I won’t give names or endorse anyone because doing so could encourage sabotage.
However, anybody who knows anyone, knows exactly where to find these well-known bootlegged merchandise. These Black Betty Boop knock-offs look really detailed and buyable.
However, the “Black Betty Boop” concept has been taken by several Black individuals, and it seems that they are profiting greatly from it. What do they sell? T-shirts, earrings, shoes, backpacks, stickers, the list goes on.
It’s wonderful to see a company that openly appropriates Black culture benefit the Black community. One of the outfit designs gained so much recognition that it was recently worn in a new music video.
Consequently, the official Black version was canceled after an argument. The Fleischers were also the target of several racial accusations which I won’t delve into.
Canning their version I think was for the best. Many Black people have frequently been the victims of theft by Fleischer Studios. Why shouldn’t the Black community profit from a bootlegged Betty?
So for anyone that doesn’t know or is not aware. Betty Boop in the “Boop!” musical is not Black. She’s portrayed by a Black woman but the Fleischers said in an interview that their Betty is not Black.
That is why Betty is colorless and “white” on the “Boop!” merchandise. Now you know.
If anyone feels conned or cheated, well you went with that narrative. This blog here always knew the character in the Broadway musical was interchangeable. But being portrayed by a Black person does indicate that that Betty is obviously a Black woman. You’d have to be color blind to not notice that.
But according to the Fleischers their cartoon Betty or “their Betty” is just a white Jew.
Take the advice of this blog if you are Black “do not” go into a contract with the Fleischers as it will end in tears. You can’t do what you want to, you must do as you are told.
So it is ten times more easier to just sell a fake Betty Boop. The “Boop-Boop-Be-Doop” blog thinks that everyone should sell a knock-off Betty Boop. Technically it is not Betty Boop?
But use your brain and don’t use the copyrighted name. Make her look a little different to the original!? Rename it Baby Esther, Baby Jones or something unique that says, “BLACK BETTY BOOP.”
It is quite funny how many Betty Boop bootlegs are currently being sold under the name Esther Jones.
You can’t infringe if they don’t know and that is why this blog will not link the brand new merchandise.
According to the Fleischers interview Betty is not Black, so therefore a Black Betty Boop can exist. If the Fleischers ever do come after you. Just say, “Umm… It’s Helen Kane or I based mine on Grim Natwick’s Betty.”
You know Grim Natwick the originator of the character?
Not that that helped “Kiki” but that’s another story… Actually don’t take this blog’s bad advice. I will end up getting you sued… But I will keep the new knock-off merchandise… Hush, hush.
If the Fleischers did not want this version of Betty. Then that means that Black Betty Boop is now 100% owned by the Black community as a whole. So technically Black Betty Boop is not a Fleischer-exclusive.
Those who are not self-haters please continue to support Black-owned businesses.
Other than that this blog is currently working on a homage tribute post for August. Look out for the possible final “Boop-Boop-Be-Doop” blog update.
The model who went viral in those cosplay photos is a famous model in Russia and Ukraine. She doesn’t care about her Betty Boop photos and does not associate herself with them.
Certain parts of Oyla’s body had been enhanced by Photoshop editing including her face and hair. Her real body does not look like that. She kind of did a Kim Kardashian, and so her body had been edited, especially her chest area.
Now you know why the body in these photos look so fake. If you look carefully at the dress and some parts of the photos you can see the Photoshop edits.
Oyla fits the “Boop-Boop-Be-Doop” profile as in real life, she has black hair and blue eyes like Boop.
Did you know that blue-eyed rivals Mae Questel and Little Ann Little who were two of the original voices of Betty Boop were also of Russian descent!? Questel was Russian-Polish and American, and Little was Russian-American, and they both were redheads.
Little’s hair was more orange but Questel’s hair color however was a more reddish-brown. Keep in mind that all the women who voiced Betty often dyed their hair too.
A majority of them became blondes. Redhead Little also dyed her hair black at one point. Questel obviously dyed her hair more than once but later in life she let it go gray.
Yes, the original Betty Boop was redheaded. Grim Natwick created his original dog-Betty with red hair. The Fleischers eventually embraced Betty’s red hair in “Poor Cinderella”.
But it didn’t stay long because they later got rid of it. Everyone knows that Betty looks better with black hair.
And so the original Betty Boop girls who voiced Betty in the cartoons had Russian roots. A lot of Russians love Betty Boop and are fans of the character.
Oyla fabricates her age so she pretends to be younger than she really is which is what most models and actresses do. She has knocked 10 years off of her age.
She claims to be 20+ but is really 30+ in age. She was allegedly 16, 17, 18 or 19 in her Betty Boop photos taken in 2008. If you do a bit of calculation you can calculate that she would be in her mid to late 30s now.
By looking at her face you can tell she’s older. But she is very small and petite in real life, so that is probably how she has been getting away with pretending to be younger than she really is.
She’s been in the modeling business since she was a child. She is also very ill and suffers from severe illness. One thing you should know is as Betty is that she’s wearing the official Betty Boop garter.
A lot of people mistakenly thought she was a Black woman, or was Baby Esther or Helen Kane and still do.
But she is more or less a model who has a really great resume. So her photos are merely cosplay. She has worked for many famous well-known brands in her homeland. She doesn’t really confirm where she’s from but seems to be very active in Russia.
She is either Ukrainian or Russian. She has not really specified where she’s from as she seems to be quite mysterious.
For those wondering, though suffering from illness, Oyla is alive and she’s doing very well.
Someone contacted me recently and told me that they did not understand “Boop! The Musical” show on Broadway. I will see if I can explain it. The concept for me is very confusing too. So basically Susan Birkenhead wrote the lyrics, David Foster created the music and Bob Martin wrote the story.
It is likely that “Boop!” may get a future live-action spin-off or digital album release. There will be a lot of promotion when it debuts in the future.
People who hate Betty Boop being Black on stage? You will see a lot of that in that promotion. The hate is limited because a lot of people think Betty Boop was Black. So it won’t be on the same scale as Halle Bailey or Rachel Zegler’s controversies.
If people want to be racist that is on them. It has nothing to do with anyone who doesn’t support that. You won’t see this blog trash Zegler or Bailey as only racists do that.
But I will make mention if their versions differ to the original source material. It is not a crime. So anyone crying or weeping tears about someone stating the obvious… Get a life…
It is like this Betty Boop in the musical she is different too. But only a true fan of Betty Boop can see this. People who are not fans they don’t really know Betty as this blog knows Betty.
The “Boop-Boop-Be-Doop” blog here knows Betty’s true characteristics. It doesn’t matter what the Fleischers promote today. They are not the original Fleischer Studios. So their Betty is also a little different. She’s still a THOT.
In the confusing story Betty is already a star in the cartoon world. So she doesn’t really achieve anything. In most adaptions Betty is trying to achieve fame.
That being said the original Betty already was famous or known on the vaudeville stage in most of her cartoons. But Betty’s original cartoons were different each episode.
Most old cartoons from the 1930s do not really make sense. In most earlier cartoons Betty had very little dialogue and was a one-liner. So she would stand there look pretty, act ditzy or sing jazz songs. Her main characteristics were that of an entertainer.
She would often be a damsel in distress whereas other times she could save herself. Grim Natwick’s version of Betty had a little more oomph than the Fleischer’s finalized Betty.
Natwick’s Betty differed in each and every earlier episode. He was that creative that he was slowly working on developing a unique style to help the Fleischers develop Betty.
Now the Broadway musical? I think “Boop!” is like a knock-off of that woke “Barbie” film by Greta Gerwig?
That “Barbie” film was terrible and trash. At the time there were no films competing against it as Hollywood was on strike which was done on purpose. So it garnered great or faux-reviews but at least it made some sense and the ending convinced people.
So when most of us look back on it now we think… That was a dumb movie… But even though stupid it proved to be a success and was a smash hit. And at least the characters were all notable.
Betty on the other hand has no extended family or friends except her creepy grandfather Grampy and of course boring Pudgy. Betty’s mom, dad and baby brothers, Sally Swing, Fearless Fred, KO-KO and Bimbo did not make the cut. Therefore they don’t seem to exist in Betty’s cartoon world? But some of the characters were written in earlier 2000s and 2010s concepts.
For example earlier concepts featured Baby Boop.
Betty doesn’t explain how she dumped her boyfriends Fearless Fred or Bimbo. But she keeps mentioning that she used to be a dog. She could have at least explained that she dumped her previous boyfriends.
KO-KO should really be there as he is a human. But maybe they know of his creepy origin? So maybe he got canned for being a predator? As people are aware all of the male characters in the original series are creeps.
Bimbo the Dog? He was also a good and bad male character. I can’t diss the original Bimbo because he was a man’s man. But he was a very lustful character and I assume pervert.
He was the same age as Betty. So unlike KO-KO or Grampy who are grown ass men… Bimbo’s love for Betty is equal as they are supposedly both the same age. Bimbo and Betty are 16. Originally they were a pair of canine lovers.
It is like Mickey and Minnie, Sonic and Amy, Buster and Babs and the list goes on. Lovers who are somewhat similar.
The Japanese version of Bimbo is more cute. But the original Bimbo? He’s more rough and had a deep Brooklyn sounding voice. So he’s the opposite of Mickey Mouse? All of the other Fleischer characters are known flops. Betty is the only current money maker.
Nobody really likes KO-KO, Bimbo or Grampy. People think meh… The Fleischers did not invest in updating and modernizing those characters. They spend too much time licensing Betty to third-parties. Those third-parties don’t really know what to do with Betty. So she’s mainly licensed today to promote agenda.
So we never really got to see a new version of KO-KO or Bimbo. Only in the Japanese spin-off content will you see newer versions of those characters. And in Japan they seem to be more fun or zany. Only I have seen the Japanese versions so only I know the difference.
Betty jumps from the animated world to the real world. Betty ends up at a Comic Con event in New York City. That is exactly where the Broadway musical is heading during the mid-2020s. So it sort of makes sense?
People at the Comic Con think she’s a Betty Boop impersonator.
In the original transcripts for earlier Broadway musicals featuring Betty Boop she stayed in the cartoon world. This musical seems to have swiped the concept from “Who Framed Roger Rabbit”.
This isn’t Mae Questel’s original Betty Boop so it is not going to be on the same level. Like Cindy Robinson the official voice of Betty Boop said, you just can’t beat the original Betty Boop and she’s right.
I got an angry message about Jasmine Amy Rogers being a Black Betty Boop. And I keep getting them. A lot of white people they hate her guts for some unknown reason. But the LGBT, Black community and wokes they love her.
I wouldn’t say Jasmine Rogers is a “bad” Betty Boop, she’s just a “different” Betty Boop. I think it is because they have her sing in a deep voice. So she has this manly tone!? I don’t know if they did it on purpose to masculinize women. They allege that that is modern singing. She’s not on Beyoncé’s level.
If you want someone to tell the truth. I wouldn’t consider her singing to be that of Betty Boop. The original Betty is a baby doll she’s a baby singer not just a baby talker.
But I assume they assumed that modern audiences would hate the baby voice. They are not wrong people would get annoyed. Some people hate “Boop-Boop-Be-Doop” baby-talk songs.
Betty Boop is a jazz singer so she doesn’t do pop. But this Betty does gospel. I saw the “Shuffle Along” concept being secretly pushed into the musical. That is why I say it is basically a Betty Boop version of “Shuffle Along”.
