Bimbo (Fleischer Studios)
| Bimbo | |
|---|---|
| Betty Boop character | |
 Betty Boop and Bimbo in Minnie the Moocher (1932). | |
| First appearance | "Out of the Inkwell" (1930) |
| Last appearance | "The Betty Boop Movie Mystery" (1989) |
| Created by | Fleischer Studios |
| Voiced by | Billy Murray[1] |
| Information | |
| Species | Border collie dog |
| Gender | Male |
| Occupation | Drummer ("Betty Boop's Hollywood Mystery") |
Bimbo is a fictional character, a cartoon dog created by Fleischer Studios. He first appeared in the Out of the Inkwell series and was originally named Fitz.
History
Bimbo was initially inspired by animation director Dick Huemer's work on Mutt and Jeff, who, when working on the Out of the Inkwell series, decided to give protagonist Koko the Clown a canine companion.
Bimbo had later become the star of Fleischer's Talkartoons series, making his first appearance as Bimbo in Hot Dog (1930), though Bimbo's design wouldn't become standardized until around 1931. Bimbo was relegated to a supporting character when his girlfriend Betty Boop became a more popular (and human) character (Betty Boop was originally a dog). The Talkartoons series became the Betty Boop series in 1932.
He appeared in Fleischer cartoons formally as Bimbo from 1930 to 1933, when he was eliminated from Betty's series by the Production Code censorship laws, since a dog with a human girlfriend gave implications of bestiality.
Similarities in other media
In 1932, a character created by Walter Lantz Productions appeared. This character is a dog which they named Pooch the Pup. Pooch was at first a white beagle. By 1933, a few months after Bimbo retired from the screen, Pooch was redesigned in black fur, a sweater, and some pants. This new makeover made him look reminiscent to his Betty Boop counterpart.[2]
In a music video featuring Courage the Cowardly Dog, a retro version of Courage was shown near the end. This version looks quite reminiscent of Bimbo.
Revival
About 56 years following his disappearance, Bimbo made a comeback. In 1989, he was a major co-star in the TV special Betty Boop's Hollywood Mystery. He also continues to appear in merchandise.
Partial filmography
- Hot Dog (1930)
- Fire Bugs (1930)
- Dizzy Dishes (1930)
- Barnacle Bill (1930)
- Swing You Sinners! (1930)
- Grand Uproar! (1930)
- Sky Scraping (1930)
- Up To Mars (1930)
- Mysterious Mose (1930)
- The Male Man (1931)
- Bimbo's Initiation (1931)
- Bimbo's Express (1931)
- Mask A-Raid (1931)
- Betty Boop's Bizzy Bee (1932)
- Betty Boop, M.D. (1932)
- Snow White (1933)
- Betty Boop's Ker-Choo (1933)
- Betty Boop's Penthouse (1933)
- Betty Boop's Birthday Party (1933)
- Betty Boop's May Party (1933)
- Any Rags? (1933)
References
- ↑ "The Walter Lantz Cartune Encyclopedia: 1930". The Walter Lantz Cartune Encyclopedia. Retrieved 2011-04-24.
- ↑ "The Walter Lantz Cartune Encyclopedia: 1933". The Walter Lantz Cartune Encyclopedia. Retrieved 2011-06-03.