramount Pictures]] sold the TV rights to UM&M TV Corp, Paramount was selling off all of their library to pay off debts. UM&M TV Corp. went bankrupt before ever distributing the films, they only got as far as modifying the original masters with their TV titles. In 1955 [[National Telefilm Associates]] purchased all of the licenses & films owned by UM&M TV Corp. and made 16mm prints to distribute to TV stations. In 1985 NTA changed their name to [[Republic Pictures]] since much of their feature film library was old Republic movies. [[Aaron Spelling Productions]] absorbed the new Republic Pictures in 1994 and shortly after was acquired by Viacom, which also acquired Paramount Pictures. Then in 2006 [[Viacom (2005–present)|Viacom]] made a corporate split into two separate companies: CBS Corporation and [[Paramount Pictures]] (the original distributor). As of  2021, Olive Films (under license from Paramount) holds home video rights and [[Trifecta Entertainment & Media|Trifecta]] retains television rights.
 
The rights to the "Betty Boop" character were not sold with the cartoons by Paramount, but were transferred to Harvey Comics in 1958 along with the 'Famous Studios' cartoon characters (Casper, Herman & Katnip, Baby Huey, etc.), regardless of whether they had the rights to transfer Betty Boop, according to a 2011 US Court verdict.<ref name="law.justia.com">{{Cite web|url=https://law.justia.com/cases/federal/appellate-courts/ca9/09-56317/09-56317-2011-08-19.html|title=Fleischer Studios, Inc. v. A.V.E.L.A., Inc., et al., No. 09-56317 (9th Cir. 2011)|website=Justia Law}}</ref><ref name="cdn.ca9.uscourts.gov">{{Cite web|url=http://cdn.ca9.uscourts.gov/datastore/opinions/2011/02/23/09-56317.pdf|title=Fleischer Studios, Inc. v. A.V.E.L.A., Inc. Transcript of the verdict, US Courts, p. 7}}</ref> The courts, however, were unable to come to a majority decision concerning ownership of the copyright.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Hull |first=Tim |date=February 24, 2011 |title=Court Says Right to Betty Boop Is Anyone's Guess |url=https://www.courthousenews.com/court-says-right-to-betty-boop-is-anyones-guess/ |access-date=2024-01-25 |website=Courthouse News Service}}</ref> A trademark on the name (but not legitimately the likeness) of Betty Boop is owned by Fleischer Studios, for which the character was created in the 1930s, but which was unable to claim copyright infringement in a 2008 district court case;<ref>{{cite web|title=Fleischer Studios, Inc., Plaintiff, v. A.V.E.L.A., Inc.; Artnostalgia.Com, Inc.; X One X Movie Archive, Inc.; Beverly Hills Teddy Bear Co.; Leo Valencia, Defendants 772 F. Supp. 2d 1135 Case No. 2:06-cv-06229-FMC-MANx Dec. 16, 2008 United States District Court, C.D. California.|date=2008-12-16|url=https://www.courtlistener.com/opinion/2476031/fleischer-studios-inc-v-avela-inc/|quote=Neither NTA's 1972 acknowledgment in a letter nor the 1997 settlement agreement between Republic and Plaintiff effected a transfer of rights that are good as against the world. At most, these documents evidence the parties' recognition of rights effective only between the parties. Moreover, neither party to the instant litigation has argued or established that the rights in the original character were or are severable from the works in which the original Betty Boop appears.<br />Accordingly, Plaintiff has not demonstrated a chain of title in the relevant cartoon films or the component parts thereof that leads to and terminates with Plaintiff. Stated otherwise, Plaintiff has not established its ownership of the Betty Boop cartoon character. Accordingly, Plaintiffs' Motion for Summary Judgment and Permanent Injunction is DENIED with respect to Plaintiffs copyright infringement claim, and Defendants' Motion for Summary Judgment is GRANTED with regard to Plaintiffs copyright infringement claim.}}</ref> the merchandising rights to Betty's name were licensed to King Features Syndicate,<ref name="law.justia.com"/><ref name="cdn.ca9.uscourts.gov"/> until 2021 but since then are licensed to Global Icons Inc.<ref>{{Cite news |title=Fleischer Studios Names Global Icons New Licensing Agent for Betty Boop and its Slate of Beloved Classic Characters |url=https://licensinginternational.org/news/fleischer-studios-names-global-icons-new-licensing-agent-for-betty-boop-and-its-slate-of-beloved-classic-characters/ |date=2021-01-12 |access-date=2022-05-15 |work=Licensing International}}</ref>
 
==Performers==
{{Overly detailed|section|nosplit=1|details=please see [[WP:LISTPEOPLE]], as many of these performers' portrayals of Betty Boop are inconsequential and unmemorable, such as those in commercials or understudies|date=January 2024}}
* [[Margie Hines]] (1930–1932, 1938–1939)<ref name="Betty Boop at BTVA"/>
* [[Little Ann Little|Ann Rothschild]] (1931–1933, 1938)<ref name="Betty Boop at BTVA"/>
* [[Harriet Lee (singer)|Harriet Lee]] (1931)<ref name="Betty Boop at BTVA"/><ref name="Finding Her Voice"/>
* [[Mae Questel]] (1931–1938, ''[[Who Framed Roger Rabbit]]'')<ref name="Betty Boop at BTVA"/>
* [[Bonnie Poe]] (1933–1934)<ref name="Betty Boop at BTVA"/>
* Victoria D'orazi (1980; ''Hurray for Betty Boop'')<ref name="Betty Boop at BTVA"/>
* [[Desirée Goyette]] (1984–1988, 1996; ''[[Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade]]'', ''[[The Romance of Betty Boop]]'', ''[[Animaniacs]]'' (as Googi Goop),<ref name="Animaniacs">{{cite web|url=http://www.behindthevoiceactors.com/tv-shows/Animaniacs/Googi-Goop/|title=Voice of Googi Goop in Animaniacs|website=Behind The Voice Actors|access-date=October 5, 2023}}</ref><ref name="Betty Boop at BTVA"/> commercials)<ref name="Betty Boop at BTVA"/>
* [[Melissa Fahn]] (1989, 2001–2002, 2004–2008; ''[[The Betty Boop Movie Mystery]]'', ''Betty Boop: Big City Adventures'', toys, dolls and animated projects)<ref name="Betty Boop at BTVA"/>
* [[Sandy Fox]] (Since 1991, official voice for King Syndicate worldwide)<ref name="Betty Boop at BTVA"/>
* [[Cindy Robinson]] (2009–present, official commercials)<ref name="Betty Boop at BTVA"/>
 
