'S funny -- though I remember Betty Boop from my childhood, I never considered her a Big Deal. In fact, I never thought too much about her cartoons. And so here I am, at 80+, seeing all these Betty Boop items around town. Geezers remembering their childhoods, maybe? But not if they're like me. What can I do but turn to The Google to find out, maybe.
What I discover, primarily, are sites selling 1300+ Betty Boop items. (
Here,
here and
here). Plus
the cartoons. Wikipedia, of course, has an
extensive article, though I didn't really get an answer to: Why Betty Boop in the 2000s? However, it did note that
marketers rediscovered Betty Boop in the 1980s, and "Betty Boop" merchandise has far outdistanced her exposure in films, with many not aware of her as a cinematic creation. Much of this current merchandise features the character in her popular, sexier form, and has become popular worldwide once again. 
Aha -- so that's what it was; when I was a little girl, Betty Boop was a sex symbol, a cartoon for the grown-ups, not really for the kids. And that appears to be her current appeal, as well, tho my memory puts her in the same class as the dumb blonde with a cutsie, high-pitched voice. However, I still marvel at how such an iconic figure gets dredged up from the past to take on a new life. I guess all I can do is buy one of these bright R.E.D. fleece blankets and curl up with a ghost of yesterday.
Local Linkage: The folks at Love Field, our local airport, have instituted a blog, Prescott Aerospan, which, in turn, is promising a series of articles about Prescott area aviation history. Another local blogger, Jenny Williams, who writes as Geek Dad at Wired magazine, has posted a 3-part interview with local SF author Allen Dean Foster.
'S funny -- though I remember Betty Boop from my childhood, I never considered her a Big Deal. In fact, I never thought too much about her cartoons. And so here I am, at 80+, seeing all these Betty Boop items around town. Geezers remembering their childhoods, maybe? But not if they're like me. What can I do but turn to The Google to find out, maybe.
What I discover, primarily, are sites selling 1300+ Betty Boop items. (Here, here and here). Plus the cartoons. Wikipedia, of course, has an extensive article, though I didn't really get an answer to: Why Betty Boop in the 2000s? However, it did note that marketers rediscovered Betty Boop in the 1980s, and "Betty Boop" merchandise has far outdistanced her exposure in films, with many not aware of her as a cinematic creation. Much of this current merchandise features the character in her popular, sexier form, and has become popular worldwide once again. 
Aha -- so that's what it was; when I was a little girl, Betty Boop was a sex symbol, a cartoon for the grown-ups, not really for the kids. And that appears to be her current appeal, as well, tho my memory puts her in the same class as the dumb blonde with a cutsie, high-pitched voice. However, I still marvel at how such an iconic figure gets dredged up from the past to take on a new life. I guess all I can do is buy one of these bright R.E.D. fleece blankets and curl up with a ghost of yesterday.
Local Linkage: The folks at Love Field, our local airport, have instituted a blog, Prescott Aerospan, which, in turn, is promising a series of articles about Prescott area aviation history. Another local blogger, Jenny Williams, who writes as Geek Dad at Wired magazine, has posted a 3-part interview with local SF author Allen Dean Foster.
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10 comments:
I would guess that cartoon icons come and go and come back again like women's fashions.
I follow Geek Dad on Twitter. Small world!
GJ, have you "discovered" Twitter? It's microblogging.
Check out this 104 year old from the UK who tweets a few times each day, and has thousands of fans:
http://www.twitter.com/IvyBean104
~Anon in AV.
steve -- I still find it strange that a particular icon can be surfaced and turned into such a ding an sicht.
anon av -- the only one whose tweets I follow is the dotter. I'll have to give this guy a look.
Betty Boop had a cameo role in "Who Framed Roger Rabbit." But that was back in the 90s, so it doesn't explain the recent revival.
the Boonie
I suppose it has something to do with the supposed sex appeal of the icon and the copyright is probably long expired.
Yeah - I remember when my daughter was born that there were people who were fascinated then... Too funny about the blanket, GJ =p hehe
boonie -- it remains a mystery!
steve -- but the image must have really appealed to someone with commerce in mind!
frame -- I will go for anything of fleece until the moths evolve to eat it like they do wool...
I remember BB being recycled in the 80s. Part of the fascination I think was how rudimentary the animation was, and perhaps even more so now in the age of CGI...
I'm quite a fan of fleece too, especially with a dog. You can wash and dry it and the dog fluff comes off it on neat little coils!
lucy -- it's always curious just what from the past the retro freaks pick up on -- and why. I guess that BB is one which is eternal...
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