Now with a body that was more anatomically correct, her slightly oversized head seemed uncomfortably out of place. Her original outrageously stylized proportions had been easier to accept than this newer version. Her head became much smaller, she also became taller, and her proportions were more conventional. "The official model sheet below conveys how Betty had changed by 1938. She also got a puppy called Pudgy, who often stole the show. Bimbo and Koko both disappeared, and her world was suddenly populated with human beings of the same species as her own. In this latter part of her career, she stopped hanging out with animals and clowns. In spite of this, her delightful voice and sparkling personality remained the same. "Nonetheless, she carried on for a five more years with her attire and innocent sexuality toned down. The comparative drawings below graphically demonstrate how they compelled Betty to change. Halfway through her journey, in 1934 the Hays Bureau clipped her wings. "Betty Boop’s career spanned a short nine years, from 1930 to 1939. For Twenty dollars I couldn’t resist buying it. I stumbled across one of these in mint condition on eBay, just the other night. Thus, this was the first Betty Boop product to appear since 1939. At that moment in time, 1970, she had become virtually unknown. I used it on the box for a Betty Boop doll I designed half a century ago. "Soon Betty got much better looking, This image below presents her at her most perfect, Of all the images of betty Boop this one remains for me the most iconic. Nonetheless, she still chose Bimbo as her boyfriend. Here she is in making her first appearance in a cartoon called Dizzy Dishes. "To put it in a 'mutt-shell,' she began life as a dog, and not a particularly attractive one. Betty’s image is very popular today, but few of those who wear her image on their clothes and fashion accessories actually know her story. I just spent a miserable afternoon watching Betty Boops Final cartoons. And in the end, even her proportions changed, as she travelled down the road that led to the Uncanny Valley. They made her button up her mouth and her dress. Mel says: "The Hays Code literally led to Betty Boop's untimely death. Didn't she become less sexy and more cutesy? What examples could you show for this? Let's wrap our five-part interview with toy collector Mel Birnkrant with this question: Did the sensibility behind the Hays Code for movies in 1934 filter down to children's toys or animation in that period? I'm thinking of Betty Boop.
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