Betty Boop Origins Boop Boop A Doop
Betty Boop was born on April Fools Day in 1915, that would put her well into her 100s. But We All Know Betty Boop is immortal, like Puff the Magic Dragon she lives eternally and is forever young. She made her stage debut in the 1930s in a short cartoon dubbed "Dizzy Dishes" on August 9, 1930 and rapidly rose in popularity Betty is hailed as one of the first animated divas, a sex symbol of a bygone era, recognized by most as a 'flapper' of the 1920s flapper culture depicted in media such as the Great Gatsby. She is best known as a cartoon but has also been featured in multiple other media, including films, merchandise, and TV shows..
In 1932, Photoplay magazine published an article claiming that Betty Boop, unbeknownst to Helen Kane was inspired by her personna. Ms. Kane sued Max Fleisher for $250,000 in an infringement lawsuit.
This caused a tempest in the entertainment teapot. The ensuing trial got a tad sticky. It appears that in the 1920s, a Black singer named Esther "Baby" Jones was a popular performer at Harlem's Cotton Club. Esther was known for employing a distinctive baby-like voice in her songs and used the catch phrase "boo-boo-boo", similar to Kanes Boop Boop a Doop. Fletchers Lawyers revealed that Ms. Kane had seen Baby Esther's act and adapted it, "booping" just like Esther a few weeks later.
With an old film of Baby Esther, the defense argued that Helen Kane was not infringed upon because she had infringed upon Baby Esther in the first place. Helen Kane got zero compensation, and Baby Esther was already dead, her estate got zero as well.
From the moment she uttered her first “boop-oop-a-doop!” in 1930, Betty Boop secured her place in history and in the hearts of countless fans. Click The Image Below For Full the Scoop On Boop