===Additional actresses===
* Kate Wright (1933; ''Betty Boop Theater Production'')<ref name="Betty Boop at BTVA"/>
* Shirley Reed (1934; ''The Sun Shine Hour'' and Arcade Tavern)
* Alice Hamada (1934–1937; records)<ref name="Nippon Boop">{{cite AV media |last=Nippon Betty Boop |last2=Columbia Jazz Band |url=https://archive.org/details/NipponBettyBoopTweetTweetTweet1934|title=Nippon Betty Boop Tweet Tweet Tweet (1934)|publisher=Internet Archive|access-date=May 16, 2021}}</ref>
* Cookie Bowers (1937–1939; European tour)
* June Albrezzi (1938)
* Peppy Greene (1976, 1997; Vandor Products, ''The Fleischer Story'' promotion, ''Carlton Cards Betty Boop Surprise! Sound Ornament'', merchandise)<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ww5kItRnr0o|title=Peppy Greene shows her Betty Boop Collection on PERSONAL FX - 1990s|date=July 21, 2023 |publisher=YouTube|access-date=August 4, 2024}}</ref>
* [[Bernadette Peters]] (1981; ''[[Saturday Night Live]]'')
* [[Didi Conn]] (1982; [[A&W Root Beer]] commercial)<ref name="Didi Conn">{{cite web|title=On heels of new 'Grease' edition, Didi Conn recalls how her voice led to role as Frenchy|date=July 30, 2010 |url=https://www.inquirer.com/philly/entertainment/20100730_On_heels_of_new__Grease__edition__Didi_Conn_recalls_how_her_voice_led_to_role_as_Frenchy.html|publisher=Inquirer.com|access-date=May 16, 2021}}</ref>
* [[Corinne Orr]] (1984; ''Betty Boop in Party Time'')<ref name="Boop Movie 1">{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xlTGXeHkEh8|title=BETTY BOOP 1984 You Can't Change Being You|date=July 30, 2018 |publisher=YouTube|access-date=October 5, 2023}}</ref>
* Mary Healey (1988; voice double in ''Who Framed Roger Rabbit'')<ref name="Starlog">{{cite web|url=https://archive.org/stream/starlog_magazine-127/127_djvu.txt|title=Starlog Magazine Issue 127|publisher=Internet Archive|access-date=May 16, 2021}}</ref>
* [[Sue Raney]] (1993; ''The Betty Boop Movie'')<ref name="Boop Movie 1b">{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SjjQhLRbu-w|title=The unproduced Betty Boop movie - Where Are You?|date=February 24, 2014 |publisher=YouTube|access-date=May 16, 2021}}</ref><ref name="Boop Movie 2">{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pnoYToaJLVQ|title=Sue Raney & Jimmy Rowles - Where Are You?|publisher=YouTube|access-date=May 16, 2021}}</ref>
* Angelica (1993–2003; [[MGM Grand Las Vegas]], [[MGM Grand Adventures Theme Park]], [[Bally Manufacturing|Bally]], commercial)
* {{ill|Daphne de Bruin|nl}} (1993; ''Wake Up, Betty Boop!'')
* Debbi Fuhrman (1995–1999; television shows, ''Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade'', ''[[Rose Parade]]'', ''Betty Boop Live!'')
* Diana Rice (1996–2000; MGM Grand Las Vegas, MGM Grand Adventures Theme Park)
* [[Cheryl Chase (actress)|Cheryl Chase]] (2000; ''[[Somewhere in Dreamland]]'' DVD audio commentary)<ref name="Somewhere in Dreamland">{{cite web|title=Cheryl Chase - Other Works|url=https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0153719/otherworks?ref_=nmbio_sa_1|publisher=IMDb|access-date=16 May 2021}}</ref><ref name="Cheryl Chase">{{cite web|title=Cheryl Chase|url=https://voice123.com/cherylchase|publisher=Voice123|access-date=May 16, 2021}}</ref>
* Michelle Goguen (2001; [[Garnier]] commercial)<ref name="Behind The Voice Actors – Garnier">{{cite web |title=Garnier (Commercial) |website=Behind The Voice Actors |url=https://www.behindthevoiceactors.com/commercials/Garnier/Betty-Boop/ |access-date=2024-01-26}}</ref>
* [[Lani Minella]] (2002; ''Slots from Bally Gaming'')<ref name="Bally Slots">{{cite web|url=http://www.behindthevoiceactors.com/video-games/Slots-from-Bally-Gaming/|title=Slots from Bally Gaming|website=Behind The Voice Actors|access-date=March 30, 2019}}</ref><ref name="Betty Boop at BTVA"/>
* Nicole Van Giesen (2003; ''Betty Boop Broadway'')<ref name="Broadway">{{Cite web|title=SOUND BLOG #13: [TITLE WITHHELD ON ADVICE OF COUNSEL]|date=October 26, 2009 |url=http://jasonrobertbrown.com/2009/10/26/sound-blog-13-title-withheld-on-advice-of-counsel/|publisher=Jason Robert Brown|access-date=August 23, 2020}}</ref>
* Shannon Cullem (2004; ''Boop-Oop-a-Dooin{{'}}'')<ref name="Boop-Oop 1">{{cite web|title=Sammy Timberg - Boop-Oop-A-Dooin' The Songs Of Sammy Timberg From Betty Boop, Popeye, Superman And Other Musical Classics (2004, CD)|url=https://www.discogs.com/Sammy-Timberg-Boop-Oop-A-Dooin-The-Songs-Of-Sammy-Timberg-From-Betty-Boop-Popeye-Superman-And-Other-/release/10836229|publisher=Discogs|access-date=May 16, 2021}}</ref><ref name="Boop-Oop 2">{{cite web|title=Boop-Oop-A-Dooin' by Fred Seibert|url=https://soundcloud.com/fred-seibert/sets/boop-oop-a-dooin|publisher=SoundCloud|access-date=16 May 2021}}</ref>
* [[Susan Bennett]] (briefly)<ref>{{cite web|title=Voiceovers|url=https://susancbennett.com/voiceovers|publisher=Susan C. Bennett|access-date=August 4, 2024}}</ref>
* Wendy Wynman-Engels (2009; ''Betty Boop Movie Mix Up'')<ref>{{cite web|title=Wendy Wyman-Engels - Compliance Officer & School Certifying Oficisl (SCO) for VA - Animal Behavior College|url=https://www.linkedin.com/in/wendywynman|publisher=LinkedIn|access-date=August 4, 2024}}</ref>
* LeAnne Broas (2010; Dan-E commercial)<ref name="Dan-E">{{Cite web|url=https://www.behindthevoiceactors.com/commercials/Dan-E/|title=Dan-E|website=Behind The Voice Actors|language=en-US|access-date=2020-10-31}}</ref>
* Vanessa Lauren Gamble (2013; ''The Ziegfeld Society'')
* Lauren Cohn (2013; ''Betty Boop's Cabaret'' and miscellaneous projects)
* [[Heather Halley]] (2014; ''Betty Boop Dance Card'')<ref>{{cite tweet|last=Halley|first=Heather|user=heatherhalley|author-link=Heather Halley|title=Betty Boop Dance Card Trailer: (link: http://youtu.be/5ZFFcqYJ8OY) youtu.be/5ZFFcqYJ8OY via @YouTube Honored to be voicing Betty Boop. This May 2014 iPhone/iPad game app.|number=445659865252245504|date=March 17, 2014|access-date=July 7, 2014}}</ref><ref name="Betty Boop at BTVA"/>
* Camilla Bard (2014; singing voice in ''Betty Boop Dance Card'')<ref name="Betty Boop at BTVA"/>
* [[Sarah Stiles]] (2016; ''Fleischerei'')<ref name="Fleischerei">{{cite web|title=Gary Lucas' Fleischerei, "The Broken Record" from 'Music from Max Fleischer's Cartoons'|url=https://soundcloud.com/cuneiformrecords/gary-lucas-fleischerei-the-broken-record-from-music-from-max-fleischers-cartoons|publisher=SoundCloud|access-date=16 May 2021}}</ref>
* Kim Exum (2023; ''Boop! Betty's Day Off'')
* {{ill|Jasmine Amy Rogers|wd=Q123916545|short=yes}} (2023; ''[[Boop! The Musical|BOOP! The Musical]]'')<ref name="Boop! The Musical" />
* Tristen Buettel (2023; understudy in ''BOOP! The Musical'')<ref name="Boop! The Musical" />
* Gabi Campo (2023; understudy in ''BOOP! The Musical'')<ref name="Boop! The Musical" />
 
