Betty Boop Dizzy Dishes - BE@RBRICK
One of American animation's most iconic characters came from an era of competition against the world's most famous mouse. Betty Boop was one of the earliest flagship characters of Fleischer Studios. While the studio folded in the early 1940s, Betty's legacy continued in pop culture. Her unforgettable design meets an equally unforgettable canvas in Medicom Toy's "BE@RBRICK Betty Boop 1000%" figure.
Fleischer Studios and BE@RBRICK Collaboration Background
The Fleischer Studios licensing has been under Paramount Pictures since the studio's dissolution in 1942. Medicom Toys began producing figures under the Fleischer Studios trademark in 2011.
Collaboration Planning and Launch
The first Fleischer Studios character to receive a BE@BRICK figure was Popeye the Sailor in 2011. The figure debuted alongside another King Features and Paramount property, Beetle Bailey. In March 2020, Medicom Toy released the Betty Boop Red version BE@RBRICK for preorder in 100%, 400%, and 1000% sizes. The figure entered regular sale in September of that year. In December 2020, a Betty Boop Black version was released for presale.
BE@RBRICK Betty Boop 1000%
This 27-inch figure from Medicom Toy is almost big enough to capture the legendary status of Betty Boop. She wears her short red mini dress, gold bracelets, and signature garter complete with a heart accent. Painting details faithfully depict the sweetheart neckline of her dress and the flouncy ruffle of the hem. Her wispy, pin-curled hairstyle reaches up the curved contours of the figure's translucent gray bear ears. She stares off coyly to the side. The notched, triangular highlight in her eyes is a nod to the trademark Fleischer art-style. Her eyebrows arch highly up to the top of the figure's head, capturing her innocent air. Her small, pouty lips complete her iconic design.
- Product Name: BE@RBRICK Betty Boop 1000%
- Manufacturer: Medicom Toy
- Specifications: Painted, articulated, non-scale plastic figure
- Height (Approx.): 700mm | 27.6"
About Fleischer Studios
Fleischer Studios was an American animation studio founded by brothers Max and Dave Fleischer in 1921. The studio itself was built from Max's film series "Out of the Inkwell." In the series, Max pioneered the rotoscope technique to produce lifelike animation. This process of tracing over live-action footage would become the studio trademark animation style. In its prime, the studio produced the premier animated films of the 1930s. Walt Disney Studios became the company's largest competitor, particularly with the introduction of sound films. Max and Dave had a falling out in 1939 and the company went defunct three years later. The influence of Fleischer Studios' rubber hose animation style and grungy atmosphere can be seen in works like the indie game Cuphead.
About Betty Boop
Betty Boop is an animated character created by Max Fleischer during his Talkartoons film series. Betty made her debut in 1930 in the seventh Talkartoons episode, Dizzy Dishes. Initially, Betty was conceived as an anthropomorphic poodle. Taking inspiration from the 1920s flapper girl style, especially performer Helen Kane, Betty Boop's design was finalized. Betty represented the modern teenager, a product of the Depression Era, at odds with her traditional parents. Her call-back to the Jazz Age flapper made her both a popular sex symbol within adult audiences and a call-back to an age of innocence. Betty has seen multiple resurgences in popularity beginning with Paramount selling her films for syndication in 1951. Today, 22 of her cartoons exist in the public domain.
Other Important Fleischer Studios Characters
Fleischer Studios created numerous iconic characters in their decade-long dominance of the animation industry.
Koko the Clown
Koko the Clown is the main character of Max Fleischer's "Out of the Inkwell'' film series. The character developed alongside Fleischer's rotoscope technique. Max filmed his brother Dave moving around while wearing a clown costume and traced the footage to produce realistic animation. Koko's popularity and the popularity of the "Out of the Inkwell" series led to the formation of Fleischer Studios. Originally, his name was spelled with a hyphen, "Ko-Ko." This spelling was highlighted in a film under a bankrupt partner company and the revision was made to distance the new company from scandal. Koko made his last film appearance in the Betty Boop cartoon "Ha! Ha! Ha!" in 1934.
Popeye the Sailor
Popeye the Sailor is a tough and uneducated everyman hero who uses unexpected wit to solve over-the-top problems. Popeye first appeared in a comic strip by E.C. Segar that began in January 1919. In 1932, Fleischer Studios signed an agreement with Segar's publisher, King Features, and gained animation rights to the character. After Bimbo and Betty Boop were subjected to censorship by the Hays Code, Popeye became the studio's star character. Although Popeye was already a popular comic strip character, his role in animation greatly boosted his popularity. He became a staple Paramount Pictures character for 25 years after the fall of Fleischer Studios.
Bimbo
Bimbo is a portly black and white dog featured in many of the Betty Boop cartoons. Bimbo's design came from the "Out of the Inkwell" cartoons where he was Fitz, Koko the Clown's dog. During the Fleischer heyday, Bimbo became the main protagonist of the Talkartoons series. His elevated role positioned him as a rival to Disney's Mickey Mouse. He is the first cartoon character in history to have a fully animated dialogue. His main distinguishing feature was his role as Betty Boop's boyfriend in most of the cartoons. After the 1934 Hays Code defined his relationship with Betty as risque, Bimbo disappeared from the cartoons.
Links
BE@RBRICK Betty Boop 1000%
BE@RBRICK Betty Boop 100% & 400% Set
BE@RBRICK Series
BE@BRICK Label