Story of Betty Boop

Betty Boop was the cartoon sex icon of the 1920s, 1930s, and beyond. Her coquettish stare, her large, pouty eyes, and her adorable songs won the hearts of millions across the nation. What most people don’t realize is that cartoon animator Max Fleischer didn’t get his idea for the cartoon starlet from thin air. The fact is that Betty Boop was based on a real person - and that her story is absolutely fascinating. Here’s the story of the flapper behind the cartoon icon, and why she was such a scandalous lady back in the day.

Though most people won’t know Baby Esther’s name, her contribution to the arts is priceless. It’s strange to think that the original Betty Boop is so obscure that only one photo shows up on Google when you search her name. After all, she was the driving force behind one of pinup’s earliest cartoon icons.

In 1932, marked a very bad time for the Betty Boop creators. This was the year when Helen Kane had filed a lawsuit against Fleischer, claiming that he was exploiting her image and personality. The lawsuit was for $250,000 - which would be the equivalent of a $4 million lawsuit today. The case was put to rest in 1934, with Baby Esther’s legacy restored. However, by the time the case had been opened, Esther herself had died. That being said, the U.S. court system said that the “baby” singing style that Boop was known for wasn’t Kane’s, nor did Kane create Boop’s appearance.