Betty Boop started as a French poodle and a courtroom fight over a catchphrase

pop & funWikipedia1930 · New York, USA

Betty Boop started as a French poodle and a courtroom fight over a catchphrase

the gist

Betty Boop debuted in the 1930 cartoon Dizzy Dishes, where she was an anthropomorphic French poodle. Animator Max Fleischer had wanted a caricature of singer Helen Kane, and Kane later sued over the 'Boop oop a doop' scat phrase. The court sided with the studio, which argued the style was not Kane's own and was drawn from other performers such as Baby Esther. Within a year Betty had become a human flapper, with her poodle ears turned into hoop earrings.

how it works

Early animated characters were built from live performers' mannerisms, and the studio drew from popular singers. Animators then simplified and redesigned the character over several cartoons until the look was settled.

so what

The case is an early example of how a performing style could be judged as owned or borrowed in court. It also shows how a cartoon character can shift from animal to human as the studio refines her. Betty was voiced most famously by Mae Questel, and the character returned decades later in Who Framed Roger Rabbit.

the bigger pattern

Imitating a performer's signature style has repeatedly led to disputes over credit. Entertainment history has many cases where a style was treated as common property rather than one artist's invention.

fun fact

Betty Boop's poodle ears became her hoop earrings once she was redesigned as a human.

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia · text CC BY-SA 4.0

Image: Wikimedia Commons

source: Wikipedia ↗

historyWikipediaclassic1336–1565 · Karnataka, India

Hampi was once one of the world's largest cities, until its Vijayanagara capital was destroyed in 1565

the gist

Hampi is a UNESCO World Heritage Site in Karnataka, India, with more than 1,600 surviving remains spread over 4,100 hectares. It was the capital of the Vijayanagara Empire from 1336 to 1565. Travellers from Persia and Portugal described it as a prosperous, wealthy and grand city with temples, markets and farms along the Tungabhadra River. By 1500 it was estimated to be the world's second-largest city after Beijing, and probably India's richest at the time. In 1565 a coalition of Muslim sultanates defeated the Vijayanagara Empire, its capital was conquered and destroyed, and the city was left in ruins. Hampi remains a religious centre, with the active Virupaksha Temple at its heart.

how it works

The city was built around a fortified core with temples, markets and water structures along the river, supplied by an extensive network of roads and waterworks. When the empire fell, the city was not rebuilt, so its stone monuments were left standing.

so what

Hampi shows how quickly a great city can vanish after a military defeat, and how a ruined capital can remain sacred. Its ruins give historians a view of medieval South Asia that few other sites can match.

fun fact

The name Hampi comes from Pampa, an old name for the Tungabhadra River.

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia · text CC BY-SA 4.0

Image: Wikimedia Commons

source: Wikipedia ↗

2 min

politicsshortCNA2:01

False allegations about Singapore’s hand in Indonesia’s markets and a made-up meeting

from CNA

CNA Verify has found close to 400 posts pushing falsehoods tying Singapore to Indonesia’s stock market rout and to a secret meeting that never took place. Together, they drew nearly 12 million views, and some were circulated by accounts that appeared to be working in concert, across multiple social media platforms.

Here’s how the disinformation campaign targeting Singapore was uncovered.

on YouTube: CNA ↗