The story of a female icon that scandalized society in the 1930s and has never lost its validity

Betty Boop born in 1930, At the time Animation was still searching for its identity And the studies conducted tests without fear of being ridiculous. Her story began as an experiment that constantly changed shape and form No one imagined that it would happen.

Between the influences of the singers, multiple redesigns, and the first drawing that presented her as a human-dog hybrid, The character underwent a radical transformation Before this number becomes flapper (referring to contemporary young women of the 1920s who challenged the social norms of the time) that defined her aesthetic.

It later faced censorship, controversy, and amendments that contradicted its essence, however Betty Boop managed to establish herself as one of the most influential figures of her time. Its influence continues despite its short time on screen, and its strong cultural presence is evident.

Betty Boop You didn’t start out as a human: His first version was an anthropomorphic French poodleIn a short dress and a sensual attitude. Studios sought to emulate the actresses of the time, so the idea was eliminated in less than a year to transform her into a human character with aesthetics. flapper.

Her dog’s ears turned into circular rings and her dark nose turned into a small, delicate nose.

The origin of the character is complex. Helen Kane He contributed his girlish and flirtatious style. While others said it was inspiration Sarah Bo -Silent film actress-. Although highlighting some similarities with Jazz singer Baby Estherknown for it “the breast”Which Ken saw live and responded to.

Grim Natwick, The character’s creator used all of these influences and, along with six other artists, created the final design for Betty Boop.

Betty Boop’s first appearance as a hybrid creature was in the short film “Dizzy dishes“, and then She first appeared as a human in the movie “Any Rags”.As a secondary character with an emotional and innocent personality.

These first appearances imitated the style flapper: Short skirts, pearls and carefree personality. Another detail is that viewer It was full Sexual innuendos and Tense situations That reflects Social conflicts Which women lived in the 1930s.

Will be currently cancelled: Betty Boop was 16 years old When she first appeared in the shorts she was exposed to scenes with a strong sexual charge.

in “Betty Boop Bamboo Island“ She appeared wearing only a Hawaiian necklace. in “Chess beads“Malak took her into a room with direct intentions; And in ““Pop-up-a-dub”Her boss threatened to fire her if she didn’t “slow down.”

His distinctive phrase, “Pop-up-a-dub”It also had deep connotations. It was explained in one episode that the villain failed to take it “Pop-up-a-dub”, Use it as A metaphor for her virginity. The directors even stated that they wanted Betty to represent purity despite the adult and sexist context that surrounded her.

With the character’s success came controversies. in 1934, Helen Kane sued the studios for stealing her look, voice, and style. However, evidence has been found and presented that this method has been used previously. Helen lost the lawsuit and the range of inspiration used by the creators was reaffirmed.

Moreover, on several occasions, There was confusion regarding the character’s name; At first she was called Nancy Lee, other times Nan McGraw. In 1931, Betty Boop became official.Combines elements of the women who inspired the character.

Success made him stop being a secondary character and become… Star of his own show“Stop the show.”. Voice search was competitive because Betty Boop became a central figure.

Part of his popularity came from the fact that, unlike other characters, Betty Boop was not the female version of the male character (Like Minnie to Mickey), Betty Boop was completely original.

It was so influential that even in Later productions praised some of his scenes. One of Snow White’s final scenes in the glass coffin was originally from the Betty Boop short. Furthermore, his only appearance in color was in ““Poor Cinderella” In 1934, he had red hair.

We can also say that it was the first Barbie. After your statement “You can be whatever you want to be” Betty Boop has played a circus performer, a race car driver, and even a presidential candidate.

In 1935 new Censorship lawsforcing Betty Boop Shorts to give up Turn 180 degrees. She lengthened her short dresses to the knees, lost the volume of her curly hair, and her locks thinned out and became homely weaves.

The fun, bold chaos that characterized it was gone.as well as his partners in adventure: Coco is replaced by an angry inventor and Bimbo by his puppy Pudgy.

In 1939, the studio closed its production and Betty Boop has been inactive for years. Years later, in 1955, his short films were sold to television, but new trends in color animation complicated his return to the screen. In the 1970s, they sent the materials to South Korea To add color, but it looked so bad they couldn’t sell it.

Then a new collection of shorts was created “Betty Boop for President”and only in the 90s was it able to appear again thanks to Classics of American cinemawhich was launched VHS collections.

Since then, there has been no new cartoon material, but there have been hundreds of appearances in plays and references in Cup headAnime – such as Porco Rosso – and video games – such as Splanton and Bendy.

style Betty Boop never stopped updating. Nowadays he wears jeans and a t-shirt. Thus, in its thousandth copy, it can be found in an infinite number of pieces Promotion: From makeup sets to home decor.

The first cartoon was recognized as a female icon It still applies even though he had a short, intense career full of turnovers.

Betty Boop isn’t just a cartoon, she’s a character who’s gone through controversies, revamps, censorship, and, above all, It represented the role of women in a patriarchal society, but managed to survive for a century as a cultural icon..