Was Betty Boop around in the 1920s?

Answer 1

No, Betty Boop was always a cartoon. She started out as a dog-like caricature of Helen Kane, a Broadway and Vaudville performer whose signature was "Boob-Boop-a-Boop" sung like a kind of scat in the songs she performed.

Later, Betty was humanized. Her long floppy ears were turned into human ears with long dangling hoops. Her features and conformation were also adapted to those of a human, based upon the appearance of Helen Kane (and/or Clara Bow).

Strangely, Betty's boyfriend, Bimbo, continued to be a dog, an anomaly similar to the fate of Goofy in the Disney cosmos.

Answer 2

Yes. Esther Jones is a singer who was known by her stage name, “Baby Esther.” Baby Esther was a popular entertainer at Harlem’s Cotton Club in the late 1920s. Baby Esther interpolated words such as ‘Boo-Boo-Boo’ & ‘Doo-Doo-Doo’ in songs at a cabaret.

Helen Kane saw Baby’s act somewhere between 1927-1928 and had first used it in her first Victor release “That’s My Weakness Now” she then used it in the Broadway show Good Boy and had a hit with the song entitled I Wanna Be Loved By You in 1928 and became famous overnight. An early test sound film was also discovered, which featured Baby Esther performing in this style, disproving Kane’s claims. Baby Esther’s manager also testified that Helen Kane had seen Baby Esther’s cabaret act in Harlem, 1928. Supreme Court Judge Edward J. McGoldrick ruled:

Answer 3

Yes , Betty Boop made her first appearance on August 9, 1930 in the cartoon "Dizzy Dishes" .

Answer 4

No. Betty Boop made her debut as a sexy canine cabaret singer in the Max Fleischer short "Dizzy Dishes" on Aug. 8, 1930