This Is The Waiting Room

Esther Jones also known as the original “Betty Boop.”

Esther Jones was a black singer of the 1920s who was indeed the inspiration for the Betty Boop character. 

She originated the “boop-oop-a-doop” line, along with the girlish singing voice. Another singer of that time, Helen Kane, who also used the childlike singing, is more the visual inspiration for the cartoon character. Interestingly, Helen Kane filed a lawsuit against the creators of Betty Boop for appropriation of her character (nevermind the fact that she took her style from the original Esther Jones). The court eventually ruled against Kane, and neither she, nor Jones, were properly credited for their inspiration of Betty Boop.