They claimed the baby-talk voice was silly. But isn’t that how Betty is supposed to sound? But they allowed the character on Broadway to have her sex appeal.
They also wanted to remove Betty’s “Boop-Boop-Be-Doop” and “Boop-Oop-a-Doop” because they claimed it was appropriation. But they kept it only they minimized it. So there are song sequences where Betty does different versions of scatting. She’s more or less giving tribute to Cab Calloway or Louis Armstrong?
She’s called Betty Boop because she “Boop-Boop-Be-Doop” and “Bops”. That’s why she does her “Boop-Boop-Be-Doop” routine.
The modern cartoon Betty? She has been toned and dumbed down. Remember that stupid “Dr. Martins” advert? Where Betty promotes faux-feminism wearing those ugly shoes? That is what I would call dumb Betty Boop. I would never buy a pair of those. It is for the wokes.
At least in comparison to the cartoon version that the Broadway musical has Betty looking like Betty.
For those that are unaware it is an LGBT+ musical. Did people not take notice of the color codes? And all the rainbows? And the “love is love” theme!? The director Jerry Mitchell is openly gay.
So his gay ideologies are in the musical. But they kept Betty straight so I can’t really complain. There is a lot of gayness that has been pushed in the musical. It pops up from time to time.
There are rumors about Rogers being gay floating around? But I don’t know if it is just hear-say or true. But she has that energy. But thankfully Betty Boop is not a lesbian.
Rogers is not really Betty Boop. She’s just an actress who takes on the role of Betty Boop. It is not like Questel who really was Betty Boop. Can you imagine if Jessica Vosk was not fired!? What kind of Betty would have we had then!?
But Broadway is run by gays. The costume designers, puppeteers, actors, actresses, directors, producers, music composers, they are all likely part of the LGBT+ community.
So I was asked a question about Trisha and how inappropriate she is. So what I first wondered was what the individual meant by that. Well I have heard a similar comment before.
Well I assume Trisha was indirectly written I think to have a secret crush on Betty Boop!? It is obvious… She’s a big fan but she doesn’t make sense.
It is mental illness to think someone who is randomly dressed as Betty Boop is Betty Boop. In reality you would know that that is a character impersonator not Betty.
She comes across Betty Boop at the Comic Con and says that is Betty Boop. She just automatically knows that the woman dressed as Betty is Betty Boop.
The “Boop-Boop-Be-Doop” blog would know that that is not Betty Boop it is just an actress. Actresses are paid to take on roles. If she really was a character impersonator, she would return to being herself when she got home.
This is not Mae Questel we’re talking about here. You know? Who was once the real Betty Boop.
But the person who plays Trisha is a really nice person. It is kind of hard to hate on Angelica Hale. I saw her interviews and she’s perfect for the role. But yeah anyone with sense would say that is a random woman dressed as Betty in cosplay…
Trisha’s alleged crush on Betty is hidden beneath her wanting to be like Betty. So she looks up to Betty as her role model. And claims to be a sort of Betty Boop Lover or Betty Boop Superfan. So her character was written with aspects of idolization and admiration.
Betty is supposed to be 16 so if Angelica Hale a real teenager is taking on the role of a teen. Then it makes sense why she would be Betty’s friend? But Betty is likely older in this Broadway adaption.
Hale as Trisha sings “My Hero” a song dedicated to Betty, directly to Betty.
Rogers is obviously not a young woman… Umm… She’s quite old… Instead of a sisterly bond, this version of Betty should have a more motherly bond. Maybe Trisha thinks of Betty as her mother? In place of her dead mother?
Trisha is the real star of the musical. Who said so? The reviews said so. I just didn’t pick up on it, because I wanted Betty to be the star. But you can’t hide the truth.
Angelica Hale basically is more popular than Jasmine Rogers. Trisha is the popular character not Betty Boop. I checked out the reviews and they prefer Trisha. The only reason people who saw the show like Trisha is because she steals the show.
If it wasn’t for Hale then Trisha wouldn’t be a popular character. She was perfect for the role. So when she did the workshop sessions, I think they knew that it would be a bad idea not to hire her? She IS Trisha…
When Trisha appears Betty is secretly delegated to a supporting role. Betty doesn’t really do anything constructive so all focus goes back to Trisha. That is why the producers of the show have to rewrite the story. Act 2 doesn’t make sense.
Who knows!? Betty might outshine Trisha in the finalized production. It is being re-written.
The characters interactions are limited and need to be expanded. Not for this blog but for general audiences. Very weak story writing in Act 2. Even people who are not good at writing can see that Act 2 loses sight of Betty’s goals.
Jasmine Rogers and other Black female actresses were originally going to take on the role of Trisha. For everyone that doesn’t know Kim Exum the earlier Black Betty Boop was fired. She was more or less the first Betty but the workshop Betty, and there were more Betty Boop girls including understudies.
Please know that understudies can take over the role. Keep in mind that Rogers doesn’t want to step down from the role. David Foster said she’s going to be a star. Obviously it is short-lived but the Betty Boop role will eventually open more doors for her.
It depends on her as a person. She’s busy fighting random trolls on social media… So!? But we are all guilty of doing something similar to that… So… I’ll let that slide.
Trisha was originally African-American and was the daughter of Carol. So originally Trisha was just Betty’s “TOKEN” Black friend.
Carol and Trisha were the Evans family. But now Trisha is an orphan and her parents are dead. They also changed the criteria for all characters.
So many people of color can take on the roles. The story it keeps changing… Next time we see it they will have had made MORE drastic changes…
A lot of people get confused. Betty Boop is apparently not Black… They push that she is colorless in the show. In reality they just gave a Black woman a chance to take on the role.
The Fleischer Studios literally put out a PSA between 2023 and 2024 that said Betty Boop is not Black.
Betty Boop was written as an interchangeable character. She is not just Black, she can be any race. They played on Betty debuting as Black to shut up the Black community. Black communities are easily led, so they often fall for publicity stunts.
So it is to make you think Betty is Black. However the Fleischer Studios said that their Betty is not Black and they get upset when people say that Betty Boop is Black.
The official Black Betty Boop collaboration cartoon spin-off wasn’t even allowed on the official Betty Boop website. So what does that tell you?
Part of the stunt was that the musical debuted in Chicago. Who was born in Chicago? Esther Jones.
The Fleischers thought that Jones’ legacy is ruining their Betty Boop character. So they thought why not use her for personal gain? She or her family not going to get any profit as she is dead. Also she changed her name from Jones after she was married. So her distant relatives are unfindable.
That being said Jones’ descendants probably don’t even know who Esther Jones was. If they did they would be suing the Fleischer Studios for using Jones’ legacy as a marketing tool.
Betty Boop is a New Yorker? So shouldn’t have it debuted in New York? Well no it was a Pre-Broadway run. It was not the legit Broadway show. They are going to make changes for the finalized version.
But I don’t think they are doing anything special. I think they’ll keep the same concept but change the music. So the “Boop-Boop-Be-Doop” blog won’t have to tune in.
It will be a success. Everyone today is woke, and they support these weird kind of ideals.
Baby Esther ended up being covered in the news and they used my photograph that I shared worldwide. That photo and the rest were ripped and shared by the “Boop-Boop-Be-Doop” blog.
When you see those photos they originated with this blog here. Of course people stole the photos. I said people could remove the credits if they wanted to. That is my photo.
But that doesn’t change where the images originated and who ripped them and who originally wanted to bring her story to life. There are faux-white individuals who pretend to admire Black history but secretly hate or loathe Black people.
As said the Fleischer Studios are merely using Jones’ legacy as a marketing tool to promote Betty Boop. She’s used to protect themselves against accusations of plagiarism or racism.
They did a big segment on Jones for the Chicago news. But someone, I assume the Fleischers, got upset and they told them to snip half of the interview. Something shady happened.
But the Chicago news still distributed Jones as the inspiration behind Betty Boop for the news report… Which I found to be hilarious. As I said though Jones was not the model or inspiration she can never be erased.
The Fleischer Studios and others have tried to erase Jones but it never worked in their favor. So in the end the Fleischers pretended to give Jones faux-homage. From what we know really is they are not happy with her being associated with their Jewish-owned brand.
The “Black Betty Boop” drama tells you all you need to know and how they did not want a Black version of Betty Boop to be posted or promoted on the official Betty Boop website.
Personally I don’t think the Fleischers like Black people.
They really missed out on an opportunity by being ignorant. That would have made them a lot of money if they marketed it right. I think it had more to do with a Black person creating the idea.
They didn’t want her to be “creator” of Black Betty Boop. There would have been a possibility that it would have been more popular that regular Betty Boop and they don’t want that.
Black Betty Boop is very popular and is sold by bootleggers.
Yes, the “Boop-Boop-Be-Doop” blog has known about Bootleg Betty Boop for years. This blog is not going to promote a faux-Black Betty Boop when Betty is clearly a Caucasian Jew.
But if it wasn’t for Jones then the UNORIGINAL Kane would have won the lawsuit and there would be no Fleischer Studios today. So how dare they belittle Jones. Also they have been attacking Grim Natwick for decades. I never saw it before. But I looked at his interviews and Natwick was so upset and saddened.
The Fleischers won’t admit to stealing… They literally stole Betty Boop… And would not return her…
Max Fleischer promised to return Betty Boop to Natwick and did not keep his promise. Is that evil? Or am I just over-reacting!?
Grim Natwick created Betty Boop in 1930. He had the concept and he animated her. The Fleischers need to stop belittling him and give him credit where credit is due.
Max Fleischer did not create Betty Boop he and Dave Fleischer and the other animators developed her. If it wasn’t for Grim Natwick creating Betty Boop, their studio would have went defunct. They would have never got all those deals, including the King Features deal to make the comic strip.
Of course King Features later would fight over the rights… But that’s another story… Decades later King Features and Fleischer Studios worked together as a team.
King Features marketed Betty for decades and Betty was very successful. King Features like to pretend as of 2024 that they have no association with Betty Boop. Clearly lying. Why feel the need to lie? Stop with the lies King Features, we know you still are associated. You can hide all you want.
Imagine trying to hide? We’re not stupid.
I am going to give Natwick tribute and homage soon. Imagine conning a man out of his own creation!? This story needs to be picked up. I’ll push it. Wait and see. I am really good at that.
The man Mr. Pointer who the Fleischers work with he also has said for years that they are plagiarizers. So it is not a big secret. But I think Pointer has mild-dementia ’cause he makes stuff up as he goes along.
Most of us are all wary of what transpired. But I want people to know Natwick’s story. So I will focus on that soon. While other people are weeping for someone who was UNORIGINAL… I am going to do something else.
Plagiarizing is a bad thing but everyone does it. So individuals who cry or weep about being plagiarized are likely plagiarizing others. That is how the cookie crumbles.
Anyone crying over that needs to get a life and move on. People stole from me? Do you see me crying? Hell no.
This blog tends to do its own thing. Following the Fleischers narratives 100% is just all about lying. This blog doesn’t really like to tell lies. I like to tell the genuine truth. So I use nobody as my source of inspiration. Vintage reviews and articles tell you all you need to know.
This is fandom and there is no competition. That is why I generally do not care what anyone else is doing. What other people do has nothing to do with this blog. Solo-dolo here.
Of course the haters hate everything. But they can’t stop this blog. Hating is free promotion too. Thank you freaks.