===Parodies===
* [[Alex Borstein]] (2014; ''[[Family Guy]]'')<ref name="Family Guy">{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4q3WnTdAGEA&t=15s|title=Family Guy: How Betty Boop Got Her Name|date=June 30, 2018 |publisher=YouTube|access-date=October 31, 2020}}</ref>
 
==Legacy and revivals==
Betty Boop's popularity has continued into popular culture. In the ''[[Green Acres]]'' episode "School Days", Oliver quips that Lisa "has a lot of Betty Boop in her". In ''[[Drawn Together]]'', Betty is the inspiration for [[Toot Braunstein]]. Rapper [[Betty Boo]] based her voice and image on Betty Boop. The 1933 ''Betty Boop'' cartoon ''[[Snow-White (1933 film)|Snow-White]]'' (not to be confused with ''[[Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs (1937 film)|Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs]]'') was selected for preservation by the U.S. [[Library of Congress]] in the [[National Film Registry]] in 1994. Betty appears in the Ink and Paint club scene in ''[[Who Framed Roger Rabbit]]''. Betty is parodied in the ''[[Animaniacs]]'' episode "Girl with the Googily Goop", with the Boop character called "Googi Goop". The episode, made predominantly in black and white, is also a parody of "[[Little Red Riding Hood]]". Googi was voiced by one-time Betty Boop voice actress [[Desirée Goyette]]. Beatress Johnson, a character in ''[[American Mary]]'', has had extensive plastic surgery to resemble Betty Boop. Betty Boop appeared with model [[Daria Werbowy]] in a commercial for [[Lancôme]]'s Hypnôse Star Mascara, directed by [[Joann Sfar]].<ref>[http://www.elle.com/news/beauty-makeup/betty-boop-daria-werbowy-team-for-lancome-ad Betty Boop, Daria Werbowy Team for Lancome Ad]. ''elle.com''. Retrieved 2013-04-19.</ref> In March, 2017, Betty appeared with fashion designer [[Zac Posen]] in an animated [[Film promotion|promotional short]] produced by King Features Syndicate, Fleischer Studios (its subsidiary) and [[Pantone]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.branding.news/2017/03/10/zac-posen-is-the-star-of-new-animated-betty-boop-video-promoting-new-dress-collection/|title=Zac Posen Is the Star of New Animated Betty Boop Video, Promoting New Dress Collection|first=Editorial|last=Team|date=March 10, 2017}}</ref>
 
In April 2011, [[Funny or Die]] parodied the character in a trailer spoof for a film called ''Boop'', with [[Rose McGowan]] as Betty.<ref>[https://www.funnyordie.com/2011/4/18/17711912/boop-with-rose-mcgowan "Boop with Rose McGowan"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191209061604/https://www.funnyordie.com/2011/4/18/17711912/boop-with-rose-mcgowan |date=December 9, 2019 }} from [[Funny or Die]] (April 18, 2011) {{dead link|date=December 2022}}</ref>
 
Betty Boop is a central character in the satirical parody [[webcomic]] ''[[Mr. Boop]]''. The comic centers on the relationship between Betty and a fictionalized version of the webcomic's creator who is married to Betty.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Meslow |first=Scott |date=2022-05-24 |title=Meet the sicko behind Mr. Boop |url=https://www.theverge.com/2022/5/24/23132622/mr-boop-alec-robbins-interview-webcomic-betty-boop |access-date=2022-06-15 |website=The Verge |language=en}}</ref> The comic was nominated for an [[Ignatz Awards|Ignatz Award]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=MacDonald |first=Heidi |date=2021-09-01 |title=Syndicated Comics |url=https://www.comicsbeat.com/2021-ignatz-awards-nominees-announced/ |access-date=2022-06-15 |website=The Beat}}</ref> Betty can be seen at meet-and-greets at the Orlando Universal Studios theme park.<ref name="Unofficial Universal 2018 d485">{{cite web |title=List of Characters to Meet and Greet at Universal Studios & Islands of Adventure |website=Unofficial Universal |date=2018-09-27 |url=https://unofficialuniversal.com/universal-orlando-character-list/ |access-date=2023-09-08}}</ref>
 
