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Fleisher created a white character. He was influenced by a black woman it seems. At the time the use of black characters as sexy and provocative would not be accepted in those times. American cartoons portrayed black people in a buffoonish way…. Fleisher chose to be successful, so made his little sexy character white. Sometimes history is not attractive.

Have you seen Helen Kane perform? She *IS* "Betty Boop". Every mannerism and bit of slang she uses were exactly copied onto the Betty Boop character.

Helen Kane performed "I want to be loved by you" in front of audiences in 1928. That song includes the famous "Boop oop a doop" catchphrase.

"Betty Boop" didn't show up until 1930, so "Boop oop a doop" precedes "Betty Boop" by at least 2 years.

Esther Jones was born in 1918, so she would have been 10 years old when Helen Kane was singing "boop oop a doop" on stage in front of large audiences in New York.

Esther Jones was just someone Max Fleischer dragged up (bribed) to claim she was the inspiration for Betty Boop because he didn't want to pay Helen Kane $250,000.

Max Fleischer was hanging around in black clubs in Harlem watching a 10 year old perform? Not likely.

Fleischer bought off the judge. It's the only explanation that makes sense. It's New York. Stranger things have happened there.