If anyone seeks legit information on the Fleischers you can obtain it by buying a book written by the official Max Fleischer biographer. This apart from Jerry Beck and Leslie Cabarga is the only book that you’ll find legit information.
A lot of people this week want to know about Clara Bow. Well she was the original sex-symbol and jazz baby. Fun fact, did you know that singer Helen Kane imitated and copied Clara Bow?
Bow was the original “It” flapper girl and was Paramount Pictures’ #1 star. Makes sense why Betty Boop would go on to emulate the famous Bow. Who came decades after Bow? Marilyn Monroe.
There will never be another Bow or Monroe.
Betty Boop!? She was not a real person so she does not count. But Mae Questel was a real person.
When real fans of Betty Boop think of Betty today, they often think of the “definitive” Betty – Mae “Betty Boop” Questel.
That is why Cindy Robinson, Desirée Goyette, Cheryl Chase, Nancy Cartwright and Heather Halley all gave tribute to Questel. They know that she was the original Betty Boop.
Other people they don’t want to give credit where credit is due and that is fine.
Made of Pen & Ink: Fleischer Studios, The New York Years:
There’s a really detailed book called “Made of Pen & Ink: Fleischer Studios” by G. Mike Dobbs. For the benefit of those who are unaware, he was known as “The Original Biographer of Max Fleischer” and received permission from the Fleischers to write a biography when he first visited the Fleischer Studios.
He’s also finished book two, “Made of Pen & Ink: Fleischer Studios, The Florida Years,” as of 2024.
He sells his books at a reasonable price since he wanted to make them as accessible as possible. This is different to most historians as they don’t normally do that.
First and foremost he’s a writer and in western Massachusetts, he served as managing editor for Reminder Publications, he oversaw four weekly newspapers that were read by roughly 120,000-130,000 people each week. There is no connection between his blogs and his employers.
For those that don’t know he worked on Animato! and Escape! and he covered many cartoons. Also he is a fan of “Cuphead” so he is not out of touch with the times like most elderly people. He and other ex-artist for Disney, Fleischer and so on would contribute to celebrate animation.
He addressed every animation topic, and Betty Boop occasionally made an appearance. For these, Waldman even drew the artwork. Having someone who contributed to the original cartoons would be an honor.
After exchanging letters, he was able to get the approval of both Richard and Ruth Fleischer, visit and speak with former Fleischer employees, and tell them of his intention to publish a book.
But he was beaten to the punch by other historians. His book is detailed enough, in my opinion, to be on par with a Jerry Beck. those who devote a great deal of time and energy to their work.
He knew Grim Natwick, which is the nicest thing about him. Now, Natwick came up with the first idea for Betty Boop. Fleischer Studios did not, in my opinion, steal her. But they kind of did? Because Natwick was employed under contract, they were able to take advantage of him. Sad story.
Historian Dobbs asserts that, contrary to Richard Fleischer’s assertions that Natwick merely “drew” Betty Boop, American animator Stephen Worth of the ASIFA-Hollywood Animation Archive “owned” the original concept artworks created by Natwick, demonstrating that Natwick was the one who created Betty Boop.
Years later, Natwick was furious that his assistants had botched up his lip-sync animation sequence for Betty Boop’s premiere back in 1930 when he went to the “LA County Museum of Art” to watch “Dizzy Dishes” with Dobbs.
Natwick told Dobbs uncommon tales about his early years and his time spent working at Fleischer Studios. Dobbs was requested to go over Natwick’s stored artwork after his death.
Unacknowledged for his subsequent contributions, Natwick assisted with the animation of Musical Mountaineers, one of the last cartoons with Betty. Dobbs claimed that Natwick informed him that Max had promised to give him the “Betty Boop” character as a gift after the cartoon’s completion.
Natwick learned many years later that Max had granted a third party a license to use Betty, and that he was not the original owner of the character. Richard Fleischer arrived and informed Natwick that his father Max was ill and not to be disturbed when he called.
The Fleischers hung up on Natwick after telling him to “never call again” when he questioned them about the licensing of the “Betty Boop” character. Natwick hired a lawyer and filed a lawsuit against Fleischer Studios because he believed the company had mistreated him. Because Natwick lacked documentation proving he was the owner of the “Betty Boop” character, he lost.
Natwick did not earn any royalties from the 1980s relaunch of Betty Boop; instead, King Features Syndicate and Fleischer Studios split the royalties.
Natwick is given the recognition he genuinely deserves by Dobbs. Naturally, the Fleischers have persisted in doing foolish things over the years to damage their reputation. One where they feigned concern for individuals of different races, but in reality, they don’t care.
People must realize that Mark Fleischer, his kids, and whatever else runs the Fleischer Studios now are not the original Fleischer brothers. All that matters to them is generating revenue. Which is only right as they own the copyright. They can do whatever they want to with it.
The only disheartening aspect of Fleischers producing fake ethnicity-based products or spin-offs is that people will inevitably fall victim to history’s tendency to repeat itself.
Please do not fall for any upcoming faux-race baiting Fleischer spin-offs.
For example an individual has been somewhat plagiarizing the Fleischer Studios. She’s made a lot of money creating her own versions of Betty Boop, Bimbo, Mickey, Minnie, you name it.
At least she stayed true to the original character concept unlike the Fleischer Studios.
Over the years, Dobbs had faced criticism for delaying the release of his book. When he was writing his book in the 1970s and 1980s, no publishers showed interest in it. But now that internet libraries are available, he may learn, conduct research, and self-publish more readily.
In this book, he explores the background to the breakthrough cartoons produced by the Fleischer Studios. After seeing the Fleischer Studios cartoons event revived in 1975, he had the idea. Although he started working on the project in 1976, it wasn’t finished until 2022.
Myron Waldman informed him that although Dave Fleischer was listed as the “director,” this confused all the studio employees. According to Dobbs, Dave was more of a line producer.
You can find out everything about this author on his blog in his own words. But from what I read and saw he is the real deal. His posts go way back to 2005.
You should purchase this book if you’re looking for a reliable historical resource. Just by looking you can tell he’s honest as he has retired from covering the Fleischers after completing his lifelong goal.
He has now moved to write other books. So he’s not using it as a ploy to con people and he really wanted to write biographies and he is a fan of the old cartoons and wanted to share his knowledge.
Though some of the Fleischer toons are extremely offensive he’s a fan because he grew up watching “Popeye” and “Betty Boop” on TV. But it wasn’t until he went to a Fleischer cartoon event that he found out how inspirational Dave and Max were.
The best thing about Dobbs is that he filled in the blanks about the Fleischers allegedly stealing Grim Natwick’s creation Betty Boop. Natwick also agreed with this prior to his death.
The Price Of Fandom:
I have done over 50000+ edits as of 2024 and there are only 2000+ fan pages. But with fan pages and fandoms there are problems with layout, errors in grammar, and information that usually needs fixing.
True animation historians are Mike Dobbs, Jerry Beck and of course Leslie Cabarga. There’s no one else on their level of expertise when it comes to old cartoons. It kind of depends on what others are researching and if they are being honest. There are some people who work for the Cartoon Brew who are really talented too. I can’t really name everyone. Some people just steal from others. I can’t really name names.
Other people? They more or less copy and paste. Like fandoms do only they spread misinformation to confuse people. In my own fandom I like to be honest so I only post things that I think are accurate.
Of course when people quote things they often get angry when I repost what they quoted. This is because they have been exposed or backtracked. But it is their own words. It is not my fault a majority of individuals have tried to take back what they say or do. It is not done deliberately.
But if someone does or says something racist, sexist or hateful, what do you expect?
“Boop-Boop-Be-Doop” blog also thrives at creativity and is very inspiration to many haters. This blog will pioneer something and inspire others to copy or emulate. Well known fact.
Other than that I like to gossip, consult, write, blog and be creative. Running my own beauty business and cute aesthetic store that are separate from my blogs was the best thing I ever did.
Anyone I don’t know I have no association with.
But if I see talent or creativity I will gladly promote it. I do not interact with or promote haters. Haters will never be acknowledged by name unless they are well-known Z-listers. Also most people who are creepy will be ignored.
That’s about it.
Thanks For The Support:
Anyone who is pure at heart you are going to receive your flowers. But haters will get the opposite, you will be the flowers that get stomped on and ignored.
Miss Boop was born April 1, 1915. Betty calls it her Boopday, however Miss Boop is immortal and is eternally 16. She was given many gifts on April 1st 1933.
According to Betty Boop’s diary she was given one pound hops by Kasper Kangaroo, a garter belt by Bimbo, an egg by Dora Duck, a peppermint lollypop by her baby brother Billy Boop, a sun-kissed herring by Oscar Octopus, a dark beer by President Roosevelt, a perfumed bottle of ink by Max Fleischer, and a note for future service by Stella Stork.
The gifts she was given in the cartoon were different. People who are unaware of her birthday usually celebrate her birthday on August the 8th which was Betty’s debut in the cartoon “Dizzy Dishes” in 1930. So that is more or less her anniversary.
Individuals don’t actually celebrate Betty’s birthday on her actual birthday in April. But because the “Boop-Boop-Be-Doop” blog knows Betty in great detail this blog will celebrate her birthday and anniversary on both the 1st and 8th. But her debut is not that important so this blog won’t always post on it.
Remember those horrendous singing Betty Boop plush toys?
Well did you know that during the singing parts, Betty makes a mistake by saying “A-Boop-Oop-a-Doop” rather than just using a simple “Boop-Oop-a-Doop” routine?
The helium-sounding, squeaky singer doesn’t do a “Boop-Boop-Be-Doop” until the very end… Which is something that would have sounded better than using an “A” in the recording.
The singer is also trying to hard to channel Betty Boop but it just doesn’t work. A lot of people who don’t know Betty fall for it. There’s a lot of inconsistencies in the dolls’ recordings in which Betty sounds a little off.
The other dolls sing “Santa Baby,” “Button Up Your Overcoat” and some other weird or creepy songs.
Cindy Robinson’s vocals would have been fantastic if Chantilly Lane had hired her instead.
Robinson performed on Broadway and is known as “The Official Voice of Betty Boop”. Having said that, she acknowledged that nobody can imitate Mae Questel and that she dislikes performing Betty’s voice because she would like not to be her second. She said that Questel cannot be duplicated.
Which is true but how else is Betty going to appear today? Mae Questel is deceased and she’s not coming back any time soon. She “Booped” her “Doop” and is now resting in peace. Life is very short-lived and we need someone new to do the voice. Someone who can bring Betty to life.
The error in question was indirectly my fault. Funny story everything I say or share other people will copy it. I am literally an originator. I’ll post or do something, and someone will imitate me or take my information run with maybe re-write it? Or steal. But I am the original source. See how that works?
Also I don’t particularly follow anyone so I don’t care what they do in their own spaces.
I transcribed the song first as nobody else had back then. I literally pulled the song off as Betty’s official theme. The song is, and at the same time it isn’t. Betty more or less stole it? Betty’s actual theme song is “Don’t Take My Boop-Boop-Be-Doop Away”.
It seems that they followed my transcribed fan lyrics. And instead of using the original soundtrack instrumental which is a little slower it seems they used Marilyn Monroe’s version from “Some Like It Hot” from 1959.
So basically Betty Boop the cartoon character had never sang “I Wanna Be Loved By You”.
