NEW YORK, December 18, 2019 – Boop-Oop-A-Doop! Ahead of Betty Boop’s 90th anniversary
in 2020, King Features Syndicate, a unit of Hearst and home to some of the world’s most popular entertainment characters, and Betty Boop brand owner, Fleischer Studios, today unveiled a range of new partners on board to celebrate the animated icon’s landmark year.

For 90 years, Betty Boop has sung and sashayed past rules and conventions, unafraid to take risks or set trends—a true influencer from the start. As the first feminine cartoon star, the forever fabulous Betty Boop was aptly named the ‘Queen of Cartoons’ and ruled the animated world with her wit and charm. Her ability to empower and connect people has endured throughout the decades, and today her passion, positivity and persistence continue to inspire fans worldwide. Now, partners around the globe have joined King Features and Fleischer Studios with new apparel, accessories, beauty products, collectibles and more to celebrate the global icon’s major milestone.

King Features has kicked off the celebration by collaborating with Nike and Olivia Kim on a female-focused capsule collection merging Betty’s iconic look with ’90s flare. A selection of apparel and sneakers from the Nike x Olivia Kim No Cover collection were developed exclusively for Nordstrom x Nike (NxN) boutiques. The Betty Boop items, with designs inspired by Kim’s childhood love of Nike and the vibrant, creative culture of downtown Manhattan in the ’90s, feature a bespoke iteration of Betty Boop’s iconic look. As a nod to ’90s club flyers, Betty Boop’s wink has been adapted into the Nike swoosh and the exclusive graphic appears on jerseys, t-shirts, sweatshirts and hats and as a hangtag on five sneaker styles.

Additional collaborations available now include a collection from skateboarding brand HUF and a limited-edition Betty Boop beauty line from IPSY. HUF’s collection puts its streetstyle spin on Betty Boop’s irrepressible personality, paying homage to her fierce, fun and flirtatious style while simultaneously incorporating the effortless individuality commonly associated with skateboarders and artists alike. The collection ranges from hoodies, jackets, tees, socks and more, including a Betty Boop x HUF skateboard deck. The beauty experts at IPSY developed an exclusive line of 13 fun and flirty makeup products featuring the always glamorous Betty Boop. The BETTY BOOP x IPSY Collection is available online at Ipsy.com.

“Betty Boop’s confidence, boldness and sass have charmed fans for nearly nine decades. Her ability to captivate audiences is as strong today as it was in the 1930s,” said Carla Silva, vice president and general manager, global head of licensing for King Features. “2020 is primed to be her biggest year yet with an unparalleled lineup of partners on board to celebrate our forever fabulous Betty Boop.”

Betty Boop is set to start the new year with flair as the launch of her latest publishing venture, Betty Boop’s Guide to Guide to a Bold and Balanced Life –Fun, Fierce, Fabulous Advice Inspired by the Animated Icon, a new book from Skyhorse Publishing  scheduled for release on January 21, 2020. Written by empowerment advocates Susan Wilking Horan and Kristi Ling Spencer, the book features a foreword by designer Zac Posen and offers readers a glimpse into Betty Boop’s colorful history while providing advice on topics ranging from love to health to self-empowerment.

In 2020, Betty Boop will also make a big splash in international markets around the globe. A new Partworks series called Dances from Around the World will be released in France, and fans everywhere will able to find new, exciting items featuring designs inspired by Betty Boop’s Forever Fabulous 90th anniversary theme. King Features will debut more collaborations that align with fashion, color and style, including a fresh line of body lotions, eau de toilette and giftsets from HBA partner Go To Market in Peru, a new luggage line from Eva Green in Mexico and a new partnership with Jian Grifti in Brazil. In Europe, a new global apparel collection is debuting at Cortefiel and Springfield stores next spring and retailer Pull & Bear (Inditex Group) is also developing a 2020 program.

Additional planned product launches include Betty Boop watches from Invicta, collectibles from MBI, Inc., a new vinyl from Funko and accessories from Concept One. American painter, animator and sculptor David Kracov will host an anniversary party at Eden Fine Art Gallery in New York City to release his Betty Boop collection in 2020. Betty Boop will also be using her star power to help to raise awareness and funds for charitable organizations related to women’s and children’s causes.

And for the first time ever, Betty Boop will be starring in her very own Broadway musical, launching late 2020 or early 2021. PBS gave fans a glimpse into the upcoming stage production when the show’s composer, David Foster, previewed one of the songs he wrote for the show during a recent PBS Special. Foster and his wife, performer Katharine McPhee-Foster, also recently performed a song from the musical titled Something to Shout About on the Today show.

“Betty is enjoying such sensational support from her fans, her licensees and her representatives at King Features,” said Mark Fleischer, CEO of Fleischer Studios. “Her 90th anniversary is shaping up to be a truly remarkable celebration of the delight that she has brought to millions of lives.”

As King Features continues Betty Boop’s 90th anniversary celebration, fans can expect to see a wide array of new collaborations and signature events. More information and updates on Betty Boop’s 90th can be found at www.bettyboop.com and across her social feeds on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. 

ABOUT BETTY BOOP AND FLEISCHER STUDIOS
First introduced in 1930, Betty Boop was created by Max Fleischer for his Talkartoons series, the first “talkies” of animation, which Max’s company, Fleischer Studios, produced for Paramount. Mae Questel provided Betty’s distinctive voice. By 1932 Betty, considered to be the first and only female animated screen star, had taken the country by storm. Betty starred in more than 100 cartoons, 90 of which are included in the official Betty Boop series, which ended in 1939. Since then, Betty has appeared in dozens of hit movies, television specials and commercials. She was the first cartoon character to be profiled by A&E’s Biography series. 

As the worldwide exclusive licensing agent for Betty Boop, King Features works closely with Fleischer Studios (www.fleischerstudios.com) to keep Betty entertaining millions of fans and collectors worldwide. Betty Boop’s popularity today shines through her prevalence in pop culture. She is one of the most popular and successfully licensed characters in entertainment history, with licensees in the United States and around the world that produce quality products bearing Betty’s likeness in virtually every category. Betty Boop will celebrate her 90th Anniversary in 2020 and her official website is www.bettyboop.com.  

ABOUT KING FEATURES

King Features is the world’s premier distributor of comics, columns, editorial cartoons, puzzles and games, distributing in print and online some 150 features to nearly 5,000 daily, Sunday, weekly and digital newspapers and other outlets around the globe. It is a leader in merchandise licensing and entertainment, representing some of the most recognizable global brands, including Betty Boop™, Popeye®, Cuphead, Flash Gordon™, The Phantom™, Hägar the Horrible, Moomin, Prince Valiant® and Mandrake the Magician. King Features is part of Hearst Newspapers, which publishes 24 dailies, including the Houston Chronicle, and 52 weeklies, and operates local digital marketing services and directory business.

Media Contact:

Nikki Liberatore

DKC

Nikki_Liberatore@dkcnews.com / 212-981-5168