As previously mentioned, Popeye made his animated debut in a risqué Betty Boop cartoon back in 1933 in a 'back door pilot' episode where she was wearing just a Hawaiian flowery Lei to cover herself. In that cartoon, they flashed the front page of a newspaper that read, "Popeye A Star!". The manifested destiny prediction came true soon enough afterwards as he began to star in his own series of cartoons with Fleischer Studios.
This drawing is my re-interpretation of a key scene depicted in the cartoon that is one of the more memorable moments as Popeye joined Betty on stage to do a hula dance. Yes, I admit that I took some artistic liberties in this particular drawing to draw Betty's head a bit smaller more in proportion to how I would slightly re-envision her in my own comic stories if I continued to draw her on a more consistent basis. Which, I do not foresee happening in any immediate future tales with my comics.
Again, this is more just a one-off history lesson and coincides with today's other SEA SHANTY FUNNIES parody comic strip (where I did draw a more traditional Betty Boop in that one with that big noggin of hers.) Though Betty Boop is in the public domain, there are still some entanglements. So, this is a fair use educational lesson in the one before you that you are now looking at. 'Nuff said.
We love you, Betty Boop.
Enjoy!