Betty only sang it in the animated 1980s cartoon “The Romance of Betty Boop” by Desirée Goyette released in 1985. Of course over the years Betty has quoted it. But she had never sang it since the 1980s or released it. Of course everyone who auditions for the voice role or portrays Betty in person will find themselves being forced to sing it. Sadly the song is Betty’s official theme song.
It was originally Broadway singer Helen Kane’s theme song but she was UNORIGINAL and wasn’t the only person to record it. Kane associated herself with the song for years.
That being said “Don’t Take My Boop-Boop-a-Doop Away” was originally written for Kane but she rejected it. So it went to cartoon character Betty Boop the “Boop-Oop-a-Doop” girl.
There were numerous baby-talk singers and “Boop-Boop-a-Doop” scat-singing girls during the 1920s and 1930s. As usual someone like Kane attempted to gatekeep the baby doll persona. Something she did not originate.
But “I Wanna Be Loved By You” was really a Arthur Hammerstein and Oscar Hammerstein II thing. It was written for the fictional character Pansy McManus. When garbage hit the fan, and Kane quit the Broadway show, they replaced her with a Clara Bow-ish like baby voiced singer called Blanche Bow.
Kane was that much of a liar that she pretended to have been ill but in reality had signed a deal with Paramount to make movies. So she went into hiding. When people like that can openly lie you have to be wary of them. So when she sued Paramount and the Fleischer Studios and lost she got her karma because she did Hammerstein dirty. See how karma works?
For those that do not know Helen Kane was originally Clara Bow’s protégé and was a Clara Bow copy-cat. After Kane had been partially used to create Betty Boop’s introduction the Fleischers and Paramount later also secretly used Bow to promote Betty Boop. So Boop had Bow’s allure.
The Fleischers will never admit to any of this but it is quite obvious. Regardless Paramount admitted to it. I’ve seen many comparisons that Paramount Pictures have pushed that compare Boop and Bow. Maybe they did it to ensure that Kane lost her lawsuit? Either way they used Bow’s fame to promote Boop.
If people can’t see why Betty was a redhead it was obviously because of La Bow. Also in 1931 the Fleischers had used Bow’s iconic black frilly dress to create Betty’s well-known frilly black dress. Remember in “Silly Scandals” when Betty debuted with that frilly dress? All Clara Bow.
For those that do not know Bow was the original jazz baby and wore bows in her hair and frilly dresses. But with Bow she was that unique and original that she would frequently change her style. Bow was like the Madonna of the 1920s and early 1930s, she would often reinvent herself.
But Betty sporadically being based on many women including Clara Bow had Betty emulating everyone. Marlene Dietrich, Greta Garbo, Mae West and a few others also served as inspiration for Betty. Many decades later Betty could be seen imitating Marilyn Monroe and still often imitates Monroe to this day.
When Betty sang “I Wanna Be Loved By You” in “The Romance of Betty Boop” they were thinking of Monroe. But at the same time they also knew that the song had 1920s vintage “Boop” roots.
There’s no one today who has Monroe’s level of stardom especially with the class. So Betty doesn’t really take on the persona of any of the current stars of this era.
Regardless of Betty Boop’s vulgar past she is still an inspiration to many women worldwide. It doesn’t matter who voices Betty today or who takes on the in-person role. They are not really Betty, they are merely actresses channeling the role of Betty Boop.
The “definite” Betty will always be Mae Questel whether people like it or not.
Long ago, I wrote down the lyrics of the song.
For Betty Boop, that was the only official rendition of “I Wanna Be Loved By You” that we had. However, as that was Goyette’s version, common logic would dictate that you remove the “A” before the “Boop-Oop-a-Doop.” Thus, we now have two renditions of Betty’s theme song, one of which has a significant error.
Reusing “The Romance of Betty Boop” from “Boops” in the song is not particularly creative. Every time I see these plush dolls I have a little cackle because of me sharing those lyrics I accidentally indirectly blundered the main plush dolls.
Personally I would never buy one. They put a lot of time and effort into making them. But they lack cuteness and are scary the way they move. They could have done Betty a little more justice.
You’ll have nightmares if you buy one of those plush toys. Can you imagine that horrid voice magically turning itself on at night? And Betty rocking back and forth like some maniac?
Here’s Betty Boop fictionally introducing her “Betty Boop Cameo Doll” line. The funny story about Miss Boop is that she was created by men to be this sort of risqué pin-up.
And yes they removed Betty’s garter belt from the actual doll. Why!? Because it is inappropriate and obviously it represents prostitution. Especially if you’re not a Cancan dancer or not getting married. Who else would think of wearing a garter? You’d have to be a THOT.
However, Betty is more girly and her target audience is therefore mostly women and girls.
Men, boys or males in general who like Betty Boop merchandise or “girly” Betty Boop things are likely homosexuals. Betty Boop is not very male-oriented on merchandise as she is in the cartoons.
Men who are attracted to Betty because of her risqué cartoon appearances are probably the same as the sexual predators depicted in her old cartoons. Never forget that in most of those old-fashioned cartoons, Betty Boop is a minor. What does it signify, then, if men are lusting?
Betty is more than just a sex-icon she’s a jazz singer and dancer. She should not just purely be reduced to being sexualized. But sadly that part of Betty’s history can never be hidden.
Is Betty America’s sweetheart? She’s not just that but was America’s animated sex-symbol. However, if people were truly intent on judging Betty alone. All they would need to do is research Minnie Mouse’s beginnings as a Walt Disney character. Minnie was sexualized in her early cartoons, just like Betty.
You may want to consider who currently purchases Minnie Mouse products. Moms and dads for their infants and young children. Therefore, many individuals are unaware of these characters’ dubious pasts.
Everyone with sense knows how dangerous of a company Disney can be or has been. Having saying that, a majority of businesses have a set agenda. The taboo is so evident in most entertainment and merchandise.
I wouldn’t say that Betty is a good role model for kids. But vintage toys, clothing and dolls prove that she was very successful and at one point was just as popular as Mickey Mouse by Walt Disney.
Here is a doll-sized Betty Boop introducing herself to a young girl. Girls, not boys, were the intended audience for dolls. So therefore Betty wouldn’t be introducing herself to someone male.
Betty Boop says, “Hello my little friend I am so happy to meet you. I’ve always wanted to come to your house. A little birdie told me about the fine play room you have.”
“I’m so glad to share your happiness. Maybe you would like to know more about me. Would you? Listen carefully… I was born in an artist’s studio. Max Fleischer, the nice man who draws the funny pictures of Bimbo and his animal friends found me.”
This story is pretty honest. So Betty says that Max Fleischer found her. The real originator of Betty Boop, as everyone knows, was Grim Natwick, who created the character in 1930. The Fleischer Studios and Paramount developed Betty Boop and made billions of dollars.
Frequently, Paramount created a false impression that Betty Boop was the animated version of Clara Bow in order to capitalize on her notoriety. The Fleischers and Paramount were notorious for plagiarizing.
For instance, ZaSu Pitts was not pleased to learn that the Fleischer Studios was copying her gestures for the Olive Oyl character. She disregarded it since she didn’t want to get upset by saying she hated to be aped.
“He taught me to sing, to dance, to swim and to play tennis. How to play the piano and to cook too.”
This is amazingly accurate. The originally Betty Boop used to do so much and she used to play the piano. If you’ve seen the early Betty Boop cartoons and some of the later ones she can be seen playing the piano.
“And I liked them too! Especially you and your little friends. Not so long ago I met the man who owns Doll Land. He called me in his office the other day.”
Here Betty is talking about Joseph Kallus of The Cameo Doll Company. Of course this eventually led to a three-way lawsuit with Ralph A. Freundlich, Inc., the Fleischer Studios.
Freundlich was obviously innocent as “Mary Pickford” was the true inspiration behind his doll’s creation. However, Freudlich provided no evidence to support his assertions during the litigation, instead using Helen Kane as an excuse.
However, it was established in a court of law that Kane was NOT ORIGINAL. By doing that, he disproved the notion that Pickford and the 1931 “Kiki” movie served as the real inspiration and by using Kane as source the Fleischers could demonstrate that Betty Boop was the original source.
And again the Fleischers were victorious.
“‘Betty,’ he said ‘the children like you so well. I’m sending you to visit them.’ So I started out and within a very short time reached your town. And here we are together! I hope, dear friend, you like me very, very much. I like you and want to be with you all the time. I know we’ll be so happy.”
“Everything a good little girl should do. Then he put me in the movies ad leading lady with Bimbo. Everybody liked me as soon as they saw me. That’s why I’m a movie star.”
Max Fleischer presents Betty Boop a brand new kind of movie star. Betty Boop the hit of every show. Loved wherever she goes. And goes the world over. Betty Boop a Paramount star.
Someone who is a friend of Kim Exum messaged the “Boop-Boop-Be-Doop” blog and said that Exum is upset and angry. This blog does not usually apologize to anyone.
But in her case, I am very sorry. Exum does not have to accept this apology. But what ever is said will be said. This blog is BLACK owned. So do not try me.
But to clarify, this blog has no power over what the Fleischer Studios, David Foster, Rachelle Rak or Jerry Mitchell do. So Exum your real quarrel is with the directors and producers of that Broadway show.
As Exum said she bombed her audition for the Tara Rubin Casting that at the time was the casting director. Though when Exum appeared at the workshop sessions they said she was amazing and that she did greatly.
It was their choice to announce that the role was not on offer.
The truth is that the workshop session pre-announced that you were Betty Boop. So everyone pretty much knew you had already taken on the role of Betty. So to let everyone know is not a crime.
Some individuals think that they can just confront people who have done no wrong. This blog has not done anything to anyone. And if so, the individuals have always attacked first. So when someone speaks on your behalf, they don’t know what exactly has happened in full detail.
This blog did not FIRE you from the role.
The only two people at that workshop sessions that were given jobs were Stephen DeRosa and Angelica Hale.
So apparently Exum claims that after this blog told everyone that she was up for the role of Betty Boop that suddenly she was randomly fired. But James Olivas, Carla R. Stewart, Cady Huffman, Andy Karl all were fired too. But we don’t see them being angry or upset.
An actress, who is a well known Betty Boop impersonator. Well she came directly to “Boop-Boop-Be-Doop” blog. She really wanted to audition for the role of Betty Boop on Broadway too. But she already has the role and they were not looking for talented individuals but Broadway singers only.
She could have auditioned but when she asked it was known to most people that they were only seeking people of color. It was very hard to let her know that she wasn’t what they were seeking.
And that she should be happy because she already is Betty Boop. This actress, well she is the first lesbian Betty Boop for Universal Studios Orlando. And a lot of people like her. They say she is fun. Maybe one day she will be given flowers for doing what she does best.
There’s so many Betty Boop impersonators out there. Some of them are good, and some of them are bad. The Betty Boop role may open doors for you if you are careful and do it right.
David Foster’s step-daughter was originally going to debut way back in 2014. Of course she got sacked but eventually Katharine McPhee was thinking about it. But she realized that it would be a bad idea. And so they had Jessica Vosk, who accidentally announced it to everyone.
But Vosk was eventually let go so she was fired.
They had several white women who were going to take on the role. The criteria changed somewhere between 2022 and 2023. So after that they were only seeking people of color. This has also been backed up by some of the cast who auditioned.
And so after bad backlash on social media they decided that Betty Boop would debut as a Black woman. This apparently made a lot of people happy but at the same time it angered the trolls.