==Accolades==
* In 2002, Betty was voted in ''[[TV Guide]]''{{'}}s 50 greatest cartoon characters of all time, ranking #17.
* In 2004, Betty Boop was voted among the "[[100 Greatest (TV series)|100 Greatest Cartoons]]" in a poll conducted by the British television channel [[Channel 4]], ranking at #96.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://animatedviews.com/2005/the-uks-100-greatest-cartoons/|title=The UK's 100 Greatest Cartoons!|publisher=Animated Views|first=Ben |last=Simon |date=27 February 2005|accessdate=14 January 2022}}</ref>
* In March 2009, a UK newspaper voted Betty Boop the second sexiest cartoon character of all time, with [[Jessica Rabbit]] in first place and the [[Cadbury's Caramel Bunny]] in third.<ref>{{citation|url=http://edinburghnews.scotsman.com/uk/A.5031385.jp|title=Caramel Bunny Among Sexiest Cartoons|date=3 March 2009|access-date=2017-01-01|newspaper=[[Edinburgh Evening News]]|publisher=[[Johnston Press]]}}</ref>
* In August 2010, the inaugural Betty Boop Festival was held in the city of [[Wisconsin Rapids]], [[Wisconsin]], and the third Festival was held in May 2012.<ref name="Betty Boop Festival 2012">{{cite web |title=Wisconsin Rapids Celebrates Animated Screen Star Betty Boop |website=Betty Boop Festival |year=2012 |publication-place=Wisconsin Rapids WI  |url=https://www.bettyboopfestivalwi.com/page04.html |access-date=2024-01-22 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120526002827/https://www.bettyboopfestivalwi.com/page04.html |archive-date=2012-05-26 |url-status=live <!--May become deviated as it appears that the home page may be usurped-->}}</ref>
 
==Filmography==
{{Main|List of Betty Boop films and appearances}}
 
==Notes==
{{notelist}}
 
==References==
{{Reflist}}
 
===Sources===
{{refbegin}}
* {{cite book |last=Bogin |first=Barry |author-link=Barry Bogin |title=Patterns of human growth |publisher=Cambridge University Press |publication-place=Cambridge, U.K. |year=1999 |isbn=978-0-521-56438-0 |oclc=1285753727 |url=https://archive.org/details/patternsofhumang0002bogi |url-access=registration |via=Internet Archive}}
* {{cite book |last=Fleischer |first=Richard |author-link=Richard Fleischer |title=Out of the Inkwell: Max Fleischer and the Animation Revolution |publisher=University Press of Kentucky |year=2005 |isbn=978-0-8131-2355-4 |jstor=j.ctt2jcqz5 |oclc=67764504}}
* {{cite book |last=Holtz |first=Allan |author-link=Allan Holtz |title=American Newspaper Comics: An Encyclopedic Reference Guide |publisher=University of Michigan Press |publication-place=Ann Arbor, MI |date=2012 |isbn=978-0-472-11756-7 |doi=10.3998/mpub.2133963 |oclc=617508967}}
* {{cite book |last=Lenburg |first=Jeff |title=The Encyclopedia of Animated Cartoons |edition=2nd |publisher=Facts on File |publication-place=New York |year=1999 |orig-year=1991 |isbn=978-0-8160-3831-2 |oclc=1035669494 |url=https://archive.org/details/isbn_9780816038312 |url-access=registration |via=Internet Archive}}
* {{cite book |last=Maltin |first=Leonard |author-link=Leonard Maltin |title=Of Mice and Magic: a History of American Animated Cartoons |publisher=McGraw-Hill |publication-place=New York |year=1980 |isbn=978-0-07-039835-1 |oclc=5496205 |url=https://archive.org/details/ofmicemagic00leon |url-access=registration |via=Internet Archive}}
* {{cite book |editor-last=O'Meally |editor-first=Robert G. |editor-last2=Edwards |editor-first2=Brent Hayes |editor-last3=Griffin |editor-first3=Farah Jasmine |title= Uptown Conversation: The New Jazz Studies |publisher=Columbia University Press |publication-place=New York |year=2004 |isbn=978-0-231-50836-0 |oclc=213304896 |doi=10.7312/omea12350}}
* {{cite book |last1=Pointer |first1=Ray |author-link=Ray Pointer|title=The Art and Inventions of Max Fleischer: American Animation Pioneer |publisher=McFarland & Company, Inc., Publishers |publication-place=Jefferson, North Carolina |year=2017 |isbn=978-1-4766-2741-0 |oclc=978295032}}
* {{cite book |last=Sergi |first=Joe |title=The Law for Comic Book Creators: Essential Concepts and Applications |publisher=McFarland & Company |publication-place=Jefferson, North Carolina |year=2015 |isbn=978-1-4766-1733-6 |oclc=903489229}}
* {{cite book  |last=Strickler |first=Dave |author-link=Dave Strickler|title=Syndicated Comic Strips and Artists, 1924–1995: The Complete Index |url=https://archive.org/details/syndicatedcomics0000unse |url-access=registration |location=Cambria, CA, US |publisher=Comics Access |year=1995 |isbn=0-9700077-0-1 |oclc=33053636 |via=Internet Archive |pages=11, 155, & 206}}
* {{cite book |last=Taylor |first=James D. Jr. |title=Helen Kane and Betty Boop. On Stage and On Trial |publisher=Algora Publishing |publication-place=New York |year=2017 |isbn=978-1-62894-299-6 |oclc=991535888}}
{{refend}}
 
==Further reading==
* {{cite AV media |title=Betty Boop: The Definitive Collection |publisher=Republic Pictures: Republic Entertainment Inc. |publication-place=Los Angeles, CA |year=1996 |type=DVD |isbn=978-0-7820-0635-3 |oclc=1127726640}}
* {{cite book |last=Ellis |first=Leonard |author-link=Elmore Leonard |title=The definitive guide to Betty Boop memorabilia |publisher=Hobby House Press |publication-place=Grantsville, Md. |year=2003 |isbn=978-0-87588-647-3 |oclc=52530418}}
* {{cite book |last=Solomon |first=Charles |author-link=Charles Solomon (animation historian) |title=Enchanted Drawings: The History of Animation |publisher=Wings Books |publication-place=New York |year=1994 |orig-year=1989 |isbn=978-0-517-11859-7 |oclc=30477163}}
* {{cite book |last=Taylor |first=James D. Jr. |title=The Voice of Betty Boop, Mae Questel |publisher=Algora Publishing |publication-place=New York |year=2016 |isbn=978-1-62894-242-2 | oclc=958563325}}
 
==External links==
{{sister project links|d=Q583810|n=no|b=no|v=no|voy=no|s=no|wikt=no|m=no|mw=no|species=no|q=no|c=Category:Betty Boop}}
* {{Official website}}
*{{cite web |title=Betty Boop |website=Don Markstein's Toonopedia |url=https://www.toonopedia.com/boop.htm |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130625100150/http://www.toonopedia.com/boop.htm |archive-date=2013-06-25 |url-status=live |access-date=2024-06-06}}
 
'''Media'''
*{{cite web |title=Betty Boop Cartoons |url=http://bibi.org/2006/05/betty_boop_cartoons/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091001162651/http://bibi.org/2006/05/betty_boop_cartoons/ |archive-date=2009-10-01 |url-status=dead |postscript=,}} list of Betty Boob cartoons in the [[public domain]]
*{{YouTube|zo0TJaJf2tU|"Betty Goes A-Posen"}}, promotional short for Zac Posen dresses
 
