

McGoldrick ruled: “The plaintiff has failed to sustain either cause of action by proof of sufficient probative force.” In his opinion, the “baby” technique of singing did not originate with Kane. for this very important correction & clarification regarding the facts of BettyBoop ’s history, inspiration, & origins. Paramount proved this by showing Clara Bow (a Paramount Actress) also had the Betty Boop style of dress and hair.Įvidence was produced that Kane actually derived that singing style from watching Baby Esther perform at the Cotton Club several years before the creation of the Betty Boop character. In 1932, Kane filed a lawsuit again Paramount Corporation for “exploiting her image.” After a two year legal struggle, Kane lost the case as Paramount was able to prove that Kane did not uniquely originate or have claim to the Betty Boop style of singing or look. Betty Boop was created as an animated character of a Jazz Age flapper girl. 1 It was first performed by Helen Kane on September 5, 1928, 2 who was the inspiration behind the cartoon Betty Boop. PBS has confirmed that Betty Boop, the popular cartoon character introduced to the world by cartoonist Max Fleischer in 1930, was actually inspired by a. Eric Stough was the impetus for Butters in South Park. It turns out that there are tons of popular cartoon characters inspired by real people. ' I Wanna Be Loved by You ' is a song written by Herbert Stothart and Harry Ruby, with lyrics by Bert Kalmar, for the 1928 musical Good Boy. With outfits drawing inspiration from Diana Ross, Tina Turner, H.E.R., and the cartoon character, the actress shocked a lot of viewers when she said Betty Boop was inspired by a Black entertainer. Betty Boop tattoos are often very colorful and can be designed differently. Herbert Stothart, Harry Ruby, Bert Kalmar.

Her singing style often included, “Boop oop a doop.” She performed regularly at the The Cotton Club in Harlem and that’s where fellow singer, Helen Kane saw her act and was inspired enough to take Esther’s baby singing style and called it her own and recorded, “I Wanna Be Loved By You.”Īfter that, Max Fleischer created Betty Boop, a cartoon character who’s voice sounded a lot like Baby Esther’s and who’s named obviously borrowed from Esther’s signature, “Boop oop a doop.” Betty Boop is a cartoon character who was first introduced in 1930 and quickly became one of the most popular cartoon characters. Esther Jones is a singer who was known by her stage name, “Baby Esther.” She was an African-American entertainer in the late 1920s.

O’Meally said that Betty Boop may have been inspired by a White woman but she had a Black grandmother.Rachel Stewart is reporting, Ms. In fact, Betty Boop's identity has been connected to a few different women in show. Sadly, Jones was presumed dead in 1934, just around the time the lawsuit was ending. Fleischer Studios drew upon real-life inspiration when it created the character of Betty Boop in 1930. Her signature song was” I Wanna Be Loved By You” where she scatted the lines “Boop oop a doop.”Īccording to testimony from Jones’ manager, Helen Kane saw Esther Jones’ act in 1928.Īt some point, Jones learned that Kane was using–or had stolen her style of singing and she took her to court.Ī test sound film showed Jones performing which disproved Kane’s claims that she was the originator of the style.Ī Supreme Court Judge ruled that Kane, the plaintiff had “failed to sustain either cause of action by proof of sufficient probative force.” In other words, he deduced that the baby technique did not start with Kane.Īnd Jones was awarded with a $250,000 infringement lawsuit. Jones was known for singing in a distinctive baby voice. Jones, an African American singer in the late ’20’s, worked regularly at the Cotton Club in Harlem. She has also been featured in comic strips and. She originally appeared in the Talkartoon and Betty Boop film series, which were produced by Fleischer Studios and released by Paramount Pictures. Many believed her charade, unaware that Kane had based her. Betty Boop is an animated cartoon character created by Max Fleischer, with help from animators including Grim Natwick. But there is quite a bit of evidence showing that Kane stole her schtick from a Black woman named Esther Jones who went by the stage name Baby Esther. Helen Kane cruelly took advantage of Betty Boop growing stardom and continued to claim to be the original inspiration for the character.