This blog did not diss Exum, but yes, the truth does often hurt people. A lot of people they can’t seem to handle the truth because they are so used to lying all the time.
But this blog here? Just says it like it is.
The producers and directors of the Broadway show were claiming that the other girls that auditioned did not have moxie. They really said that. This blog only recycles information. It is not made up. They really did say that about Exum and the other girls. They claimed that they just wasn’t what they were looking for.
Though the workshop session said otherwise.
I do not want to diminish Jasmine Amy Rogers as Betty Boop because she won the role fair and square. Originally she bombed her audition too. Rogers at one point was going to be delegated to the role of “Trisha Evans” who originally was Betty Boop’s African-American femme friend.
Also many racists are blaming this blog because Betty Boop is Black on Broadway. This blog has nothing to do with Betty Boop being portrayed by a Black woman. Stop hating. For those who are unaware the role of Betty Boop in the musical is interchangeable.
For those that do not know the Fleischer Studios announced in December of 2023 in an interview that their Betty Boop is just a white Jew. The Fleischers do not acknowledge Betty Boop as a Black woman. But they are aware that a Black woman is portraying the character on stage. And they are happy for her as are we all.
For those that do not know there was a Black Betty Boop spin-off in the works. There was a big fight between the Black businesswoman and the Fleischers. She alleged that the Fleischers refused to promote Black Betty Boop on the official Betty Boop website. So that tells you all you need to know.
This “Boop-Boop-Be-Doop” blog knows that Betty Boop was always a white woman or white girl after she transformed from a French poodle. But anyone of ANY race can like Betty Boop. And Betty Boop because she is fictional, she also can be portrayed by ANYONE.
This is a message to the disgusting racist individuals out there. Yes, Black people can have a Black Betty Boop if they want to. And you can’t do anything about it. Get over it.
Anyone upset…
You need to go directly to the Fleischer Studios and let them know how you feel. Don’t come hating on this blog. Because quite frankly I don’t care. Over a fictional cartoon character? Get a life.
If haters go to the Fleischer Studios website, I am sure that ANYONE will be able to email or contact THEM directly. Then you can complain to them and not to this fan blog here.
Trolls need to redirect their hatred to the Fleischers as THEY own the copyright to Betty Boop.
A lot of individuals who are trolls are angry at this blog. This blog does not know you or care to know you. If something upsets you, do not look. It is just that simple.
One day Exum if you try hard enough you will see your name in lights. If you give up now and rant or show that you are upset for someone else’s success it will destroy your chances. It must really hurt to see another girl in the role that was meant for you. But you have to be strong and learn to move on.
It probably hurts to see the Betty Boop Broadway show in trailers and the big reveal coming in the following years. But it will eventually end. Broadway shows are very short-lived. It may even get a live-action adaption. But there will be a time when you will no longer see it.
After that dies they will have to do something new with Betty Boop. Being a sex-symbol works on Broadway, but mainstream? No it will not work.
Like all things it will die out, just like the original Betty Boop cartoons did. The Fleischer Studios today? They are too busy restoring the racist ones. You know? Instead of making brand new cartoons. So obviously they are not thinking in Betty’s best interest and rely of third-parties to do all the work.
Betty Boop is a very controversial character so Exum should be glad that she did not take on the role.
This blog will never forget that Exum was the first person who took on the role of Betty Boop for the show. And Exum’s Betty Boop imitation sounds amazing. Exum did a very good job trying out for the role of the character. And she would have made a great Betty Boop. But regardless good luck to Kimberly Exum and may she prosper.
Originally this was a blog post about Leslie Cabarga and how he was the original “Mr. Boop” and fan of Betty.
I decided to change the the post to “The Redheaded Girl” and focus more of his Betty Boop debut comic. I don’t want people getting the wrong idea. I am not a fan of anyone in particular. People probably thinking but why doesn’t he draw redheaded Betty Boop anymore? Well he couldn’t.
He had to use the “color scheme” that King Features told him to.
The color palette for Betty that is famously known is “akin to Helen Kane,” which is jet-black hair, light green eyes. Betty also wears a red dress. The original Betty Boop in color had red hair and blue eyes.
Anyone who doesn’t know, Helen Kane, she had hazel green eyes and jet-black hair. So when we see Betty’s original color scheme, we can see how unique it is in contrast. And then we know that Helen Kane’s image wasn’t 100% stolen as she claimed. She wasn’t the sole “Boop-Boop-a-Doop” girl as there were many girls singing and using that persona from 1928 to 1931.
The “Boop” craze it died as of 1931, that is just when Helen Kane’s career also fizzled. Betty Boop was starting to appear as a dog lady more frequently. This was up until the character officially debuted as a human girl in “Stopping the Show” in 1932. Only then Kane saw Betty Boop as competition.
However King Features and the Fleischer Studios during the 1970s reverted Betty to look much like Helen Kane. So when Betty made her comeback in the 1980s, she had a Kane-ish appeal. Kane of course was dead, and nobody cared about her, and they still don’t to this day.
Clara Bow!? She was never forgotten. Apparently Liza Minnelli was emulating Bow as were many other women decades after her death, Even Marilyn Monroe paid homage to Bow.
Bow had the jazz baby persona. She however did not talk like a baby doll. She had the persona.
It is not an alternative palette, she was a redhead originally. The creators got rid of it. Black hair suits Betty, it looks better than the red hair. Anyone with a WORKING brain cell knows this to be true. The only people who don’t know that Betty was originally a redhead, are people who are NOT fans of the original series.
Those individuals know very little about Betty Boop or her origin.
Grim Natwick he created Betty Boop as a French poodle but she was a redhead. One day his original 1930-1931 concept for dog lady Betty appeared. I was very shocked. I knew she was a redhead in “Poor Cinderella” from 1934, but I never knew she already had been given red hair by her original creator.
The cartoons were supposed to be ink. That is the pun on “Out of the Inkwell” series. So they have no color. So you wouldn’t know what Betty would look like colorized. The vivid red hair that Natwick used to color his earlier concept of Betty, it looks really amazing.
I later realized that when the Fleischers and Paramount were arguing over Clara Bow, that they had obviously used her fame to promote Betty. Paramount a greedy corporation admitted to this many times.
Throughout the 1930s, there were so many comparisons between La Boop to La Bow.
Personally I always knew that Clara Bow was the other model for Betty. I used to hide it. I didn’t want Betty to be associated with Bow. I thought Bow was a prostitute at one point. Turns out Betty was just as bad… If not WORSE. Bow was an ANGEL compared to the Betty Boop character.
I see a lot of women and girls they look to Betty Boop. But the reality is… Betty Boop is actually a bad role model… Betty teaches girls and women to become THOTS. But the brand owners make so much money off of the character alone. That they do not want to admit to Betty’s shady past.
And so Bow was the most beautiful and famous among all stars in Hollywood at that time. Unlike the other girls, Bow she had more of an allure. Helen Kane!? She was known to be jealous and envious of Clara Bow.
Unlike the other women in Hollywood like the PLUMP Helen Kane, Bow often reinvented herself. Clara Bow was like the original Marilyn Monroe and Madonna of her era.
Bow was also the original jazz baby, Bow was “Helen Kane” before Helen Kane.
For the later palette that the Fleischers created for Betty she had black hair.
She had two hair colors earlier on, but they later dropped the red. So Betty’s red hair became her alternative hair color and was never used again until 2023. One of the main concepts which is unique, is Betty Boop, she wears black high heels not red. That is another color scheme removed.
King Features when they rebooted Betty, they scrapped the black heels, and made them match her dress. Since then Betty has worn a green, blue and purple dresses. The brand owners have tried everything to modernize Betty Boop. She’s worn all the colors of the rainbow since the 1980s was her big comeback.
Not in cartoons but on merchandise. For example “The Romance of Betty Boop” according to research here, was a failed pilot episode. They were going to make more but it was unsuccessful. Possibly due to Betty being outdated and stuck in 1939. Instead of bringing her into the 1980s.
People don’t know what to do with Betty for TV or movies spin-offs.
Should they leave Betty in her 1930s world? Or bring her to the future? A Broadway show did that recently. But a majority of the characters are not very likeable expect Trisha portrayed by Angelica Hale. If Hale was not cast, I don’t think people would like Trisha much. Betty’s new boyfriend, he’s unlikeable… I prefer Bimbo or Fearless Freddie… And they didn’t really use the IP, the brand much…
I mean where’s Bimbo? Where’s KO-KO? Where’s anyone? So they only have to offer that pervert Grampy!? And Pudgy? Pudgy is the WORST character in the series. So boring… He ruined the original series. Cute!? Yeah, but really BORING. Way to kill off a franchise.
The only thing the Fleischers kept was Betty’s blue eyes. When Betty was rebooted she lost her blue eye color too. Sometimes she has black eyes, sometimes blue, and sometimes green.
Modern Betty with either have light green or dark green eyes.
During the 1970s, while Cabarga was researching Betty Boop, he played around with creating concepts and trying to pitch his art to mainstream media. In 1972, he created a comic strip called “Betty Bupe” a parody of Betty Boop.
At this time he was interviewing ex-Fleischer artists and ex-voice-over artists.
The best thing about Cabarga, is he knows Betty is a sex-symbol.
And he’s aware that that she is a “THOT” as I explained many times. The Fleischers today? They try to cover this up with faux-feminism. But those of us who know Betty, we know she is a hoe.
The Fleischers even made an animated sex-tape called “Welcome to Miami” featuring Popeye and Betty Boop.
In his comic, Betty is a redheaded girl who lives on a farm. Now where have we seen this recycled concept? Boop with Rose McGowan of course.
Certainly not “Pearl” featuring Mia Goth. Cabarga did some research on Betty Boop, and he found out that she was originally a redhead long before her debut in Poor Cinderella.
Grim Natwick had already created Betty Boop with red hair. This was backed up by ex-Fleischer staff, and also “Little Ann Little” one of the several voices of Betty Boop had confirmed this to be true.
Betty Boop was partially based on Clara Bow the “It” Girl, so it makes perfect sense. Paramount Pictures admitted several times that they were using Bow’s persona. Bow suffered from mental illness and retired in 1933, so she didn’t really see Betty Boop as competition.
Betty messes around but didn’t mean no harm, working in the field not making a penny. Betty is always flashing her boobs or crotch… She’s a known Jezebel…
You can find out more about Betty here. Please know that Betty Boop is not an innocent character… If you do not know the real history behind her risqué persona, it best you look it up. Her image according to her original creator Grim Natwick is all about S-E-X.
Betty holds on to her Hi-Di-Ho, a little Cab Calloway reference there. In other words her virginity…
Betty opens a kissing booth and sells kisses for $5, the men have to ask for “other” services. Technically Betty Boop here is a prostitute. But she always secretly was in the animated cartoons.
She hitchhikes to the city.
Betty then goes on to do Blackface, and shines shoes. This didn’t age well, she’s portrayed by a Black woman on the Broadway stage today…
Betty becomes a rancid alcoholic…
Betty starts to take the illegal route…
She gets raided, and goes to jail.
She is eventually let out, and back on her Hi-De-Ho.
Betty goes on to release Hi-De-Ho cherry chewing gum for five cents.
The joke or gag is that Cabarga got his first job after showing his portfolio to Topps Chewing Gum, Inc, by showing his samples.So when you look at Cabarga’s concepts, you know that he did this first.
