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Betty Boop Celebriducks

Most people are familiar with Betty Boop, although many know very little about her. She was born in 1930, inspired by a singer of the time named Helen Kane.

When Betty first appeared in a cartoon, she was intended to be a romantic interest for Bimbo, the Max Fleischer cartoon studio's dog character (an attempt to create a Mickey Mouse equivalent). Therefore, when she first appeared, she was a dog, singing in a nightclub where Bimbo worked. Betty soon became so popular that she replaced Bimbo as the central character in Fleischer cartoons. Soon afterwards, Betty became a human although Bimbo remained a dog.

Betty was created soon after the end of the "roaring '20s". As a result of this, the early Betty Boop cartoons were rather explicit. Betty wore a sleeveless dress that ended high above her knees, and in countless cartoons, this dress came off. 

This description may sound unfamiliar to someone who has seen only one or two Betty Boop cartoons. Any cartoon after 1935 presents a very different image of Betty from the earlier cartoons: Betty as a school teacher, a secretary, a housewife, or a baby sitter. Betty's dress falls well below the knees, and has a collar and sleeves. Betty also becomes taller and smaller-headed.

This incredible change occurred because, around 1935, the Hays Act was passed. The Hays Act was created to "clean up" the media. It censored movies and cartoons, transforming Betty Boop into a wholesome, and compared to her former self, rather uninteresting character.