Evolution of Betty Boop

Modern Betty Boop

Adapting Betty Boop

Origins of Betty Boop

Project 2 Draft: Evolution of Betty Boop as a Character

For this project, I wanted to pick a character that has remained relevant for as long as I could remember. Something that initially came to mind was Betty Boop. Betty boop has been an iconic character for almost 100 years. What I found really interesting about her as a character is that she has had to adapt with society as we've changed over time. There are elements of her iconic character that have stayed the same which I find to be so interesting. I wanted to look into the past of her character and how shes changed over time.

Betty Boop

Hyperlinks/sources for tracing

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=68rz2p6MwUM ttps://freespiritmedia.org/features-search/2021/2/19/pgo59xkhv7whnz9lyyhk1puj8fpoti https://www.fleischerstudios.com/becomingbettyboop.html#:~:text=But%20the%20Hays%20Code%20could,in%20between%201930%20and%201939. https://gurneyjourney.blogspot.com/2020/08/how-betty-boop-changed-in-1930s.html https://www.fleischerstudios.com/babyesther.html https://www.dancemagazine.com/jerry-mitchell-on-bringing-betty-boop-from-the-past-to-the-present/#gsc.tab=0

The Origins of Betty Boop

The inspiration for the iconic character "Betty Boop" comes from a well-known singer of the 1920s Esther Lee Jones, known as "Baby Esther."She gained popularity within the Jazz and musical community from her child-like voice and her popular "Boop-oop-a-doo" performance at Harlem's Cotton Club. Fleischer and Fleischer Studios Inc. bought out the recordings of Jones' performance and created the character Betty Boop

Where is Betty Boop Now?

Betty Boop is stil around and active on social media. In this slide I've attached screenshots from her instagram where she is still very active through graphics including images of herself. She has evolved from an old cartoon character to a modern one, showcasing this through dropping her old style and outfits and showing new ones based on what she's advertising.

Adapting Betty Boop

Over time, Betty Boop went through a series of changes to evolve into the character she is most known as. Initially being created as a dog, then to a more provocative human character, then to a more modest character. Her character evolved into a cartoon, where she was featured in 90 different showings between 1930 and 1939. Now, she can be found marketed on many everyday items to be purchased and used by fans of all ages.