{{Betty Boop films|state=collapsed}}
{{1920s media culture}}
{{King Features Syndicate Comics}}
{{Fleischer Studios}}
 
{{Authority control}}
 
{{DEFAULTSORT:Betty Boop}}
[[Category:Betty Boop| ]]
[[Category:1934 comics debuts]]
[[Category:American comic strips]]
[[Category:American comics characters]]
[[Category:Animated film series]]
[[Category:Animated human characters]]
[[Category:Articles containing video clips]]
[[Category:Comedy film characters]]
[[Category:Comics about women]]
[[Category:Female characters in animation]]
[[Category:Fictional models]]
[[Category:Fictional presidents of the United States]]
[[Category:Fictional singers]]
[[Category:Animated characters introduced in 1930]]
[[Category:Film characters introduced in 1930]]
[[Category:Film series introduced in 1932]]
[[Category:Flappers]]
[[Category:Fleischer Studios series and characters]]
[[Category:Obscenity controversies in animation]]
[[Category:Obscenity controversies in film]]
[[Category:Television series by U.M. & M. TV Corporation]]

Revision as of 17:01, 7 December 2024

Template:Short description Template:Distinguish Template:For Template:Use mdy dates

Template:Infobox character Betty Boop is an animated cartoon character designed by Grim Natwick at the request of Dave Fleischer.Template:EfnScript error: No such module "Footnotes".Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters".[1]Script error: No such module "Footnotes".Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". She originally appeared in the Talkartoon and Betty Boop film series, which were produced by Fleischer Studios and released by Paramount Pictures. She was featured in 90 theatrical cartoons between 1930 and 1939.Script error: No such module "Footnotes".Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". She has also been featured in comic strips and mass merchandising.

A caricature of a Jazz Age flapper, Betty Boop was described in a 1934 court case as "combin[ing] in appearance the childish with the sophisticated—a large round baby face with big eyes and a nose like a button, framed in a somewhat careful coiffure, with a very small body of which perhaps the leading characteristic is the most self-confident little bust imaginable".[2] She was toned down in the mid-1930s as a result of the Hays Code to appear more demure, and has become one of the world's best-known and most popular cartoon characters.

History

Origins

Betty Boop made her first appearance in the cartoon Dizzy Dishes, released on August 9, 1930, the seventh installment in Fleischer's Talkartoon series. Inspired by a popular performing style, the character was originally created as an anthropomorphic French poodle.[3] Clara Bow is sometimes given credit as being the inspiration for Boop,[4] though Fleischer told his artists that he wanted a caricature of singer Helen Kane.[3] Kane later sued Fleischer over the signature "Boop Oop a Doop" line.[5] Betty Boop appeared as a supporting character in ten cartoons as a flapper girl with more heart than brains. In individual cartoons, she was called "Nancy Lee" or "Nan McGrew"—derived from the Helen Kane film Dangerous Nan McGrew (1930)—usually serving as a girlfriend to studio star Bimbo.

Within a year, Betty made the transition from an incidental human-canine breed to a completely human female character. While much credit has been given to Grim Natwick for helping to transform Max Fleischer's creation, her transition into the cute cartoon girl was also in part due to the work of Bernard Wolf, Otto Feuer, Seymour Kneitel, Roland "Doc" Crandall, Willard Bowsky, and James "Shamus" Culhane.Script error: No such module "Footnotes".Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". By the release of Any Rags, Betty Boop was forever established as a human character. Her floppy poodle ears became hoop earrings, and her black poodle nose became a girl's button-like nose.

A colorful Betty Boop in Poor Cinderella, 1934

Betty was first voiced by Margie Hines. Later, several different voice actresses performed the role, including Kate Wright, Bonnie Poe, Ann Rothschild (also known as Little Ann Little), and especially Mae Questel, who began voicing Betty Boop in Bimbo's Silly Scandals (1931), and continued with the role until 1939, returning nearly 50 years later in Disney's Who Framed Roger Rabbit (1988). Today, Betty is voiced by Cindy Robinson since 2015.[6][7][8]

Although Betty's first name was assumed to have been established in the 1931 Screen Songs cartoon Betty Co-ed, this "Betty" is a different character, which the official Betty Boop website describes as a "prototype" of Betty Boop. At least 12 Screen Songs cartoons featured Betty Boop or a similar character.Script error: No such module "Unsubst".

Betty Boop was the star of the Talkartoons by 1932 and was given her own series that same year, beginning with Stopping the Show. From that point on, she was crowned "The Queen of the Animated Screen". The series was popular throughout the 1930s.

Since the character was created by an Austrian Jew and eventually voiced by a Jewish actress, Mae Questel, animation fans sometimes try to pinpoint various aspects that hint at Betty's Jewishness. The 1932 Talkartoon Minnie the Moocher featured the only appearance of Betty's parents: a strict immigrant couple, who get upset that Betty does not want to eat the traditional German foods hasenpfeffer (rabbit stew) and sauerbraten. Benjamin Ivry of Forward says that any of this evidence is ambiguous, as these are not kosher foods, and the accents of the parents are comical German accents, rather than Jewish.[9]

Betty appeared in the first "Color Classic" cartoon Poor Cinderella, her only theatrical color appearance in 1934. In the film, she was depicted with red hair as opposed to her typical black hair.

Contemporary resurgence

The Betty Boop films were revived after Paramount sold them for syndication in 1955. UM&M and National Telefilm Associates were required to remove the original Paramount logo from the opening and closing, as well as any references to Paramount in the copyright line on the main titles. However, the mountain motif remains on some television prints, usually with a UM&M copyright line, while recent versions have circulated with the Paramount-Publix reference in cartoons from 1931.

The original Betty Boop cartoons were made in black and white. As new color cartoons made specifically for television began to appear in the 1960s, the original black-and-white cartoons were retired. Boop's film career had a revival with the release of The Betty Boop Scandals of 1974, becoming a part of the post-1960s counterculture. NTA attempted to capitalize on this with a new syndication package, but because no market existed for cartoons in black and white, they sent them to South Korea, where the cartoons were hand-traced frame-by-frame in color, resulting in the degradation of the animation quality and timing. Unable to sell these to television largely because of the sloppy colorization, they assembled a number of the color cartoons in a compilation feature titled Betty Boop for President, to connect with the 1976 election, but it did not receive a theatrical release.

The release of the films on video cassette for home viewing created a new market for the films in their original form. The American Movie Classics cable television channel showcased a selection of the original black-and-white Betty Boop cartoons in the 1990s, which led to an eight-volume VHS and LV set, Betty Boop, the Definitive Collection. Some of the nonpublic-domain Boop cartoons copyrighted by Republic successor Melange Pictures (Paramount Global's holding company that handles the Republic theatrical library) have been released by Olive Films under Paramount's license, while the Internet Archive hosts 22 Betty Boop cartoons that are public domain.

