Black Betty Boop:
Black Betty Boop was a spin-off of the Betty Boop franchise only she was Black.
Shay Levister created her own character called "Betty Boo," based on Betty Boop.
She created "Betty Boo" of all races to empower all women. She opened her "Black Betty Boop Shop" in 2018, she began to see that her Black Betty Boop brand was being supported and purchased by consumers.
One day the Jewish-owned company Fleischer Studios and Betty Boop patent holder Mark Fleischer came across her work, and they decided to send her message in the mail. The Fleischers asked Levister to be part of the "Betty of The People" initiative program to celebrate diversity.
They saw Levister's diverse Betty Boop project, and wanted to use it to diversify Betty Boop.
2023 saw the official unveiling of Black Betty Boop following four years of development. "Shay's love for Betty Boop and passion to make Betty more accessible to her community is truly inspiring," said Max Fleischer's grandson Mark Fleischer, chairman & CEO of Fleischer Studios.
According to Levister, the Fleischer Studios were planning to steal her idea at first, but they ultimately chose to collaborate with her. The Fleischers claimed that their goal in seeking out organizations was to maximize Betty's universal ideals' variety and inclusivity.
For PR, image, and promotion, Levister spent over $10,000.
They found out through their market research that a lot of Black Betty Boop knock-offs are being sold online. Furthermore, Levister and Mark Fleischer found via their analysis, that Black consumers generally don't care if Black Betty Boop is real or not, they will still buy it.
She was pressured by the Fleischer Studios to create "Black Betty Boop LLC," and her company's launch was postponed until the Fleischer's approved of the name change. They told her that she was not allowed to use the "Betty Boop" brand name and that it had to be "Black Betty Boop" by Shay.
Levister said, "Throughout this partnership the Fleischer Studios wouldn't even put the Black Betty Boop banner up on their website."
They got into dispute because the Fleischer Studios declined to support the promotion of Black Betty Boop. They refused to promote the Black version of Betty Boop on the official Fleischer Studios or Betty Boop websites.
She said that the Fleischers' decision to not extend an invitation to her for "The Betty Boop Musical" was a sign of their opinion of her. She informed her lawyer that she had given up on the partnership.
In an attempt to find a solution together, the Fleischers stated that they wished to discuss it. Her manager conveyed the worries and provided some illustrations. Fleischer Studios was indifferent to listening, in addition to not listening at all.
They had an argument and Baby Esther Jones came up in the discussion. She said that the Fleischer Studios betrayed her trust, by refusing to promote her brand, or show her collection to shops over the duration of their partnership.
Mark Fleischer told Levister, "Remember YOU were the one that was appropriating OUR Betty Boop, using an image that wasn't yours."
Levister started to laugh and said, "Are we really doing that? If you sent me a cease and desist from the start, if you felt I was infringing on your image. I would have gladly moved on. But prior to invent over $10,000 to make this happen."
She was not happy that she had to spend more than $10,000 in order to make Black Betty Boop. "Betty Boop is mine, and we're doing YOU a favor by not sending YOU a cease and desist," Mark Fleischer told her.
After conducting business with the Fleischers, Levister realized that, as a professional businesswoman, she had violated intellectual property rights and was obliged to take down her websites and concept ideas. She then dissociated herself with the company.
Levister realized that the PBS criticism was the reason the Fleischer Studios decided to collaborate with her. After they had Jasmine Amy Rogers debut as a real Black Betty Boop in the Broadway musical, they no longer was interested in a Black animated version of Betty Boop.
She cautioned other Black business owners to exercise caution before entering into any agreements or contracts with the Fleischer Studios by sharing her personal experience on social media.
An artist by the name of Savannah Alexandra said you don't have to do any kind of partnership with the Fleischers. You can use Betty as a muse, but you can create your own concept.
Best of all you don't have to pay Jane Fleischer or Mark Fleischer a dime.
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