He paved the way for fans to delve in fandom.
The only difference is he was talented, and other people, well they are not. Not everyone can be the greatest writer, or artist. We all have our own unique traits. Where you might be bad at one thing, you may be gifted at another. And that is basically fandom. His passion and hard work paid off. And he eventually worked as a Betty Boop illustrator.
Not to be biased, but I prefer Shamus Culhane, Ned Sonntag and Grim Natwick’s art of Betty Boop. I saw Myron Waldman’s too but sadly Waldman’s art is ugly. But that is just me. Cabarga’s art, it is not bad. It looks like Betty.
This article here is about other characters that have used Betty Boop’s success as a baby-doll or sex-symbol.
Carbon Copies:
I will start with Sally Swing. Sally was a new successor created to replace Betty Boop in the cartoons. In the original concept Sally has red or black hair and she’s not as pretty.
The Fleischers, they held a “Sally Swing Contest” to find a persona to take on the role of Sally. A teenage Rose Marie Mazzetta won the contest. Originally Sally looked more like Rose Marie.
Those that are unaware as a child Rose Marie was a “Boop-Boop-a-Doop” singer and she was often compared to Sophie Tucker and Helen Kane. Marie was the voice, singing and personality for Sally Swing.
She had previously worked with the Fleischer Studios on “Sing Babies Sing” a 1933 animated cartoon. When the “Sally Swing” job was being auditioned NBC got her the role.
Unlike Betty Boop, Sally is a bobby-soxer.
Typical attire for a bobby-soxer consisted of penny loafers or saddle shoes, Shetland sweaters, poodle skirts or blue denim, and bobby socks, which gave rise to their nickname. Poodle skirts with ankle socks have been called a representation of the idea of American teenage culture.
The Fleischers as usual they used someone as a model without permission. That model was the famous Betty Grable. Sally’s refined look comes from Grable, including the blonde hair. Comedienne Martha Raye was used for Sally’s mannerisms, the Fleischer Studios even asked Raye permission and she accepted.
Using Betty Grable’s look was not a crime, and it would have not affected her career. Unlike Helen Kane, Sally Swing is more of a teenage crooner and did not rely on plagiarizing Grable’s persona.
Grable starred in RKO’s “Old Man Rhythm” in 1935, people have tried to hide this information reasons unbeknownst. But her rival in the film is Bonnie Poe, the Betty Boop girl’s little sister Evelyn Poe. The sisters were really known as Clara Rothbart and Evelyn Rothbart.
The sisters’ film careers were not as successful as Betty Grable’s. Clara “Bonnie Poe” Rothbart? She portrayed the Betty Boop persona, but when Mae Questel returned, she was pretty much forgotten in history.
When people looked back into the Betty Boop story, they knew nothing of Poe. It was actually quite hard for the “Boop-Boop-Be-Doop” blog to bring the Poe sisters’ stories to life. It took years to piece their stories together. There was no information about them, until archives started becoming mainstream.
Betty Grable in comparison to Sally Swing was just was a sex-symbol. Later Grable co-starred with the famous Marilyn Monroe in a film called “How To Marry A Millionaire” in 1953.
Unlike previous stars like Helen Kane or ZaSu Pitts where the Fleischers just openly stole their personas for Betty Boop and Olive Oyl. Unlike Kane, Pitts ignored the Fleischer Studios as she hated to be aped. She did not respond to any caricature of her in any cartoon. ZaSu Pitts was often caricatured, as much as the great Mae West. You can also see Pitts in a few Disney shorts and cartoons produced by other studios.
ZaSu’s name was pronounced “Say-Zoo”.
You’ll know if it is ZaSu Pitts because she says, “Oh, dear.” As that was ZaSu’s quote, which the character Olive Oyl also stole.
Just like Paramount Pictures admitted that Clara Bow was like Betty Boop, they also admitted that Betty Grable was the model for Sally Swing. The Fleischer Studios never admit to any of these things. Including the family linage of the Fleischers, they do not like admitting to anything.
It’s awful that there’s usually a little white lie tucked in-between. However, it goes without saying that they will never acknowledge the truth. That is on the Fleischer Studios. But other people can see the comparisons.
And if anyone does want to look into the stories, look up Paramount articles or Paramount magazines, and they tell you the honest truth about these Fleischer creations.
12 “Betty Boop” cartoons were made and according to Rose Marie 6 out of “12” Sally Swing cartoons were made. Paramount and the Fleischer Studios announced Betty Boop’s death. So Betty Boop literally died. So in the debut “Sally Swing” Betty introduces Sally to the audience.
Lou Diamond, a Paramount Pictures executive who worked for Max Fleischer shouted, “Betty Boop is dead, Sally Swing is the new successor.” Diamond doesn’t get much credit today. But he did a lot of promotion for the “Popeye” and “Betty Boop” series. The Fleischer family somewhat have diminished his presence. He worked harder promoting Fleischer content than Max Fleischer and Dave Fleischer.
That being said, promoters who do most of the free promotion, they never are given any credit. Unlike the Fleischer Studios, I will give him his dues. When people don’t credit others, or give credit where credit is due. You know something is not right. You don’t need to give credit. But Louis Diamond, he worked really hard at Paramount.
Sally was supposed to be the next Betty Boop but she flopped at the box-office. Sally got a little good review here or there. But unlike Betty Boop, she was not successful. The Fleischers and Paramount they dropped the character. Six cartoons were made, but never released, and today are lost media.
Sally was revived in 2016 by Dynamite Entertainment. Writer Roger Langridge worked so hard to bring her back to life. However this version of Sally, she’s not like the original. Like Betty Boop in “Who Framed Roger Rabbit,” she is essentially relegated to working as a waitress and unlike her original debut is unable to sing.
Dynamite did not have to bring Sally back. But in doing so, they pretty much exposed that Sally Swing’s character design, not including the costume, is pretty much swiped from Betty Grable.
Grim Natwick, he created Betty Boop in 1930. In an official 1931 artwork by Grim Natwick, it is proven the dog woman version of Betty Boop is actually a redhead and she has blue eyes.
She later officially debuted in “Poor Cinderella” in 1934 as a redhead. There were many toys, dolls and merchandise from the 1930s, that feature Betty Boop with red hair. It is quite fascinating but truth be told, Betty Boop looks better with jet-black hair. Betty’s black hair, it complements her look.
It is only natural that Clara Bow would somewhat serve as inspiration for Betty Boop. She was the Marilyn Monroe of the 1920s, and she was the #1 star.
The only downside was that Bow had schizophrenia.
Of course the Fleischers used a little of Helen Kane’s “Boop-Boop-a-Doop” persona and fame.
Kane was not the sole “Booper” at the time. There were many of them, not just one. It was a fad at the time. Natwick said he created Betty Boop using a little of Helen Kane and teenage flapper girls as the inspiration to create Betty Boop. Kane promoted this baby-talk and baby-doll image.
Unlike other people who blatantly lie, I like to give the real information when mentioning Kane. A lot of people have fabricated the story. Yes, she somewhat served as base. But she’s not the real or true Betty Boop. Betty Boop is a fictional character, based on many women, not just Kane.
Turns out Paul Ash who had discovered Helen Kane, had discovered Peggy Bernier many years earlier. And Bernier had originated that “baby” persona before Kane was known. For those unaware, Bernier, she starred with “Baby Esther Jones” in a 1926 Paul Ash revue in Chicago.
Thus, Peggy Bernier’s baby voice and African-American jazz vocalists serve as the inspiration for Kane’s scatting. And Irene Franklin a redheaded actress originated that baby-doll and baby-voice persona way back in the 1900s.
Naturally, Kane never acknowledged that she copied anyone.
In the same way that the Fleischers of today and their lineage declined to admit that anyone served as Betty’s inspiration. Even so, Paramount has countered that Clara Bow played a significant role in Betty’s promotion.
The Fleischer Studios today they also are unaware that Betty Boop originally had red hair. But Little Ann Little, the voice of Betty Boop actually admitted and confirmed in an interview that Betty’s real hair color was red.
Little explained how Betty Boop had red hair just like she did.
Little had red hair and blue eyes, just like Betty Boop. So that is enough proof needed, also Grim Natwick’s original and later concepts, especially his concept art from 1931.
You know? Dog Betty Boop with red hair and blue eyes?
The truth is, I found out many years ago that Betty Boop was originally a redhead. But I decided to hide it. I ensured that nobody was aware. Because I didn’t want Clara Bow to be the model or inspiration. Way back then, I only wanted Helen Kane to be the model. So recently I put the true origin there.
People lie and claim “Poor Cinderella” no Betty had red hair before that. These individuals, they are not fans of the series, and they are using the “Fleischer Studios” website as source. Again, the Fleischers do not want “Clara Bow” to get any credit for Betty’s image.
Clara Bow was the Marilyn Monroe of the 1920s, Monroe even paid homage to her.
Betty also has black hair, and that can be officially seen in earlier artworks by the Fleischer Studios, and officially in a 1937-1938 Paramount promo. People will argue and say, “Betty was a redhead.” And an idiot will respond by saying, “No she was not a redhead.” But she actually was, it is just very complicated.
Betty Boop has two hair colors.
She’s best known for her black hair, and red in my opinion does not suit her. Here is one of my terrible re-colors. Last time, I made her hair too light. So this time I went for a more reddish-orange. And her original eye color is more blue, not a light green. King Features also snipped her nose too, so Betty had a nose job.
Reddish-orange is supposed to be Betty Boop’s natural hair color. It is a darker orange. But personally I don’t think it matters.
I originally colored her hair for my “Betty Will Inspire You” video.
It was a fandom video of how Betty Boop inspired me to create stuff. Yes, embarrassing and cheesy. But that’s when they had the text-to-speech voices. And I was just like, Snow White! Harley Quinn! So I just used Mary Kay Bergman’s voice to narrate. It was hilarious. ‘Cause I knew she was up for the role of Betty Boop in 1993, and I just wanted to use her “Snow White” voice.
Yes, I did want Mae Questel! But there were no text-to-speech versions of Questel that were good enough. There was an Olive Oyl, but it sounded horrid.
For the narration part it was hilariously, terribly, funny.
I don’t care what skin color or hair color, she’s still Betty Boop!
She’s made of pen and ink. She’s just black and white, she was never colorized. Even after “Poor Cinderella” the Fleischers reverted Betty back to being colorless.
Betty’s appearance in “Who Framed Roger Rabbit” is very special because is is a reference to Betty being outdated and that she’s stuck in her 1932 debut phase. Whoever created that scenario is a genius. Also Mae Questel, the original, best-liked voice of Betty, returning to the role as Betty Boop.
Color? Well as usual Walt Disney a very horrible man well he ensured that he owned the rights to the color palettes for animated cartoons way back when. So the Fleischer Studios had no choice but to use red. Originally people thought that Betty was a platinum blonde. But she really had darker red hair.
UCLA restored as deposited the film and it turned out that Betty’s real hair color was reddish-orange. You know like Clara Bow! It was a darker orange.
So many women served as inspiration behind the Betty Boop character. Just like Disney did with their Disney Princess franchise. So many women serve as inspiration behind the Disney Princesses.
Disney never admit to some of the inspirations too. When creating a character you have every right to use anything you want to as base for your character. As long as you are not profiting from someone’s success. You know stealing someone’s persona?
So when you see Irene Franklin and Clara Bow, and you link them to Betty Boop. You think wow… Everything was about being a redheaded bonfire or a blonde beauty.
