BettyBoop.com now offers fans a curated look at the latest Betty Boop products; Betty Boop’s Blog; real-time links to her social media channels, including Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest; contests and giveaways; a link to sign up for the Official Betty Boop Newsletter emailed each month, and a link to the Fleischer Studios website (that’s us!) providing additional information for fans fascinated with Betty’s rich history.
Betty Boop - through the artistry of Karin Kneitel - garnered $1000 at an auction in support of breast cancer awareness! Karin created the bra, pictured on the left, and entitled it Betty's Boobs for a Cure.
In case you’re just catching up with this: In September 2014, Karin Kneitel, one of Max Fleischer’s great-granddaughters, created an incredible Betty Boop bra as part of the breast cancer awareness contest “Cups for a Cure” sponsored by her employer PSEG. She made the bra in honor of her mother, who died from breast cancer. Out of 200 entries, Karin’s entry was one of a handful selected and she won second place! The Betty bra went on to be part of an auction at the Creative Cups event held in support of the Adelphi NY Statewide Breast Cancer Hotline and Support Program. It was also featured on New York’s NBC Weekend Today in New York with Pat Battle on February 22, 2015.
Betty came to life in 1930 when women, having won the right to vote just a decade earlier, were finally liberating themselves from tight, uncomfortable undergarments like girdles with attached metal clasps that held their stockings up. For the modern, more liberated woman of the 1930’s, ‘garter belts’ and ‘roll garters’ offered a newfound sense of freedom and liberation. Not only did they secure a lady’s stockings without the use of awkward, pinching metal clips, they freed women entirely from the restriction and discomfort of girdles! Betty’s garter wasn’t just a fashion statement; it was one of the symbols of her status as a modern, liberated woman. For more conservative elders, the image of young women dancing with flashes of a garter belt showing represented everything scandalous and provocative about the fashions of the day, making the placement of the garter belt as much a statement about the woman herself as the wearing of it. The Story of Betty’s Famous Garter ……. In her very first film, Dizzy Dishes, Betty is wearing (on both legs) what were known as ‘roll garters,’ fabric covered circular bands of elastic that would roll over the top of each stocking to hold them up. From these mainly functional (but still sexy) garters, Betty moved on to the more sensual lone garter that didn’t appear until her 7th film “Silly Scandals.” Animators working on these early films used ‘model sheets’ as a guide. These sheets were created to show the characteristics of each character, so that all the animators working on a film would be consistent about how they drew the details of a character. This didn’t always work as planned. The first drawing here (at the top of the page) is from a very early model sheet of Betty that shows the garter on her right leg--- a second drawing (right) from a later model sheet clearly shows the garter on her left leg, and states that it should always be there. In spite of this… and though Betty’s garter is usually on her left leg…. it sometimes appears on her right leg…. and if you look carefully you’ll even find a few films (like “Minnie the Moocher”) where, in the same film, it’s sometimes on her right leg and sometimes on her left leg!
Did you miss Betty's Boobs-for-a-Cure last week on the Weekend Today in New York show? Well great news! You can watch it right here now!
Karin Kneitel, the artist behind this bra is Max Fleischer's great granddaughter; and she created this fantastic, one-of-a-kind piece in honor of her mother who lost her life to breast cancer when Karin was eleven.
This unique work of bra-art will be auctioned off on March 19th as part of a Creative Cups event supporting the Adelphi Statewide New York Breast Cancer Hotline and Support Program at Adelphi University. You can find out more about this exciting benefit, and the great programs supported by this organization serving those living with and impacted by Breast Cancer by clicking here.
Click here to watch Is My Palm Read and find out what Betty Boop does in this cartoon... that she does none other!
Watch this wonderful film, and learn more about it's intriguing history, here.
In this, the second installment of our Max and Me series, Ginny Mahoney - Max Fleischer's grand-daughter - shares one of her favorite memories of voice artist Mae Questel, perhaps best remembered as the voice of Betty Boop.
One of my favorite memories of Mae is actually a phone call she made to me while visiting my mother, Ruth, in New York sometime around 1970. I was a young mother at the time, living in Washington, D.C. and at home with three young kids, including my eldest, Jeni, who was six at the time and absolutely loved Casper the Ghost.
“Put Jeni on the phone,” Mae said when she heard Jeni was a fan. “Hi Jeni…this is Casper,” Mae intoned in Casper’s iconic friendly voice. Mae, as Casper, then proceeded to have an entire conversation with Jeni. “Wait,” Casper finally said, “let me get Betty Boop!” After talking to Betty, Jeni when on to have conversations with Popeye, Olive Oyl and about a half dozen other characters. Mae’s lovely and very generous gesture made for a very special day in the Mahoney household, and wonderfully exemplifies the spirit of this vibrant and talented artist. For more, check out Finding Her Voice in our virtual museum, featuring Mae Questel and the five other women who voiced Betty in the 1930s.
