That’s my opinion, too. Then I saw this 'toon, where Betty is drawn more “naturally”, and she just looks completely wrong. Plus, the cartoon itself is no improvement at all on the ones done just 5-10 years earlier.
I find that one an improvement, still her head looks like a fat old womans ass with eyes.
She looks and sounds like that becuse she was caricature of Broadway and recording star Helen Kane.
Yeah, but I’m sure they emphasized the “little girl” aspect more than necessary. Have a look at Stephen Jay Gould’s essay on Mickey Mouse and Neoteny. I felt, personally, that Elmer Fudd was the poster child for a cartoon character evolving to look more like a human baby – He went from the annoying bulb-nosed and cross-eyed Egghead to the hairless, baby-speech-impedimented (“Swewy Wabbit!”), infantile-head-to-body-ratioed Elmer. Betty just wasn’t as far along in the process.
I’ve always thought Betty was cute. She doesn’t look like a real person, but I don’t hold that against her – she is a cartoon, after all. Lately, I’ve been even fonder of the old girl, because my daughter (recently turned 19), having found her personal style, is starting to resemble her – or as much as it’s possible for a person to resemble a cartoon. You can get an idea from this photo. The resemblance is more marked in person – Doe has started dying her hair black, and she wears red lipstick and lots of black eyeliner. She’s also really short (4’9"), and built along Betty’s proportions (although she doesn’t dress like Betty, usually) and has a little, piping voice as befits her small size.
