80 years and still going strong! Read on to learn more about this iconic, and controversial, animated figure. And in case you’re wondering … Yes, we’re commemorating this occasion the best way we know how – with a sale! (Selected merchandise only; ends at midnight.)
Betty Boop was conceived by Max Fleischer for and made her first big screen debut on August 9, 1930 in the 6th installment of the Talkartoon series, “Dizzy Dishes”. Initially, she started out as an unnamed cabaret-performing female dog of all things, and as a mere supporting character that caught the fancy of the studio star, a dog named Bimbo. You can view that video here.
Later that year, Betty found a permanent voice – Mae Questel, who would also be known as the voice of Olive Oyl in the Popeye cartoons and the singer of the platinum hit “Good Ship Lollipop”. Fleischer would realize that he had a potential star in the young Ms. Boop, and gave Betty her current name, a fully human form, and first starring role in 1932. Meanwhile, Fleischer’s brother, Dave added more sex appeal and a more distinctively feminine personality to the character. A dog she certainly was not! Betty Boop’s career immediately took off, and she went on to star in over 100 cartoons in the 30s, earning the distinction of becoming the world’s biggest female animated star.
Her saucy image and flapper ways brought their share of controversy, however. From 1932 to 1934, Betty fought a successful legal battle against real-life sexy singing star, Helen Kaye, who claimed Betty had stolen her likeness. Several Betty Boop cartoons would be deemed too risqué and would be banned. In 1934, a set of censorship guidelines, the Motion Picture Production Code, also known as the Hays Code, began requiring all films to obtain a certificate of approval. This forced Betty to tone down her image, both in appearance and in themes of the cartoons, and Betty began resembling a traditional housewife more than a tantalizing flapper. Her new more wholesome character proved to be less appealing to audiences, and the tamer Betty Boop series steadily declined in popularity until its finale in 1939.
The Betty Boop cartoons saw a modest revival in interest in the 1950s, when the series was sold for syndication. Further interest was generated in 1974 with the release of the Betty Boop Scandals, which hit home with the post-60s counterculture movement. Betty Boop’s true renaissance began in the 80s when marketers began merchandising her likeness. Indeed, Betty Boop has now gained more exposure as an image on various products than she did in her films and shorts.
In her 80 years of existence, the character known as Betty Boop has entertained and scintillated, and continues to retain significant influence. So we want to say “Happy Birthday Betty!!”
And to steal a line from “Who Framed Roger Rabbit”, Betty – you still got it.
No comments:
Post a Comment