Betty Boop's Personality

Betty Boop made her appearance as a light-hearted flapper, reminding the audience of the carefree times of the Jazz Age. She was the first character on the animation screen to represent a sexual woman. All other cartoon girls of that time did not differ much from animated male characters, with only eyelashes, voice and outfit alterations to show their femininity. Betty Boop, on the contrary, manifested her sexual appeal through a contoured bodice, short dresses and a garter. In the earlier cartoons, male characters liked to put moves on Betty, and generally she provoked that. Besides, there was a certain girlishness in her personality, which was emphasized by her style of singing, sentimentality, and overall flapper-like behavior.

Due to the censorship of the Production Code that was enforced by MPPDA (The Motion Pictures Producers and Distributors Association) from 1934, the character of Betty Boop experienced drastic changes. No longer was she a sexual and carefree flapper. Instead, she looked like a housewife (without a husband, though) or a career woman. Her outfit was censored, too; Betty’s dress got fuller, and the cleavage was covered. In the later cartoons, the plot often centered on the adventures of Betty’s co-stars - a cute puppy, Pudgy, and an eccentric inventor, Grampy. As a result, Betty’s appeal to adults lessened dramatically; the cartoons became aimed at a juvenile audience.

The mentioned changes provoked the decline of the series. The animator attempted to revive the interest of the audience by casting Betty with other popular characters (i.e., The Little King and Little Jimmy). They hoped to create derivative series that could prolong Betty’s career on the animated screen. Still, their effort failed, and the last cartoon with Betty Boop was released by Fleischer studios in 1939.