A Complex History of Betty Boop

Written by Layla Bermeo.

On August 9, 1930, Fleischer Studios introduced a new crooning cartoon. She had the head of a poodle, the body of a pin-up girl, and the charming catchphrase, “boop-oop-a-doop!” Over the next two years, her floppy dog ears became sassy hoop earrings, her wide eyes and pouty lips became the envy of every modern "It" girl, and she became known as the incomparable Betty Boop.

She was the first cartoon girl who was no joke. In over 100 Fleischer animations, she went from batting her eyelashes and giggling girlishly to flying airplanes and taming lions. She kept audiences on the edge of their seats, whether they were watching her plunging necklines or plucky attitude. Once crowned the “Queen of Cartoons,” Betty Boop continues her reign over eighty years later.

Celebrate her birthday with us, check out this Complex visual history of Betty Boop.

The Man Behind Betty Boop

Betty Boop was dreamed up by Max Fleischer, a major pioneer in the creative and technical development of animated films, and originally drawn by Grim Natwick . Fleisher's 1915 invention, the Rotoscope, introduced a technique in which animators traced over filmed action, creating life-like movement that changed cartoons forever. By the end of the Roaring Twenties, Fleischer’s invention could perfectly capture every bounce and flounce of his flapper-style sweetheart, Betty Boop.

Betty Bop Stars as Snow White

Years before Disney Studios released the retelling of the classic Snow White story, Betty Boop starred as the ebony-haired princess in 1933. Dancing skeletons and a jazz-singing clown made for a delightfully surreal vision, but it was decades before the artistry of this animated film was recognized. It was eventually selected for preservation in the National Film Registry, and in 1994, it was voted one of the 50 Greatest Cartoons.

Live Action Betty

Fleischer Studios promoted their leading lady, Betty Boop, with live variety shows throughout the country. Little Ann Little was one of the voices and models for Betty, along with Margie Hines, Mae Questel, and others. In the early 1930s, Little hit the road with Fleischer Studios artist Pauline Comanor, who would create lightening-quick sketches of Betty for eager audiences.

Betty Boop Introduces the Word to Popeye

By the summer of 1933, Betty Boop was ready to use her star power to introduce fresh talent. Before our favorite spinach-eating sailor had his own series, Popeye performed a choreographed hula dance alongside a scantily-clad Betty. Popeye the Sailor’s catchy theme song (and his good company) made him an instant success.

Betty Boop Hangs With Stars

Like a true celebrity, Betty Boop was always surrounded by other stars. Fleischer Studios was on the cutting edge of sound as well as animation, and their Betty cartoons featured many leading vocalists and musicians of the time, including Ethel Merman, Rudy Vallee, and Don Redman. Fleischer particularly tapped in to jazz, and Betty performed alongside jazz legends like Cab Calloway and Louis Armstrong.

Betty Boop Forced to Hide Her Legs

Although Betty Boop’s great legs carried her far, they also got her in trouble. n 1934, the Motion Pictures Producers and Distributors Association rode in on its high horse and began enforcing a set of moral guidelines that policed every hemline in cinema. Betty’s popularity began to disappear along with her cleavage, and Fleischer Studios soon saw the funny papers as a loophole. The Betty Boop comic strip ran from 1934 to 1937, and was later revived in the 1980s through Betty Boop and Felix. Her signature garter, which was removed, was brought back by popular demand.

Betty Gets Rock n' Roll

Always ahead of her time, Betty Boop and her sexy style have been easily updated to fit new fashions and fans. Her taste for adventure is often translated in to a rock n’ roll edge, and more recent Betty images show a leather-clad babe with electric guitars and motorcycles. She’s the only girl mentioned by name in the lyrics of Van Halen’s 1984 “Drop Dead Legs,” and she was one of many hot muses to appear in a promotional video for the Rolling Stones’ “Voodoo Lounge” tour in 1994.

Betty Appers in "Who Framed Roger Rabbit?"

In the 1988 movie, “Who Framed Roger Rabbit?” a human detective joins forces with a cartoon rabbit to solve a murder mystery. Set in the gritty and glamorous 1940s, the humor is dark and the cartoons are colorful—except for Betty Boop, who makes a cameo in classic black-and-white. The film that reminded many people why they loved cartoons also reminded us that Betty's still got it.

Betty is Recognized at the Jewish Museum

In 2003, Betty Boop found her way in to a prestigious New York institution as part of the Jewish Museum’s exhibit, Entertaining America: Jews, Movies, and Broadcasting. The show explored how audiences perceive television and film icons and ventured to cast Betty as a many-sided character.

Betty Boop Gets Her Own Festival

Inaugurated in 2010, the Betty Boop Festival is held every August in Wisconsin Rapids, WI, the hometown of Grim Natwick, the animator who drew the original Betty. It was Natwick who transformed Betty from an awkward puppy dog into the first and only female animated movie star. The annual events include animation demonstrations, motorcycle shows, a Betty look-alike contest, and, of course, a Betty Boop film festival.