Who’d have guessed that redheads would have been so popular? That being said times do change, as do people and how they think. What once was considered beautiful no longer is. Everyone seems to hate gingers today. Personally, it is probably just redheaded men. Being a redhead works more in the favor of being a woman.
Can you imagine a man trying to be a sex-symbol? Ginger hair? Freckles? Pale skin?
Ooo, the horror.
For 2023, Betty has returned alternatively as a redhead. People who don’t know that Betty had red hair, they are probably unaware or don’t know much about Betty’s origin.
The Fleischer Studios today, they’ve completely covered this up.
Reason? They do not want people to associate Clara Bow with Betty Boop. But if you do some research in Paramount Pictures books, you’ll see a lot of the comparisons.
Before the 1980s, even Grim Natwick knew Betty had red hair. This 1977 artwork just tells you like it is. That being said, he did paint Betty as a redheaded dog woman way back in 1931 for the Fleischer Studios and Paramount. You can actually find that 1931 artwork in an official Paramount magazine.
Next up is another carbon copy, and her name is Fifi. Fifi is pretty much a Betty Boop clone. She was created by Grim Natwick, the true originator of the Betty Boop character.
Fifi is apparently a platinum blonde or has red hair. I am not 100% sure, because the photo of her colorized, it is very bland. I am going to assume blonde. She’s Flip the Frog’s girlfriend from his cartoon series, she’s not a very nice character. Much like Sally Swing, unsuccessful.
Max Fleischer threatened anyone who copied Betty Boop. Including Natwick who created the original character. They were forced to change the character’s design. However in newer HD remakes, the character has been restored. Because today parody is protected. Fifi, only looks similar to Betty.
She’s not actually copying Betty’s persona. Fifi is a very nasty character, she’s mean and horrid. And that’s why I like her so much. She has more personality than Betty Boop. Betty couldn’t hurt a fly. My bad, didn’t she try to murder a fly in “Swat That Fly” in 1935?
Cookie a Looney Tunes character? She is also based on Betty Boop’s success.
In Cookie’s debut she looks somewhat similar to Betty? But she has her own unique style. However she more or less plagiarizes Betty’s baby-doll and baby-talk persona.
That being said, Betty Boop the character like Helen Kane, did not own that persona. Anyone can make a character like Betty Boop and profit from it. If it is successful. These types of characters, they do not work anymore in mainstream, because of all the backlash. They want girl-boss characters now. If you don’t like the characters, just don’t support the franchise, and it will eventually die out.
Take “Berry Boop” of this “Boop-Boop-Be-Doop” blog for example. I tried myself to use cuteness or cute stuff to promote my own creations. But they never caught on. Am I sour? Nope.
You have to have a really good story, character design and concept to grab an audience. If you ain’t got that. You certainly am not going to sell it. In other words, people are not going to like it. You may grab the attention of the wrong people. Crazy people who have warped feelings or hateful people who are dumber than bricks.
I may have failed there, but I am successful elsewhere.
Cookie was voice by a “Betty Boop Impersonator” known as Shirley Reid. People probably know her by the name Shirley Reed? Her real second name was spelled Reid.
Shirley Reid, she reprised her role as Miss Bonbon. Bonbon is also known as the Gingerbread Girl and also the Sugar Cookie Girl. Disney too, were trying to copy Betty Boop. So it is a “Cinderella” story, Bonbon she goes from a redhead to a blonde. Grim Natwick animated and created that character too.
Yes! Grim Natwick is the originator of these characters look. No matter what Disney or the Fleischer Studios tell you. They just don’t want to give him his credit. He worked for them, so he was the concept artist too. Only he was never credited, and did not own the characters.
They only credit him in history for animating them.
Especially the Fleischer Studios, they do not like him being credited. But he did create Betty Boop’s base in 1930. And he still was animating several of the earlier Betty Boop cartoons, even in 1931 when her early design had been completed. All the Fleischer Studios did was change her dog ears to hoop earrings.
Like Shamus Culhane said, this was Grim Natwick’s Betty. The Fleischers have all these excuses that Natwick was not there. But he was. He was there when Betty had her finalized design. What are the Fleischer Studios trying to cover up? Look at this sketch by Natwick, she has a single garter-belt. He was there animating at the studio when all the animators developed Betty’s earlier concept.
Also Snow White also was based on Betty’s success. Betty Boop in “Snow White” in the Fleischer cartoon, inspired Walt Disney to create his own adaption. There’s a lot of comparisons and proof that Walt Disney’s version of Snow White is a more refined and pure version of Betty Boop.
If the Fleischer Studios can steal stars’ personas, I see no problem in other people doing the same to the Fleischer Studios. It is a little pay-back. It happens to everyone. As of 2024, everyone is copying Betty Boop to develop new characters. And there’s nothing the Fleischer Studios can do about it.
There’s this creator by the name of Genndy Tartakovsky. All he’s been doing is stealing Betty Boop’s image, and reworking it into his own characters. His first character was like a mixture of Black Widow and Betty Boop.
And she ended up looking like Josephine Baker. For his new character, he blatantly stole Betty Boop’s head, and there’s nothing the Fleischer Studios can do about it.
I urge people to make more characters based on Betty Boop’s success.
Cookie? She’s a redhead like Betty Boop.
Fleischer Studios threatened Warner, so Cookie’s design was slightly changed.
Being as Betty as two hair colors, with black being mainstream. You can’t really sue someone and expect to win, just because they have a similar character. You have to prove that in court. Also Warner were just as powerful as the Fleischer company. The Fleischer Studios would have probably met their match.
Buddy and Cookie, they are based on stereotypical Black characters Bosko and Honey. Cookie and Honey, they also steal traits from Disney’s character Minnie Mouse.
Warner, they gave tribute to Honey during the early 1990s. She can be seen imitating Betty Boop in cartoons, however it was actually Cookie who was the Betty Boop copy-cat.
Cookie is based on Honey, a stereotypical Black girl. As Buddy is Bosko is whiteface, Cookie is Honey in whiteface. You wouldn’t believe how many Black entertainers and Black originators serve as base for fictional characters. Honey and Bosko, they were scat-singers too.
But due to racism the downside is in their cartoons they were made to look like apes or monkeys. That’s what a majority of white people think of Black people. Even if they don’t say it out loud, they secretly feel that way. And that is why Black and other people will never be equal. There will always be a battle. People never forget history, and they go on to repeat history. Poor Honey…
Betty Boop later died out, but during the 1940s a new character called Red appeared in a Tex Avery cartoon called “Red Hot Riding Hood” and it was released in 1943. Betty Boop obviously was the inspiration but as were modernized female stars, because by then Betty Boop was outdated.
The Betty Boop series had ended in 1939, a few years later Red appeared in the M-G-M cartoons. Red was everything Betty Boop was and more. People FORGOT that Betty Boop even existed. Unlike the “Sally Swing” character, Red was a success. That is because sex-symbols used to sell. Of course not in this woke day and age. All the female characters are no longer show girls, they are now manly women who want to be men.
Red’s design was inspired by Lana Turner and Rita Hayworth.
Blonde bombshell Betty Grable was also used to finalize Red’s appearance. The Fleischers tried to use Grable for “Sally Swing” in the late 1930s, but it didn’t work. But when Grable’s 1940s look was used for Red it worked, because well sex sells. Red’s cartoons were a box-office hit and box-office draw, whereas Sally Swing flopped. Instead of being a blonde like Grable, Red is a redhead.
There is some proof to this. In “Swing Shift Cinderella” the character Red in one concept wore a black outfit and she had blonde hair and wore red high heels and a red feather in her hair.
In her finalized look, Red is a redhead. And instead of wearing the color red like the character Little Red Riding Hood, she wears white and has a tiny white bow in her hair. This is a more refined look in comparison to the black costume in the concept art.
Her speaking voice was provided by Sara Berner. Red spoke in a baby Brooklyn voice in her alternative child form like Betty Boop. Apparently the series doesn’t make sense and there are several versions of Little Red Riding Hood.
For example in “Swing Shift Cinderella” there is another Red, but this time she is not Red Hot Riding Hood in child form.
But as her adult form she spoke like Katharine Hepburn. Sometimes Mae West, a Southerner, and possibly Bette Davis. There’s also a Daws Butler version of Red where she’s a man? Crossdressing? An ugly version of Red. It is so hilarious. But it is apparently her country cousin. Red never had a proper speaking voice, the character was always imitating someone else.
Who used to impersonate celebrities voices? Betty Boop did. So for Red, Tex Avery basically just took some traits from Betty Boop. But instead of temporary impersonation, Red’s appearances differ depending on what cartoon she’s in. So she’ll do the vocal impersonation of a celebrity throughout the cartoon unlike Betty Boop.
Take Betty for example? She’s like a sort of Helen Kane-like character? Like Olive Oyl doing the ZaSu Pitts, Betty continued to emulate Kane’s fame in her earlier cartoons.
So Betty Boop would do a Fanny Brice imitation? But it was a one-shot imitation. As the series transpired the Fleischers got rid of Betty’s impersonation trait, which was based on Mae Questel a known celebrity impersonator.
So if Red speaks or acts like Mae West? She does it throughout the cartoon until it ends. Sara Berner who was Red’s speaking voice was a very talented character impersonator. She started off with a great career but this sadly ended badly.
Berner claimed to be the voice of Betty Boop in a 1950s interview, but what she probably meant to say was, that she impersonated Betty Boop’s voice.
Female voice artists were not treated the same as males. For example Mel Blanc who wasn’t really that great of an artist, well he got credit for his roles. But Sara Berner and other women? From other studios? They rarely got credit for their voice-over work. Sexism, you know sexist times.
Berner’s divorce with her demonic husband Milton Rosner a talent agent led to him making a false report of “child endangerment” which led to her arrest. She pleaded innocent in court. But it turns out that she had began to suffer from mental illness, so they committed her to a hospital. She was verbally abusive to police officers, and claimed her husband had tried to kill her. Clear signs of mental deterioration.
She later was arrested twice.
When Berner died in 1972, she was given no tributes and was forgotten in history. All her roles were attributed to June Foray. But when Foray was asked about the character Red, Foray confirmed that she did not voice Red. She did not take credit for the role. She just said that she is featured in some Tex Avery cartoons, but did not confirm that she was the voice of Red. The voice of Red belonged to Sara Berner.
I thought I would add more context on Sara Berner, because of her sad story. Also the fact that she was later washed up and became a has-been.
Sara Berner had voiced like several earlier versions of Little Red Riding Hood. Tex Avery was obsessed with Katharine Hepburn. So many of his characters imitate the actress.
Red emulates so many women.
Not only is Red a spoof of Little Red Riding Hood…
Red’s portrayed Cinderella, she’s portrayed Little Eva from “Uncle Tom’s Cabin”, Lou, a cowgirl and more.
Red’s singing voice was based on a Black woman by the name of Lena Horne. Horne was notable for “passing for white” back in those days. People didn’t know Horne was Black.
Keep in mind that Red was a popular M-G-M character, and Horne had a contract with M-G-M.
Lena Horne did not voice Red in the cartoons. I say this because some people are quite dumb today, and they take information and misinterpret it. She was just the inspiration. And I read this in a Tex Avery article. I was quite shocked to learn that a Black woman’s voice again indirectly served as base for an iconic character.
