BOOP!
20 Facts About Broadway's Newest Icon, Betty Boop
1. Betty’s first appearance was in the Talkartoon Dizzy Dishes.
2. Originally, Betty was a French Poodle!
3. It is said that Betty was inspired by Clara Bow, but also as a caricature of 1920s star Helen Shaw.
4. Helen Shaw sued (and lost) over the cartoon’s use of Shaw’s signature line, “Boop-Oop-a-Doop!”
6. Betty Boop also appeared in supporting roles under the aliases “Nancy Lee” and “Nan McGrew.”
10. Betty’s most recent featured appearance in the movies was as herself in 1988’s Who Framed Roger Rabbit?, voiced by Questrel.
12. Like Annie, Betty was also featured in syndicated comic strips.
17. She has a dog named Pudgy, who is in the musical with her. (His first Broadway bow is above!)
19. In the 1980s, she had her own balloon in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade - 67 feet tall! - but in 1986, she didn’t finish the parade, when she collapsed in Times Square!
4. Helen Shaw sued (and lost) over the cartoon’s use of Shaw’s signature line, “Boop-Oop-a-Doop!”
5. Betty Boop is also said to be inspired by African-American performer Esther Jones’ “Baby Esther” character.
6. Betty Boop also appeared in supporting roles under the aliases “Nancy Lee” and “Nan McGrew.”
7. Over the 1930s, she appeared in 90 theatrical cartoons.
8. The original voice actress for the role was Margie Hines.
9. Dozens of women have voiced the character, though Mae Questrel is the most famous and longest-running.
10. Betty’s most recent featured appearance in the movies was as herself in 1988’s Who Framed Roger Rabbit?, voiced by Questrel.
11. In the 1930s, she was so popular, she had her own film series, starting with a film called Stopping the Show.
12. Like Annie, Betty was also featured in syndicated comic strips.
13. In the 1980s, she appeared in two TV specials, The Romance of Betty Boop and The Betty Boop Movie Mystery.
14. Her last TV appearance was on Project Runway: All Stars.
15. Originally, Betty was drawn to be a Flapper and overt sex symbol, with male characters openly lusting for her, but later she was re-conceptualized.
16. In the mid-1930s, she was censored by The National Legion of Decency, and when the Production Code of 1934 went into effect, she went from party girl to a frumpier career girl.
17. She has a dog named Pudgy, who is in the musical with her. (His first Broadway bow is above!)
18. She appeared in color just one time, in 1934s Poor Cinderella, where she had red hair!
19. In the 1980s, she had her own balloon in the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade - 67 feet tall! - but in 1986, she didn’t finish the parade, when she collapsed in Times Square!
20. On January 1, 2026 Betty Boop enters the public domain.
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