Who put the Boop in Betty Boop, and why?

[Amaranth]

Hi,

My name's Diana, and I'm brand-spanking new here. This may sound weird, but here goes.

There's a Greek word Homer used to refer to Hera/Juno: Boopidos. It means "ox-eyed [big-eyed] girl." Cicero used it to refer to Catullus' infamous Lesbia. (Am I boring you all to death?) Anyway, the first thing that came to mind when I read this was Betty Boop!

Boop's a cool name that just sounds right for Betty. But I wonder if her creator knew Greek. At that time, it was quite common to teach Latin in high school, and, to a lesser degree, Greek.

Can anyone answer my silly question?

Diana

[BeeBop]

Hi,

My name's Diana, and I'm brand-spanking new here. This may sound weird, but here goes.

There's a Greek word Homer used to refer to Hera/Juno: Boopidos. It means "ox-eyed [big-eyed] girl." Cicero used it to refer to Catullus' infamous Lesbia. (Am I boring you all to death?) Anyway, the first thing that came to mind when I read this was Betty Boop!

Boop's a cool name that just sounds right for Betty. But I wonder if her creator knew Greek. At that time, it was quite common to teach Latin in high school, and, to a lesser degree, Greek.

Can anyone answer my silly question?

Diana


This is one great Trivia question Diana.... I am sure one of our Administrators will be able to help answer your question...Welcome to Boopland!:D

[Amaranth]

Thanks for the welcome! --DIana

[Bikerbettyboop]

Excellent question! I don't know the answer to it... but it would be a great trivia question!! Hope someone knows the answer.

Welcome to the forum. Check out the rest of the forum and the chit chat lounge!

[The Moocher]

Fleischer Studios reckoned that one way to increase the popularity of their Talkartoons was to give their 'doggie' star Bimbo a girlfriend. In 1929, Disney had introduced Minnie Mouse in Plane Crazy. However, Max and Dave woud go one better, they would make the new character "sexy."

There had already been attempts to team Bimbo up with "a pretty girl" in Accordion Joe (1929) and "a woman" in Hot Dog (1930). These characters didn't do the trick so Dave Fleischer asked the chief animator, the immensely talented Grim Natwick, to come up with something. Dave suggested that the character be based on the popular singer, Helen Kane, known as the Boop-oop-a-doop girl.

The character first appeared in Dizzy Dishes (1930). She had no name and was curvaceous, but not particularly pretty. Because Bimbo was a dog, the character was given a poodle head on a human body.

She was given a bigger role in Barnacle Bill the Sailor (1930) where she was called Nancy Lee, and in the Bum Bandit (1931) where she was Dangerous Nan McGrew. She was portayed as a fish in the Herring Murder Case and a cat (Lulu Belle) in Any Little Girl That's a Nice Little Girl, both 1931. Amazingly, the character had no name in one of her finest shorts, Mysterious Mose.

She wasn't actually addressed by name in Betty Co-oed (1931) but the theory is that her name was chosen from the Rudy Valee song of that name. However in Silly Scandals (1931), she appears on stage and the crowd yells "Betty!" She has a name.

The Boop is more of a problem. She's first billed as "Betty Boop" in the credits screen of Jack and the Beanstalk (1931), but possibly the screen was changed when the talkartoon was colorized in the 1960s. She definitely seems to be Betty Boop in Boop-oop-a-doop (1932). She's also lost her poodle ears and is fully human.

In Stopping the Show (1932) Paramount announced that their new cartoon character was called Betty Boop and was the new Boop-a-doop-girl. Although Fleischer Studios had come under the Paramount umbrella earlier, Paramount was now taking more control over their new, and highly popular, animation star. Stopping the Show was the first Betty Boop cartoon (as opposed to talkartoon).

So, take your choice. She could have become Betty Boop officially in Jack and the Beanstalk, Boop-oop-a-Doop, or Stopping the Show.

An argument exists that the publicity around "Stopping the Show" had an ulterior motive. Helen Kane was still on Paramount's books, but her star was fading. Paramount wanted a new Boop-oop-a-doop girl, and this was their way of going about it. If so, it seems unneccesarily cruel. Helen sued, but eventually lost the case.

Mooch

[BBooper]

welcome aboard! thats some great info you've given us, i didn't know that! thanks!

BBooper
xxx

[Amaranth]

Wow, Mooch, you're amazing! And what an interesting story. I had no idea it was so complicated. Hope you don't mind if I hold on to your post for reference. Many thanks!

Diana

[The Moocher]

If you're interested in this sort of information, Diana, go to the Betty's Cartoons forum and have a look at the History of Betty Boop thread.

Mooch

[Bikerbettyboop]

Excellent advice Moocher!!

[BeeBop]

This is great information, Moocher. Thank you for sharing!:D

[Bikerbettyboop]

Does anyone have the answer for her?

[The Moocher]

I thought I had answered :)

If you mean the short answer, it's "nobody knows for sure."

Moch

[Bikerbettyboop]

You did answer her question.. my mistake... sorry....

