Betty Boop

Betty Boop is one of the most enduring and recognisable animated characters in film history, a true icon of the Jazz Age. Created by Grim Natwick at the request of Max Fleischer, she appeared in 90 animated films between 1930 and 1939. 'La Boop' quickly became known as 'The Queen of the Animated Screen.' She is the first fully human, all-female animated character, rising from a supporting role to star in her own popular series, produced by Fleischer Studios and released by Paramount Pictures.


American postcard by Classico San Francisco, no. 661-003. Image: King Features Syndicate Inc. / Fleischer Studios Inc. Caption: Rockin' Boop.


Spanish card, no. 8, in the "Dibujos animados" series. Betty Boop, Koko and Bimbo. Collection: Marlene Pilaete.


Spanish postcard by Ediciones ARFA, Barcelona, no. 51/8. Betty Boop and Mickey Rooney. Caption: "A trip to Niagara". Collection: Marlene Pilaete.


Spanish postcard in the Series Estrellas del cinema, no. 67. Photo: Paramount Film.

Helen Kane (1904-1966) was an American singer and actress, whose signature song 'I Wanna Be Loved by You' (1928) was featured in the 1928 stage musical Good Boy. Kane's voice and appearance were thought to be a source for Fleischer Studios animators when creating Betty Boop. In early 1929, she signed an $8,000-a-week contract with Paramount for seven musical films, made between 1929 and 1931.

From an incidental human-dog crossbreed to a fully human female character

Betty Boop made her screen debut on 9 August 1930, in the Talkartoon short Dizzy Dishes (Grim Natwick, Ted Sears, 1930).

She was originally conceived as an anthropomorphic French poodle and a girlfriend for the studio's star, Bimbo.

The character was modelled on the popular flapper style of the 1920s, with singer Helen Kane often cited as the primary inspiration—particularly for the signature 'Boop Oop a Doop' line.

Over the course of her early appearances, Betty was also sometimes called 'Nancy Lee' or 'Nan McGrew.'

Her transformation from an incidental human-dog crossbreed to a fully human female character was complete by the release of Any Rags? (Willard Bowsky, Thomas Bonfiglio, 1932), where her floppy poodle ears had become hoop earrings and her black canine nose a button-like human nose.




Spanish cardboard figurines to assemble. You had three different parts to insert one into another: the head, the body, and the legs. You could combine them, as there were several variations of each part, so you could have different versions of Betty Boop. To give you an example, we show you the same figurine adorning two versions of the head. To make the figurine stand upright, you had to fold the two flaps down below. Collection: Marlene Pilaete.


American postcard by Classico San Francisco, no. 661-041. Image: King Features Syndicate Inc. / Fleischer Studios Inc. Caption: Cracker Smacks Boop.


American postcard by Classico San Francisco, no. 661-001. Image: King Features Syndicate Inc. / Fleischer Studios Inc. Caption: Hooray for Hollywood.

A flirtatious sex symbol known for her large eyes, pin curls, and trademark garter

By 1932, Betty Boop’s popularity had surpassed that of Bimbo, and she was crowned the star of her own animated series, beginning with Stopping the Show (Dave Fleischer, Roland Crandall, 1932).

This peak era produced some of her most famous and surreal shorts, cementing her image as a flirtatious sex symbol known for her large eyes, pin curls, and trademark garter.

Notable films from this creative period, listed among the series' best, include the groundbreaking short Snow White (Dave Fleischer, Roland Crandall, 1933), which featured a surreal visual style.

Another highlight is Minnie the Moocher (Dave Fleischer, Willard Bowsky, 1932), which featured a famous appearance by musician Cab Calloway.

In 1934, Betty made her only cinematic appearance in colour in Poor Cinderella (Seymour Kneitel, Roland Crandall, William Henning, 1934), where she was, unusually, depicted with red hair.


French postcard by Editions Dalix, no. 25. Image: King Features Syndicate Inc. / Fleischer Studios Inc. Caption: Frankly, My Dear, I Don't Give A Boop!


French postcard by Editions Dalix, no. 25. Image: King Features Syndicate Inc. / Fleischer Studios Inc. Caption: Don't Play with my Heart.


French postcard by Editions Dalix, no. 25. Image: King Features Syndicate Inc. / Fleischer Studios Inc. Caption: Trade your alarm clock for a cuddly wake-up call.


French postcard by Editions Dalix, no. 28. Image: King Features Syndicate Inc. / Fleischer Studios Inc. Caption: You can see that I'm waiting for you.

The attention of censors

Betty Boop's provocative style and suggestive storylines eventually drew the attention of censors.

With the Hays Code (Production Code) coming into full effect for animation around 1935, Betty's character underwent significant changes.

Her plots evolved from exciting and outlandish adventures to more domestic and demure scenarios. Visually, she was drawn taller and older, and her dresses were lengthened to hide her trademark garter.

Her sidekicks also changed to accommodate the new tone, with Bimbo being swapped out for a cuddly puppy named Pudgy, and Koko the Clown replaced by the eccentric inventor Grampy.

Her later filmography included more innocuous films such as A Little Soap and Water (Dave Fleischer, Myron Waldman, 1935) and Service With a Smile (Dave Fleischer, Dave Tendlar, 1937). Her popularity declined, and the original Betty Boop series was discontinued in 1939.


Swedish card by Allers Familj-Journal, no. 55, in the "Stjärnparaden" series. The magazine started in 1879 and became "Allers Familj-Journal" in 1894. At the end of the 1930s, the name was shortened to 'Allers". The magazine published movie star cards in the 1930s. We don't know why Betty Boop has blonde hair on this card. Collection: Marlene Pilaete.


American postcard by Classico San Francisco, Inc, no. 661-035. Image: King Features Syndicate Inc / Fleischer Studios, Inc. Caption: Hulla Boop Betty Boop.


Dutch postcard by Loeb, uitgevers bv. Image: Leslie Cabarga / King Features Syndicate Inc, 1985. Caption: Happy Birthday. Leslie Cabarga is an American author, illustrator, cartoonist, animator, font designer, and publication designer. A participant in the underground comix movement in the early 1970s, he has since gone on to write and/or edit over 40 books. His art style evokes images from the 1920s and 1930s, and over the years, Cabarga has created many products associated with Betty Boop.


French postcard by Dix et Demi Quinze. Image: Fleischer Studios. French poster by Films sans frontières. Betty Boop in Betty Boop Confidential (1998). A collection of 13 Betty Boop shorts. The French title was Le journal intime de Betty Boop. Caption: Boop Boop I Doo!

Sources: The Origins of Betty Boop (YouTube), Wikipedia (English, French and Dutch) and IMDb.