Portrayal

Betty Boop in 1932

Sex symbol

Betty Boop is regarded as one of the first and best-known sex symbols on the animated screen;[10] she is a symbol of the Depression era and a reminder of the more carefree days of Jazz Age flappers. Her popularity was drawn largely from adult audiences, and the cartoons, while seemingly surreal, contained many sexual and psychological elements, particularly in the 1932 "Talkartoon" Minnie the Moocher (1932), featuring Cab Calloway and his orchestra.

Minnie the Moocher defined Betty's character as a teenager of a modern era, at odds with the old-world ways of her parents. In the cartoon, after a disagreement with her strict parents, Betty runs away from home, accompanied by her boyfriend Bimbo, only to get lost in a haunted cave. A ghostly walrus (rotoscoped from live-action footage of Calloway) sings Calloway's song "Minnie the Moocher", accompanied by several other ghosts and skeletons. This haunting performance sends the frightened Betty and Bimbo back to the safety of home. "Minnie the Moocher" served as a promotion for Calloway's subsequent stage appearances and also established Betty Boop as a cartoon star. The eight Talkartoons that followed all starred Betty, leading her into her own series beginning in 1932. With the release of Stopping the Show (August 1932), the Talkartoons were replaced by the Betty Boop series, which continued for the next seven years.[11]

Betty Boop was unique among female cartoon characters because she represented a sexual woman. Other female cartoon characters of the same period, such as Minnie Mouse, displayed their underwear or bloomers regularly, in the style of childish or comical characters, not a fully defined woman's form. Many other female cartoons were merely clones of their male co-stars, with alterations in costume, the addition of eyelashes, and a female voice. Betty Boop wore short dresses, high heels, a garter, and her breasts were highlighted with a low, contoured bodice that showed cleavage. In her cartoons, male characters frequently try to sneak a peek at her while she is changing or simply going about her business. In Betty Boop's Bamboo Isle, she does the hula wearing nothing but a lei, strategically placed to cover her breasts, and a grass skirt. This was repeated in her first cameo appearance in Popeye the Sailor (1933). A certain girlish quality was given to the character. She was drawn with a head more similar to a baby's than an adult's in proportion to her body. This suggested the combination of girlishness and maturity that many people saw in the flapper type, which Betty represented.

While the character was kept pure and girl-like onscreen, compromises to her virtue were a challenge. The studio's 1931 Christmas card featured Betty in bed with Santa Claus, winking at the viewer. The Talkartoons The Bum Bandit and Dizzy Red Riding Hood (both 1931) were given distinctly "impure" endings. Officially, Betty was only 16 years old, according to a 1932 interview with Fleischer (although in The Bum Bandit, she is portrayed as a married woman with many children and with an adult woman's voice, rather than the standard "boop-boop-a-doop" voice).Template:Efn

Attempts to compromise her virginity were reflected in Chess-Nuts (1932) and most importantly in Boop-Oop-a-Doop (1932). In Chess-Nuts, the Black King goes into the house where Betty is and ties her up. When she rejects him, he pulls her out of the ropes, drags her off to the bedroom and says, "I will have you". The bed, however, runs away, and Betty calls for help through the window. Bimbo comes to her rescue, and she is saved before anything happens. In Boop-Oop-a-Doop, Betty is a high-wire performer in a circus. The ringmaster lusts for Betty as he watches her from below, singing "Do Something", a song previously performed by Helen Kane. As Betty returns to her tent, the ringmaster follows her inside and sensually massages her legs, surrounds her, and threatens her job if she does not submit. Betty pleads with the ringmaster to cease his advances, as she sings "Don't Take My Boop-Oop-A-Doop Away". Koko the Clown is practicing his juggling outside the tent and overhears the struggle inside. He leaps in to save Betty, struggling with the ringmaster, who loads him into a cannon and fires it. Koko, who remained hiding inside the cannon, knocks the ringmaster out cold with a mallet, while imitating the ringmaster's laugh. Koko then inquires about Betty's welfare, to which she answers in song, "No, he couldn't take my boop-oop-a-doop away". According to Jill Harness of Mental Floss, these portrayals of Boop fighting off sexual harassment on the animated screen made many see her as a feminist icon.[12]

Under the Production Code

Betty Boop's best appearances are considered to be in her first three years due to her "Jazz Baby" character and innocent sexuality, which was aimed at adults, but the content of her films was affected by the National Legion of Decency and the Production Code of 1934, which imposed guidelines on the motion-picture industry and placed specific restrictions on the content films could reference with sexual innuendos. This greatly affected the Betty Boop cartoons.

No longer a carefree flapper from the date the code went into effect on July 1, 1934, Betty became a spinster housewife or a career girl who wore a fuller dress or skirt. Additionally, as time progressed, the curls in her hair gradually decreased in number. She also eventually stopped wearing her gold bracelets and hoop earrings, and she became more mature and wiser in personality, compared to her earlier years. Right from the start, Joseph Breen, the new head film censor, had numerous complaints. Breen ordered the removal of the suggestive introduction that had started the cartoons because Betty Boop's winks and shaking hips were deemed "suggestive of immorality". For a few entries, Betty was given a new human boyfriend named Freddy, who was introduced in She Wronged Him Right (1934).Script error: No such module "Footnotes".Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". Next, Betty was teamed with a puppy named Pudgy, beginning with Betty Boop's Little Pal (1934).Script error: No such module "Footnotes".Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". The following year saw the addition of the eccentric inventor Grampy, who debuted in Betty Boop and Grampy (1935).

The transformation from pre-Code to post-Code

While these cartoons were tame compared to her earlier appearances, their self-conscious wholesomeness was aimed at a more juvenile audience, which contributed to the decline of the series. Much of the decline was due to the lessening of Betty's role in the cartoons in favor of her co-stars, not to mention Fleischer's biggest success, Popeye. This was a similar problem experienced during the same period with Walt Disney's Mickey Mouse, who was becoming eclipsed by the popularity of his co-stars Donald Duck, Goofy, and Pluto.[13]

Since she was largely a musical novelty character, the animators attempted to keep Betty's cartoons interesting by pairing her with popular comic strip characters such as Henry, The Little King and Little Jimmy, hoping to create an additional spin-off series with her pairing with Popeye in 1933. None of these films, though, generated a new series. When the flapper/jazz era that Betty represented had been replaced by the big bands of the swing era, Fleischer Studios made an attempt to develop a replacement character in this style in the 1938 Betty Boop cartoon Betty Boop and Sally Swing, but it was not a success.