Early in Horne’s tenure at M-G-M, the actress claimed that the company tried to force her to change her identity to a Latina by casting her in the movie “Panama Hattie”.
Red was last licensed by Warner Bros. Entertainment. They’ve tried to hide this information for reasons unbeknownst. So that only makes us wanna tell people more.
The copyright for Red is owned by M-G-M and Turner Entertainment.
Red’s singing voice was provided by Connie Russell. Red had two voices, a speaking voice and a singing voice. Russell, she pretty much looked like Red, and was also a redhead.
Dead ringer for Red. But multiple women were the inspiration not just one. It’s like saying that Mae Questel was Betty Boop, she was but many other people served as indirect inspiration. For example Clara Bow the “It” Girl who like Red Hot Riding Hood, is a redhead.
Red’s singing voice was also provided by Imogene Lynn, who sounded akin to Russell.
40 years later, “Who Framed Roger Rabbit” was in the works. Jessica Rabbit was partially based on Red, with a mixture of Veronica Lake and other femme fatales.
In early concepts, Jessica looked more like Red. She was a starlet, who only married Roger Rabbit to further her career. After she got where she needed to get in Hollywood, she cast Roger aside.
Very unlikeable character this early version of Jessica Rabbit. She was evil and possibly was trying to murder her husband Roger Rabbit. They completed the 1983 pilot but the film was unmade. Jessica was voiced by Russi Taylor, the voice of Minnie Mouse in the test.
They reworked the film and it was a success. Kathleen Turner was Jessica’s speaking voice and Amy Irving was her singing voice.
Kathleen Turner saw the original concepts for Rabbit, and thought that she was just pretty. Turner urged the animators and producers to make her more sexy and told them to make her more curvy and focus on her bust area.
That is why Jessica Rabbit ended up well endowed.
Jessica is bad, but she claims she is just drawn that way. She became a very popular character throughout the decades, and was well liked.
They wanted to get the wolf who Red calls Wolfie from the Tex Avery cartoons and put him in the “Why Don’t You Do Right” sequence.
When Jessica appeared on stage, the wolf, he was supposed to have whistled.
But they were unable to obtain the copyright from M-G-M. That would have also proved that Jessica Rabbit was partially based on Red Hot Riding Hood. Not just Veronica Lake.
They couldn’t make the film they wanted. They were unable to get the copyright for many animated characters. They ended up removing a lot of them. Bosko and Flip the Frog didn’t make the cut. They wanted Popeye, Olive Oyl and Bluto and more. It took a lot to actually get the rights to Betty Boop.
Betty seems to have more interaction in the concepts for the film. Bimbo the Dog and Fitz are present too. They did not make the cut. They were scrapped. KO-KO the Clown however appears in the film.
There was an ongoing battle of “who owned the rights” to Betty Boop. But they were able to secure a deal to include Betty Boop in Jessica Rabbit’s faux-Cotton Club scene.
Betty Boop was written into the scene before the writers knew whether or not they could get permission to use her. The film was produced at Disney, the writers had access to a library of characters. Thanks to an arrangement with Warner Bros., which was arranged by Steven Spielberg, the Looney Tunes catalogue was open to them as well.
But the rights to Betty Boop had passed through multiple hands over the years, requiring a separate deal. “We wrote that scene for Betty, and if she were lost to us, we would have slotted somebody else in or just written a new scene,” Seaman said, explaining how they handled cases where certain classic cartoon characters were taken off the table.
In the early 2020s, Disney covered Jessica Rabbit up. Her bust are covered now by a trench coat. I always felt that her design was over-exaggerated. She’s like a drag queen or something? You know a man in drag? Which seems to be the male fantasy. Real women don’t have those body proportions.
Red and Betty Boop in comparison to Jessica are more tame.
In 1990, Red was revived as a character called Miss Vavoom in the “Tom & Jerry Kids” series which was co-produced by Hanna-Barbera and Turner Entertainment. This character is obviously Red, but a newer incarnation. It is like they used anything they could think of to sexualize her. This was released not too long after “Who Framed Roger Rabbit” so you can clearly see Mister… I mean Miss Jessica Rabbit’s influence on the character.
This version of Red was voiced by Teresa Ganzel.
This version of Red always changes her costumes and names. Her name is also Lolly, Vanna, Bubbles, Princess, Diva.
She looks like Jessica Rabbit in some cartoons whereas in others, she looks like someone else. She also does a “Boom-Boom-Vavoom”, similar to the “Boop-Boop-Be-Doop” routine.
She has that Brooklyn sounding baby voice similar to Red’s debut appearance as a little girl.
After the success of “Who Framed Roger Rabbit” an American animator by the name of Ralph Bakshi started to work on “Cool World”. And so he created a character based on Jessica Rabbit or Tex Avery’s character Red.
Originally Drew Barrymore was up for the lead role, but she was only 16 in 1991 and 17 in 1992. There might have been bad backlash had they gave her the role. That being said, her age seems to be more in line with Betty. As people are aware, Betty Boop is also 16.
That is Hollywood, they do things differently there. To be a part of the Hollywood scene or entertainment business, you have to do a lot of things to get where you want to get. If you are female, obviously you ain’t going to be handed roles on a silver plate.
Paramount’s relationship with Bakshi deteriorated during the production. So they re-wrote the script to be more PG-13. Kim Basinger replaced Drew Barrymore and took on the the lead role.
Basinger did the voice of the character and live-action sequences. The character’s name was changed from Debbie to Holli Would, a pun on Hollwood. In the finalized concept Holli has a likeness to Marilyn Monroe. Basinger won a Razzie Award nomination for her role for worst actress. Also the old Fleischer Studios cartoons had a big influence on the animation style in the movie.
Holli Would is an evil nasty character. It is like they stole the script from the original “Who Framed Roger Rabbit” or something? Holli Would has a waitress rival in the film called Lonette (voiced by Candi Milo), and her demeanor is similar to Betty Boop’s, she also speaks similar to Betty Boop.
Much like Betty in “Who Framed Roger Rabbit”, Lonette is reduced to a waitress whereas Holli is the sex-symbol and star of the “Cool World” created by Jack Deebs. Despite “Cool World” not doing to well at the box-office, today it is a cult-classic.
Also to delegate rivals to being mere waitresses? Is that some kind of Hollywood trope? Jessica Rabbit on the scene? Betty is reduced to a a cameo gag reference scene to the 1932 Fleischer “Just a Gigolo” cartoon.
Lonette? Well Holli Would is the sex-symbol, and she’s like Betty reduced to being a waitress.
Sally Swing in the “Betty Boop” reboot comic? She doesn’t do anything special at first, she’s just a waitress. Is this like a trope in the entertainment industry? In which they don’t know what to do with other female characters? Especially when someone sexier or prettier is on the scene.
Leslie Cabarga received a commission from Nintendo in 1981 to design a poster for the video game “Donkey Kong”. He used Popeye for Mario and Bluto as the base for the character Donkey Kong.
In a 2022 interview, Cabarga revealed that he drew inspiration for Pauline’s character design from Betty Boop. Pauline is a character that embodies sexual symbols, much like Betty Boop, and her design was influenced by Boop.
Additionally, Olive Oyl provided some influence for the damsel-in-distress dynamic. Many years later, Cabarga learned that Miyamoto was influenced by Max Fleischer’s “Popeye” cartoon series from the 1930s.
When Miyamoto was unable to secure the necessary licensing to Popeye the Sailor Man, he invented Mario in place. Mario’s appearance was influenced by the graphical limitations of arcade hardware, as evidenced by his enormous nose, mustache, and overalls.
Red appears in the newer “Tom and Jerry” series. She’s has a new voice by Grey DeLisle. DeLisle was redhead Mary Kay Bergman’s successor. Bergman was once the voice of Snow White after Adriana Caselotti, and Bergman was up for the role of Betty Boop. Bergman was DeLisle’s voice acting teacher.
Toot Braunstein is a very popular Betty Boop spoof. Toot appeared in “Drawn Together” an outdated animated comedy that would bomb today. Why? People are too sensitive now.
After Mary Kay Bergman died all of her iconic roles went to her students Grey DeLisle, Tara Strong and other people.
The creators of “South Park” needed several women to replace Bergman’s versatile voice.
This may sound a little bad, but if she didn’t die, other actresses careers in the voice-over world wouldn’t have stood a chance. Because Bergman wiped out all the competitors. She literally was the voice of every cartoon character you could think of.
There’s a story on the “Sandy Fox” page, on how Bergman won the role of Betty Boop over Fox and other talent for an unmade Betty Boop movie. Read about it over there.
DeLisle’s portrayal of Red is more modernized and they don’t stick to the original concept. So Red is speaks in her singing voice, instead of using imitations of famous stars. DeLisle provided both Red’s singing voice and speaking voice, which is a first for the character.
In 2010 she appeared in “Tom and Jerry Meet Sherlock Holmes,” again in 2012 in “Robin Hood and His Merry Mouse,” and finally “Tom and Jerry’s Giant Adventure” in 2013. Warner had to actually get the copyright for the character to be able to use her in their cartoons.
Red has not been seen since.
Reason being, is most cartoons now do not feature female characters that are sex-symbols. In the mid-2010s, people started to change their opinions on these types of characters.
Characters like this mostly appear in fan works or fan fiction. Mainstream and Hollywood, they like the girl-boss trope. So the female characters wear bulky clothes and are strong. As said above want to be men or like men. So sex-symbol characters are not in demand today for TV or films.
To some degree, I agree. Cover up some of the female characters. But at least, simmer down on the girl-boss trope, it is getting very old and boring.
In 2015, a new Marilyn Monroe brand to compete against Betty Boop was announced. Monroe’s estate is owned by a Chinese company, and they promoted a new icon or symbol of Monroe in chibi form. Chibi means small, and S.D. for super deformed. It is popular in Asia.
Chibi characters, they look child-like but are adults. The Chinese company had merchandise, and a TV show lined up for this Mini Marilyn franchise. A lot of people actually liked it.
They released the trailer of Monroe in animated form and it got terrible reviews. They put a lot of effort into the animated series, but Marilyn was voiced terribly and did not sound like the original person. People caught on to this, and started calling the company out.
They said that doesn’t sound like Marilyn, and they said the voice-acting was cheap. They made Marilyn sound like Paris Hilton on helium. Horrible. Actually it sounds like how Betty Boop sounds today when Sandy Fox does the voice. But that’s another story.
“Mini Marilyn” just like “Sally Swing” flopped. Sorry you can’t beat Betty Boop. Too many years of promotion with King Features and whoever wants to collaborate with the outdated Betty.
Betty Boop is comparison to Red and Jessica, she’s more presentable more sellable. Jessica and Red? Nobody is going to want to buy any of their products for their children.
You just can’t sell Jessica Rabbit to kids, her bosom are just too big. People complain about Disney being woke today, but never complained about these types of characters sexualizing their kids from a young age.
Betty Boop is not an angel, but she’s not a bad character.
This is proven, because in “Who Framed Roger Rabbit” she is given very little screen time and has a small cameo. But she has proven to be more successful and is still in demand to this day. The new Broadway musical also proves this.
You really think that the Fleischer Studios didn’t get a cut from the new rework? They sure did. And according to gossip, it seems that the reboot is destined to win an award someday.
Over $1,000,000,000 worth of Betty Boop products has been sold to date.
Boop-Boop-Be-Doop ♥ 