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In many ways, Betty was the first truly feminine animated character. Up to this point, cartoon females had
essentially been males with long eyelashes, high-heeled shoes and a few dainty gestures. Ms. Boop had a decidedly female shape
and, more importantly, a convincing feminine grace to her movements.
Betty's femininity was reflected in her considerable
sex appeal. In "Is My Palm Red?" (1933), Bimbo sneaks around to peek at her silhouette as the light shines through
her skirt. A frightened Betty jumps out of her clothes, revealing frilly undies, in "The Old Man of the Mountain"
(1933), and she does a hula in "Betty Boop's Bamboo Isle" (1932), wearing only a lei and a grass skirt.
The
popularity of the character led to a spate of merchandise. Betty Boop dolls, soap, candy, scarfs, tea sets, tablets, flipbooks,
etc., soon appeared in stores. A daily comic strip ran in 1934-35 and a Sunday panel continued through 1937. There was even
a Betty Boop and Bimbo Club, although it failed to achieve the success of Disney's Mickey Mouse Club.
Unhappily,
Betty fell victim to the smarmy Production Code of the mid-1930's, said to have been adopted in response to the success of
Mae West, another sexy Paramount star. A collar, sleeves and a demurely lowered hemline were added to Betty's short, strapless
dress; the garter vanished from her left leg. The irresistable flapper became a respectable bachelorette/hausfrau. The lecherous
admirers and goggle-eyed specters were replaced by the overly cute little dog, Pudgy, and the gadget-happy Grampy. Cabarga
suggests that Grampy reflected the Fleischers' own interest in inventions and tinkering; he was certainly more interesting
than most of the new co-stars.
"Betty Boop, Bimbo, Pudgy, and Koko are owned by, copyrighted
by, and licensed trade marks of KING FEATURES SYNDICATE Inc. and FLEISCHER STUDIOS, Inc. All images of Betty Boop, Bimbo,
Pudgy, and Koko are copyrighted by King Features Syndicate. This page meant for personal enjoyment only"
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ALOT MORE HISTORY TO COME
REAL SOON!
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This is a picture of the
Mae Questel. She was the
1st Voice of Betty Boop!
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