Betty Boop, M.D. (1932)

The topic of Betty Boop, M.D. is an odd one for the pre-code trio of Betty, Koko the Clown, and Bimbo, but it raises an issue that is still significant today: the snake oil peddler and the quack M.D. that endorses it. Miracle potion charlatans have come in many forms over time to promote their fraudulent health products/supplements to people with enough money and credulity, and this zany Betty short makes a farce of the matter. It kind of imparts the lesson of not falling for an unscrupulous sale just because a babe in a small dress is trying to sell it to you. Although, knowing me, I'd probably still be inclined to buy a bottle of Jippo from Betty.

A rundown caravan carts into town with the product Betty Boop's Jippo advertised on its side, and after the crowd is not convinced to buy Jippo after Koko's little contortion number, Betty instead tantalizes them with a dance and song number, and suddenly everyone's a lot more interested in Jippo. Despite coming from a fire hydrant, the product has a number of cartoony effects on the people that try it, which I'm guessing is a satire of the supposed miracle and misguided placebo effect that the nominal "cure-all" health potion might induce.

The cartoon climaxes when Bimbo takes a drink of Jippo and breaks into the classic jazz/pop song Nobody's Sweetheart Now (1924). I didn't catch at first that it was referencing Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, but Betty Boop, M.D. probably has one of the freakiest and most mind-numbing closeouts in cartoon history. Overall, it's an unethical episode but all in good fun.

Video of "Nobody's SweetHeart Now" Juxtaposed Over Silent Movie Stars: From YouTube User Shabanni:
   

Betty Boop Wine Figurine

Westland Giftware probably has some of the most detailed, and coolest, Betty Boop figurines. This wine-themed Betty figurine was a pleasant surprise. I came across it at Hasting's in a fully opaque box that was labelled "Wine A Bit Figurine," so I wasn't sure what it was going to look like, possibly some sort of Betty wine glass / figurine hybrid. It actually turned out to be a classy Betty statue holding a glass of wine, with the inscription "wine a bit, you'll feel better" (words to live by). It's white wine though, which I oddly enough happen to be allergic to. I am therefore a red-wine-all-the-way kind of person, preferably a dry Cabernet or Merlot, but I do love a good Zinfandel sometimes.

Thanks to this figurine, I couldn't help noticing that Betty's top most spit-curls almost look like devil horns, so I thought to complement the perceived devilish trait by posing Betty next to one of my Garbage Pail Kids Mystery Minis, Hot Scott (Westland Giftware actually does have a Naughty Betty Figurine with an actual devilish theme, with a spade tail and all). Now don't get me wrong, despite her status as a sex icon, I've always perceived Betty as completely innocent, but those top spit-curl horns seem awfully suggestive. In the Betty Boop cartoon Red Hot Mama (1934), Betty does take a trip through Hell, and she lights the place up with song and dance, as Betty usually does.

From Red Hot Mama (1934)