The Real Inspiration And Evolution Of The Betty Boop Cartoon

Little Ann Little

One of the most rememberable testimonies of the case came from Little Ann Little, an actress who also was known for playing the voice of Betty Boop (and another lookalike). Little told the court that the “boop-oop-a-doop” phrase had originated as “ba-da inde-do”, which then transformed into “bo do-de-o-do” and finally to “boop-oop-a-doop”. Little, who got the role of Boop after winning a Paramount contest looking for an actress with a “squeaky” voice, spoke like Betty Boop throughout her entire testimony. When Helen’s Kane’s lawyer asked Little if she spoke like that when she was at home, Little responded to the court, “Yes, indeedy!”