However video evidence came to light of Baby Esther performing in a nightclub and the courts ruled against Helen Kane stating she did not have exclusive rights to the “booping” style or image, and that the style, in fact, pre-dated her.īaby Esther’s “baby style” did little to bring her mainstream fame and she died in relative obscurity but a piece of her lives on in the iconic character Betty Boop.Ĭategories Black History, U.S. When Betty Boop was introduced, Kane promptly sued Fleischer and Paramount Publix Corporation stating they were using her image and style. Finding fame early on, Helen Kane often included this “baby style” into her music. After seeing Baby Esther, Helen Kane adopted her style and began using “boops” in her songs as well. (picture: James Vanderzee)īaby Esther’s trademark vocal style of using “boops” and other childlike scat sounds attracted the attention of actress Helen Kane during a performance in the late 1920s.
Betty Boop is best known for her revealing dress, curvaceous figure, and signature vocals “Boop Oop A Doop!” While there has been controversy over the years, the inspiration has been traced back to Esther Jones who was known as “Baby Esther” and performed regularly in the Cotton Club during the 1920s.Įsther Jones, also known as Baby Esther, was the original inspiration for Betty Boop.
Introduced by cartoonist Max Fleischer in 1930, the caricature of the jazz age flapper was the first and most famous sex symbol in animation. The iconic cartoon character Betty Boop was inspired by a Black jazz singer in Harlem. Esther Jones, a black Cotton Club singer, was the real Betty Boop
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