BETTY BOOP © 2014 King Features Syndicate, Inc./Fleischer Studios, Inc.
TM Hearst Holdings, Inc./Fleischer Studios, Inc. Visit A Very Fleischer Christmas Exhibit and download your FREE Betty Boop Holiday Cards!12/10/2014
We’re posting great photos of all your favorite Fleischer characters, including Betty Boop, along with fantastic photos from history, current happenings, and fantastic collectibles too.
Join us! And, if you’ve got images of your favorite products featuring Betty or other Fleischer character, post images with the hash tag #fleischerstudios and we’ll be sure to like them.
We look forward to seeing you on Instagram! Follow us here. Be sure to also join us on Facebook and Twitter to keep up with all the fun Fleischer Studios news!
Initially the designs will be licensed for products in Japan... but there are subsequent plans to license Katoh's designs throughout the world. (We can't wait!)
Katoh says, “When I was a child, I saw Betty Boop for the first time on an old black-and-white TV and I thought that she was a spectacular leading star from a distant land. This collaboration is very meaningful for me. I am pleased that I can convey to people across the world that same excited feeling I felt when seeing Betty Boop for the first time.” Read more about this story at BettyBoop.com or at KingFeatures.com Learn more about Shinzi Katoh and his work at ShinziKatoh.com
Oh, and let us know what you think; we love hearing from you!
Yes, it's true!
And it's the title of this newly released, hot-off-the-presses statement we're thrilled to share and celebrate announcing the incredible and talented team coming together to develop Betty Boop's first ever feature-length film. We're sharing an excerpt from this exciting press-release, but check out the full release here. Or read more about it in Variety here!
06:00PT/09:00ET – AUGUST 14, 2014 - LOS ANGELES – Betty Boop™, international animation icon and leading lady, together with Animal Logic Entertainment and Simon Cowell’s Syco Entertainment today announced their plan to develop and produce Betty Boop’s first feature-length film.
Partnering with Fleischer Studios, Animal Logic and Syco Entertainment will produce a music-driven hybrid animated comedy featuring universally adored screen starlet Betty Boop. Queen of the animation world, Betty Boop is one of the most loved and sought-after animated characters of the past and present centuries with accolades spanning film and television, fashion and music. Having first hit screens in 1930 with numerous appearances in Max Fleischer’s Talkartoons and her own “Betty Boop” cartoon series, her popularity has continued to grow through the decades. Most recently, she has taken her career to new heights, starring in a Lancôme® campaign and featuring in collaborations with Coca-Cola®, NASCAR®, UNIQLO and Chupa Chups®. Betty also has countless other global commercial and mass merchandising deals through her exclusive worldwide licensing agency, King Features. Betty’s last movie appearance was a cameo in the blockbuster movie “Who Framed Roger Rabbit” (1988). Her millions of fans spanning generations have made her one of the most recognizable characters in the world and are eagerly awaiting her return to the silver screen. The film, which will be produced by Zareh Nalbandian and Jason Lust from Animal Logic and Simon Cowell and Adam Milano from Syco, promises to be an exciting addition to the Animal Logic and Syco Entertainment growing development slate with broad audience appeal. Of today’s announcement, Betty Boop said, “I’m so excited to return to the big screen – and I only work with the best! Let’s have some fun, Simon. Boop-Oop-a-Doop!” Simon Cowell said, “Betty is an icon, and one of the biggest stars in the world – I’m thrilled to be working with her. Betty, I’ve worked with some serious divas but I think you could be the biggest of them all!” For more information, check out the full press release here. This just from Animation Scoop on the Indie Network of blogs: A tribute to the film of Fleischer Studios May 30, May 31 and June 1!
According to Mr. Beck, "This is part of a special film series presented at classic movie theatre in association with the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences. Highlights will include several films for which Max Fleischer was nominated for Academy Awards:Popeye Meets Sinbad, Superman, Hunky & Spunky, and Educated Fish. Silent cartoons will be accompanied live on the Mighty Wurlitzer Theater Pipe Organ."
For the full blog post on Animation Scoop, click here. For more information and directions to this event, click here.
This just in: our beloved Betty Boop has reached a very 21st century milestone… she now has more than 1 Million Facebook Fans!!! Thanks to all of you who have already joined the ever-growing list of Betty Fans on Facebook, and for those of you haven’t, check out Betty’s Page on Facebook and Like Us now! |
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