America's First Animated Sex Symbol
It has been nearly 80 years since Betty Boop, America's first animated sex symbol, made her film debut. The Betty we know and love today started out as a curvy canine cabaret singer in Max Fleischer's short film Dizzy Dishes. It was released in August of 1930. She has captivated audiences ever since.
Betty was charming and she was sweet, but she was still a dog. To reach her full potential that had to change. Over the next two years Betty was slowly transformed. Her floppy ears gave way to looped earrings and her poodle nose gave way to a button nose. Her head is disproportionately large for her body, much like that of a baby, but her body was curvaceous and womanly. It was an odd combination but it worked. She was both innocent and sexy. Her little girl voice could be sassy one minute and naive innocence the next.
Boop-Oop-A-Doop
Dizzy Dishes
Dizzy Dishes (1930) Betty Boops First apperance
(*) reloaded - Betty Boop makes her first appearance in Dizzy Dishes Betty Boop was voiced by margie hines Dizzy dishes is a Fleischer Studios Talkartoon cartoon produced in 1930. The setting is a cabaret filled with customers but with only one food-service employee, Bimbo, who works as both waiter and chef. Before the cartoon even starts, we are treated to the following ditty which accompanies the credits: Step right this way for a cabaret, Don't wait to be invited; Just check your gloom ...
Runtime: 6:06 | 9520 views | 42 Comments
automatically generated by YouTube
Betty the Sex Symbol
Unlike the other animated female characters of the time, Betty was given womanly features. She wore short dresses, high heels and a garter belt. The contoured bodice of her dress was low showing a distinct amount of cleavage. The male characters in her films were well aware of her sex appeal. They were often caught sneaking a peak into her dressing room or looking down her cleavage.
Betty's sex appeal came to the forefront in Betty Boop's Bamboo Isle. She did the hula topless, wearing only a lei and a grass skirt.
National Legion of Decency
As of 1933 Betty Boop's overt sexuality was wrapped in a demur package. The Production Code of 1933 imposed restrictions on the Motion Picture Industry. All sexual innuendos were banned. The sexy little Betty Boop who represented the Flappers of the 1920's evolved into a husbandless career girl. Her full skirts touched her knees, and there wasn't even a hint of cleavage showing. The cartoons were no longer geared toward adults, but courted the younger set.
Betty Boop in Poor Cinderella
Betty Boop Cartoon Banned For Drug Use 1934
Laughing Gas! HaHaHa
Runtime: 6:28 | 668785 views | 1924 Comments
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Betty's popularity waned and society moved into the Big Band Era. In an effort to revive her career, she was paired with popular animated stars such as Little Jimmy and The Little King. Even a guest spot on the wildly popular Popeye the Sailorman didn't do the trick. The last Betty Boop cartoon was released in 1939.
150 Cartoon Classics
150 Cartoon Classics
Betty Boop Today
There was a brief revival in Betty Boop's popularity when her films were sold for syndication in 1955 but with the arrival of color television in the 1960's, it didn't last. There was another brief revival in 1974 with the release of The Betty Boop Scandals followed by the release of Betty Boop for President. But it wasn't until the 1980's that Betty Boop regained her fame. A cameo appearance in the Oscar Award winning film Who Framed Roger Rabbit kicked it into gear followed by heavy merchandising. It worked. Betty Boop is one of the few 1930's film stars whose name is readily recognized today.
Have a Betty Boop Christmas
Sexy Betty Boop On Motorcycle With Pudgy The Dog Betty Boop Christmas Ornament
Amazon Price: (as of 12/25/2009) 
Betty Boop Sitting On Dice With Dog Christmas Ornament #BB0250
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Carlton Cards Heirloom Betty Boop Christmas Ornament With Sound
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"I'm a Beautician Not a Magician" Diva Betty Boop Christmas Ornament
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Animated Fun
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Looney Tunes
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Woody Woodpecker
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As with most animated cartoon characters, the life and times of Woody Woodpecker began as a simple drawing on a storyboard. Ben "Bugs" Hardaway, a storyboard artist and expert in creating animated screwballs such as Daffy Duck and Bugs Bunn...
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Looney Tunes
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In the late 1920's and early 1930's motion pictures moved to the forefront on the entertainment spectrum, and before each feature film, a cartoon short was played. The shorts were as much a part of the evening's entertainment as the featu...
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Popeye the Sailor Man
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Popeye the Sailor Man was created by the cartoonist Elzie Segar. She wrote the comic strip Thimble Theatre in the late teens and early 1920's. Popeye was not a part of the original cast of characters. Thimble Theatre was in existence for ten year...
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Raggedy Ann and Andy
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Raggedy Ann officially came into being in 1915, but actually existed for some time before that. Johnny Gruelle, an artist and political cartoonist, had a daughter named Marcella. When she found an old rag doll in the attic of their home, she brought...
Are you a Betty Boop fan?
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Reply
- Winter52 Winter52 Jul 28, 2009 @ 9:51 am
- I had no idea that she had a history before the cute little character that we know today! 5 * because I learned something today... now I don't have to learn anything else lol...
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Reply
- AndyPo AndyPo Jul 27, 2009 @ 5:04 pm
- Great lens. Another cartoon character I hadn't seen much of for many years. I'm a big fan of old cartoons.
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Reply
- TrueGhostTales TrueGhostTales May 17, 2009 @ 11:28 pm
- Betty Boop is cool and so is this lens! Nice work
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Reply
- susannaduffy susannaduffy Apr 4, 2009 @ 4:54 am
- I love Betty! Now I know more about her - thanks
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Reply
- marsha32 marsha32 Jan 21, 2009 @ 3:42 pm
- I can't believe I hadn't come in to check out your Betty Boop page yet. I need to check in on my own and see if I can maybe find something to add to it, or update it.
- Load More
About the Author
Lensmaster ElizabethJeanAllen has been a member since March 16 2008, has rated 4,015 lenses, favorited 445, and has created 200 lenses from scratch. Lizzy Jean donates their royalties to Squidoo Charity Fund. This member's top-ranked page is "2009 Hallmark Keepsake Ornaments". See all my lenses
Pass the Salt!
Betty Boop Salt & Pepper Shaker
Amazon Price: (as of 12/25/2009)
Betty Boop Flip Flop Salt & Pepper Set *SALE*
Amazon Price: (as of 12/25/2009)
Betty Boop Pudgy Dog Handbag Salt & Pepper Set *SALE*
Amazon Price: (as of 12/25/2009)
BETTY BOOP LEOPARD HEEL Salt and Pepper Shaker
Amazon Price: (as of 12/25/2009)
Betty Boop Betty and Pudgy USA Salt & Pepper Shaker Set
Amazon Price: (as of 12/25/2009)
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by ElizabethJeanAllen
I tell my students to Learn from the Past, Live in the Present, and Plan for the Future. With Squidoo I can do all three.
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