The last Betty Boop cartoons were released in 1939, and a few made attempts to bring Betty into the swing era. In her last appearance, Rhythm on the Reservation (1939), Betty drives an open convertible, labeled "Betty Boop's Swing Band", through a Native American reservation, where she introduces the people to swing music and creates a "Swinging Sioux Band". The Betty Boop cartoon series officially ended with Yip Yip Yippy (1939). While Yip Yip Yippy appears at the end of the Betty Boop series, it is actually a one-shot about a "Drug Store" mail-order cowboy "wannabe" without Betty, which was written mainly to fill the release schedule and fulfill the contract.Script error: No such module "Footnotes".Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters".

Media

Television

In 1955, Betty's 110 cartoon appearances were sold to television syndicator UM&M, which was acquired by National Telefilm Associates (NTA) in 1956. NTA was reorganized in 1985 as Republic Pictures, which folded in 2012, and became Melange Pictures, a subsidiary of Paramount Global, the parent company of Paramount. Paramount, Boop's original home studio (via Melange/Paramount Global), acts as a theatrical distributor for the Boop cartoons that they originally released. Television rights are handled on Paramount's behalf by Trifecta Entertainment & Media, which in turn were inherited from CBS Television Distribution (renamed CBS Media Ventures in 2021), successor to other related companies, including Worldvision Enterprises, Republic Pictures Television, and NTA.

Betty Boop appeared in two television specials, The Romance of Betty Boop in 1985, which was produced by Lee Mendelson and Bill Melendez, the same creative team behind the Peanuts specials, and 1989's The Betty Boop Movie Mystery; both specials are available on DVD as part of the Advantage Cartoon Mega Pack. While television revivals were conceived, nothing has materialized from the plans. Her most recent television appearance was an episode of Project Runaway All Stars in February 2018.[14]

On February 11, 2016, Deadline announced that a new 26-episode television series focusing on Betty Boop is in production, in partnership with Normaal Animation, Fleischer Studios, and King Features. The show was to be aimed towards the tween and teenaged audiences. The show's premise, according to the article, will "recount the daily struggles, joys, and victories of young Betty Boop, who has every intention of being on stage and becoming a superstar".[15]

Home media

While the animated cartoons featuring Betty Boop have enjoyed renewed attention over the last 30 years, official home-video releases have been limited to the VHS and LaserDisc collector's sets in the 1990s. No such releases for the Betty Boop cartoons on DVD and Blu-ray were made until 2013, when Olive Films, under license from Paramount Home Entertainment, finally released the nonpublic domain cartoons, although they were restored from the original internegatives, these were altered in 1954 by a now defunct TV distributor named UM&M TV Corp. and the altered opening and closing credits appear on these discs.[16] Volume 1 was released on August 20, 2013, and volume 2 on September 24, 2013. Volume 3 was released on April 29, 2014, and volume 4 on September 30, 2014.

Comics

The Betty Boop comic strip by Bud Counihan (assisted by Fleischer staffer Hal Seeger) was distributed by King Features Syndicate from July 23, 1934, to November 28, 1937.Script error: No such module "Footnotes".Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". From November 19, 1984, to January 31, 1988, a revival strip with Felix the Cat, Betty Boop and Felix, was produced by Mort Walker's sons Brian, Neal, Greg, and Morgan.Script error: No such module "Footnotes".Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters".Script error: No such module "Footnotes".Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". In 1990, First Comics published Betty Boop's Big Break, a 52-page original graphic novel by Joshua Quagmire, Milton Knight, and Leslie Cabarga. In 2016, Dynamite Entertainment published new Betty Boop comics with 20 pages in the alternative American anime graphic novel style; four issues were released.

File:Boopoct2334.jpg
Bud Counihan's Betty Boop (October 23, 1934)

Cancelled film projects

In 1993, plans were made for an animated feature film of Betty Boop, but they were later cancelled. The musical storyboard scene of the proposed film can be seen online. The finished reel consists of Betty and her estranged father performing a jazz number together called "Where are you?" Jimmy Rowles and Sue Raney provide the vocals for Betty and Benny Boop.[17]

Producers Steven Paul Leiva and Jerry Rees began production on a new Betty Boop feature film for the Zanuck Company and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer. The script by Rees detailed Betty's rise in Hollywood in the Golden Age of Hollywood. It was to be a musical with music by jazz musician Bennie Wallace and lyrics by Cheryl Ernst Wells. Wallace and Wells had completed several songs and 75% of the film had been storyboarded when, two weeks before voice recording was to begin with Bernadette Peters as Betty, the head of MGM, Alan Ladd Jr., was replaced by Frank Mancuso, and the project was abandoned.Script error: No such module "Unsubst". On August 14, 2014, Simon Cowell's Syco and Animal Logic announced they were developing a feature-length film based on the character.[18]

Video game

Stage musical

Template:Main A musical entitled Boop! The Musical, with music by David Foster, lyrics by Susan Birkenhead and book by Bob Martin, made its pre-Broadway debut at the CIBC Theatre in Chicago, Illinois, from November 19, 2023, to December 24, 2023. Direction and choreography are by Jerry Mitchell, and the musical starred Jasmine Amy Rogers as Betty Boop, with Faith Prince as Valentina, Ainsley Melham as Dwayne, Erich Bergen as Raymond, Stephen DeRosa as Grampy, Angelica Hale as Trisha and Anastacia McCleskey as Carol.[19][20]

Film cameo

In the 1988 film Who Framed Roger Rabbit, Betty Boop was voiced once more by Mae Questel.[21] The character appears in a scene with detective Eddie Valiant. At the end, she appears in the crowd with a group of other cartoon characters who all sing "Smile, Darn Ya, Smile".

Marketing and merchandise

Marketers rediscovered Betty Boop in the 1980s, and Betty Boop merchandise has far outdistanced her exposure in films, with many not aware of her cinematic origin. Much of this merchandise features the character in her popular, sexier form, and has become popular worldwide once again.Script error: No such module "Unsubst".