[Comix]

I'm sure "Boop" came from the many songs Helen Kane sang in the 20's along with song sung by other "boop-oop-a-doop" female artists. Boop-oop-a-doop was a "hip" phrase back then. Did you know that Blondie Bumstead's maiden name was Blondie Boopadoop When the comic strip Blondie made it debut in Sept. 1930?

[The Moocher]

Helen Kane was the Boop-oop-a-doop girl before Betty came along, although there is debate about whether Helen was the first to use the title.

Betty became Betty Boop not long after Blondie Boopadoop became popular. As I said in another forum, that looks like piracy to me, and Max Fleischer could teach Blackbeard a thing or two when it came to piracy!

So did Fleisher steal the name from Chic Young, who stole it from Helen Kane, who stole it from Clara Bow (she was the Boop girl as well as the It girl) who stole it from....

I suspect it was a common enough title in the flapper 20s. Fleischer didn't care who he stole it from. Neither, I suspect, did Young.

Mooch

[Boopington Rose]

Hi,

My name's Diana, and I'm brand-spanking new here. This may sound weird, but here goes.

There's a Greek word Homer used to refer to Hera/Juno: Boopidos. It means "ox-eyed [big-eyed] girl." Cicero used it to refer to Catullus' infamous Lesbia. (Am I boring you all to death?) Anyway, the first thing that came to mind when I read this was Betty Boop!

Boop's a cool name that just sounds right for Betty. But I wonder if her creator knew Greek. At that time, it was quite common to teach Latin in high school, and, to a lesser degree, Greek.

Can anyone answer my silly question?

Diana


That is not silly at all. it is a great obseervation and very bright of you to connect it all!;)

[bboop480]

Fleischer Studios reckoned that one way to increase the popularity of their Talkartoons was to give their 'doggie' star Bimbo a girlfriend. In 1929, Disney had introduced Minnie Mouse in Plane Crazy. However, Max and Dave woud go one better, they would make the new character "sexy."

There had already been attempts to team Bimbo up with "a pretty girl" in Accordion Joe (1929) and "a woman" in Hot Dog (1930). These characters didn't do the trick so Dave Fleischer asked the chief animator, the immensely talented Grim Natwick, to come up with something. Dave suggested that the character be based on the popular singer, Helen Kane, known as the Boop-oop-a-doop girl.

The character first appeared in Dizzy Dishes (1930). She had no name and was curvaceous, but not particularly pretty. Because Bimbo was a dog, the character was given a poodle head on a human body.

She was given a bigger role in Barnacle Bill the Sailor (1930) where she was called Nancy Lee, and in the Bum Bandit (1931) where she was Dangerous Nan McGrew. She was portayed as a fish in the Herring Murder Case and a cat (Lulu Belle) in Any Little Girl That's a Nice Little Girl, both 1931. Amazingly, the character had no name in one of her finest shorts, Mysterious Mose.

She wasn't actually addressed by name in Betty Co-oed (1931) but the theory is that her name was chosen from the Rudy Valee song of that name. However in Silly Scandals (1931), she appears on stage and the crowd yells "Betty!" She has a name.

The Boop is more of a problem. She's first billed as "Betty Boop" in the credits screen of Jack and the Beanstalk (1931), but possibly the screen was changed when the talkartoon was colorized in the 1960s. She definitely seems to be Betty Boop in Boop-oop-a-doop (1932). She's also lost her poodle ears and is fully human.

In Stopping the Show (1932) Paramount announced that their new cartoon character was called Betty Boop and was the new Boop-a-doop-girl. Although Fleischer Studios had come under the Paramount umbrella earlier, Paramount was now taking more control over their new, and highly popular, animation star. Stopping the Show was the first Betty Boop cartoon (as opposed to talkartoon).

So, take your choice. She could have become Betty Boop officially in Jack and the Beanstalk, Boop-oop-a-Doop, or Stopping the Show.

An argument exists that the publicity around "Stopping the Show" had an ulterior motive. Helen Kane was still on Paramount's books, but her star was fading. Paramount wanted a new Boop-oop-a-doop girl, and this was their way of going about it. If so, it seems unneccesarily cruel. Helen sued, but eventually lost the case.

Mooch
THANKS MOOCH!!!!!!!

[Bikerbettyboop]

Moocher knows everything about Betty Boop cartoons!!

[The Boop oop a Doop Girl]

Hi,

My name's Diana, and I'm brand-spanking new here. This may sound weird, but here goes.

There's a Greek word Homer used to refer to Hera/Juno: Boopidos. It means "ox-eyed [big-eyed] girl." Cicero used it to refer to Catullus' infamous Lesbia. (Am I boring you all to death?) Anyway, the first thing that came to mind when I read this was Betty Boop!

Boop's a cool name that just sounds right for Betty. But I wonder if her creator knew Greek. At that time, it was quite common to teach Latin in high school, and, to a lesser degree, Greek.

Can anyone answer my silly question?

Diana
well that was a well known scat lyric called Boop Boop a Dooping around 1929 - 1930s, we all known her first name came from the cartoon/song Betty-Coed which was performed by Rudy Vallee

so basically she boops and thats why she was given boop as her second name?