In 2010, Betty Boop became the official fantasy cheerleader for the upstart United Football League. She was featured in merchandise targeted towards the league's female demographic.[22]

As of 2021, international licensing company Global Icons has acquired the licensing rights to Betty Boop and other Fleischer Studios characters, thus ending Fleischer's longtime relationship with King Features Syndicate.[23] She still appears in merchandise and social media, appealing to a 21st-century audience, using slang from the social media website TikTok, and she has various hobbies. (cyclist, recycling, etc.)[24]

Marking Betty Boop's 55th birthday, in 1985 she made her first appearance as a Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade balloon.[25][26] The balloon held more than Template:Convert of helium and was Template:Convert tall.[27] The balloon did not finish the 1986 parade due to collapsing near Times Square.[28] The balloon appeared again in 1987[29] then returned for occasional use in the 1990s.[30]

Legal issues

Helen Kane lawsuit

Helen Kane and Betty Boop - Photoplay, April 1932

In May 1932, Helen Kane filed a $250,000 infringement lawsuit against Fleischer Studios, Max Fleischer and Paramount Publix Corporation for the "deliberate caricature" that produced "unfair competition", exploiting her personality and image. While Kane had risen to fame in the late 1920s as "The Boop-Oop-a-Doop Girl", a star of stage, recordings, and films for Paramount, her career was nearing its end by 1931, and Paramount promoted the development of Betty Boop following Kane's decline. The case was brought in New York in 1934. On April 19, Fleischer testified that Betty Boop purely was a product of his imagination and detailed by members of his staff.[31][32]

Theatrical manager Lou Bolton testified that Kane had witnessed an African-American child performer, Baby Esther (Esther Jones), using a similar vocal style in an act at the Everglades Restaurant club in midtown Manhattan, in "April or May 1928".Script error: No such module "Footnotes".Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". Under cross-examination Bolton said that he had met with Kane at the club after Esther's performance, but could not say when she had walked in.Script error: No such module "Footnotes".Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". Bolton also stated that Paramount's lawyers had paid him $200 to come to New York.Script error: No such module "Footnotes".Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". Esther's name was given in the trial as Esther Jones. (During the trial, Lou Bolton, who was Esther Jones' manager, also testified his belief that she was probably in Paris.Script error: No such module "Footnotes".Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters".) An early test sound-on-disc film (lost after the trial), was produced, which featured Esther performing in this style and introduced as evidence.Script error: No such module "Footnotes".Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". In the film, Esther sings three songs that had earlier been popularized by Helen Kane – "Don't Be Like That", "Is There Anything Wrong with That?", and "Wa-da-da" – which writer Mark Langer says "was hardly proof that Helen Kane derived her singing style from Baby Esther".[33] Jazz studies scholar Robert O'Meally stated this evidence, though, "might very well have been cooked up by the Fleischers to discredit Kane, whom they later admitted to have been their model for Betty Boop."Script error: No such module "Footnotes".Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". O'Meally also questioned if some sort of deal existed between Paramount and Bolton, and questioned if Esther were ever paid for her presumed loss of revenue.Script error: No such module "Footnotes".Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters".

New York Supreme Court Justice Edward J. McGoldrick ruled, "The plaintiff has failed to sustain either cause of action by proof of sufficient probative force". In his opinion, based on the totality of the evidence presented in the trial, the "baby" technique of singing did not originate with Kane.[34]Script error: No such module "Footnotes".Script error: No such module "Check for unknown parameters". No confirmed recordings of Jones are known to exist.[35]

Under current US copyright law, Betty Boop is due to enter the public domain in 2026.[36]Template:Efn Later versions of her character will enter the public domain in the years that they become eligible.

A display of Betty Boop collectibles

Lawsuits and recent ownership

Ownership of the Boop cartoons has changed hands over the intervening decades due to a series of corporate mergers, acquisitions, and divestitures. In 1954 Paramount Pictures sold the TV rights to UM&M TV Corp, Paramount was selling off all of their library to pay off debts. UM&M TV Corp. went bankrupt before ever distributing the films, they only got as far as modifying the original masters with their TV titles. In 1955 National Telefilm Associates purchased all of the licenses & films owned by UM&M TV Corp. and made 16mm prints to distribute to TV stations. In 1985 NTA changed their name to Republic Pictures since much of their feature film library was old Republic movies. Aaron Spelling Productions absorbed the new Republic Pictures in 1994 and shortly after was acquired by Viacom, which also acquired Paramount Pictures. Then in 2006 Viacom made a corporate split into two separate companies: CBS Corporation and Paramount Pictures (the original distributor). As of 2021, Olive Films (under license from Paramount) holds home video rights and Trifecta retains television rights.

The rights to the "Betty Boop" character were not sold with the cartoons by Paramount, but were transferred to Harvey Comics in 1958 along with the 'Famous Studios' cartoon characters (Casper, Herman & Katnip, Baby Huey, etc.), regardless of whether they had the rights to transfer Betty Boop, according to a 2011 US Court verdict.[37][38] The courts, however, were unable to come to a majority decision concerning ownership of the copyright.[39] A trademark on the name (but not legitimately the likeness) of Betty Boop is owned by Fleischer Studios, for which the character was created in the 1930s, but which was unable to claim copyright infringement in a 2008 district court case;[40] the merchandising rights to Betty's name were licensed to King Features Syndicate,[37][38] until 2021 but since then are licensed to Global Icons Inc.[41]

Performers

Template:Overly detailed

Additional actresses

Parodies

Legacy and revivals

Betty Boop's popularity has continued into popular culture. In the Green Acres episode "School Days", Oliver quips that Lisa "has a lot of Betty Boop in her". In Drawn Together, Betty is the inspiration for Toot Braunstein. Rapper Betty Boo based her voice and image on Betty Boop. The 1933 Betty Boop cartoon Snow-White (not to be confused with Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs) was selected for preservation by the U.S. Library of Congress in the National Film Registry in 1994. Betty appears in the Ink and Paint club scene in Who Framed Roger Rabbit. Betty is parodied in the Animaniacs episode "Girl with the Googily Goop", with the Boop character called "Googi Goop". The episode, made predominantly in black and white, is also a parody of "Little Red Riding Hood". Googi was voiced by one-time Betty Boop voice actress Desirée Goyette. Beatress Johnson, a character in American Mary, has had extensive plastic surgery to resemble Betty Boop. Betty Boop appeared with model Daria Werbowy in a commercial for Lancôme's Hypnôse Star Mascara, directed by Joann Sfar.[65] In March, 2017, Betty appeared with fashion designer Zac Posen in an animated promotional short produced by King Features Syndicate, Fleischer Studios (its subsidiary) and Pantone.[66]

In April 2011, Funny or Die parodied the character in a trailer spoof for a film called Boop, with Rose McGowan as Betty.[67]

Betty Boop is a central character in the satirical parody webcomic Mr. Boop. The comic centers on the relationship between Betty and a fictionalized version of the webcomic's creator who is married to Betty.[68] The comic was nominated for an Ignatz Award.[69] Betty can be seen at meet-and-greets at the Orlando Universal Studios theme park.[70]

Accolades

Filmography

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Notes

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References

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Sources

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Further reading

External links

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Media

Template:Betty Boop films Template:1920s media culture Template:King Features Syndicate Comics Template:Fleischer Studios

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