Betty Boop is having a moment on Broadway and in shops

If you’re a Betty Boop fan, look for Jeri Lynn Brigante at your next car show, rockabilly concert or swing dance. There’s a good chance she might be there with the ladies from the Long Island Chapter of the Pinup Society. Like the others, Brigante, 43, will be dressed to the nines in vintage-inspired hair, makeup and clothing. But to find her in the crowd, you’ll have to look closer — she’ll be the one with a tattoo, on her right forearm, of the seminal 1930s cartoon character in a short, strapless red wiggle dress, high heels and a black garter on her right thigh.

Brigante inked up long before “Boop! The Musical” opened this month on Broadway, igniting a wave of nostalgia among lifelong fans and introducing the 2-D American superstar to those born after 2000. “She’s kind of been in my consciousness my whole life,” says Brigante, an antiques dealer living in Pleasantville, New York, who’s been making pinup appearances on Long Island for at least a decade under stage name “Jeri Lynn Astra.” As she came into womanhood, Brigante, who once won a Betty Boop look-alike contest, says she identified with the animated Jazz Age flapper, whom she describes as “very much a feminist icon.”

“When you watch the cartoons,” says Brigante, “they're actually quite subversive for their time … She's very comfortable in her own skin. She's cute, but she's sexy. And I think that in our society, especially as women, we're often forced to kind of choose an archetype. … She could be bubbly and adorable and fun, but also sexy and sultry and embody all of those things and do it joyfully.”

A BETTY BOOP MAKEOVER

That delight can be seen on social media, most dramatically in videos where people transform themselves into Betty Boop to the 1929 song “Ain’tcha?” (It was sung by actress Helen Kane, who’s buried in Calverton. Another local Boop connection: Margie Hines, the first to voice the animated character, lived on Long Island and is buried in Bay Shore.) Some are using the new Beauty Creations x Betty Boop makeup collection. “I think it’s really cool that they’re kind of taking inspiration from the ’30s,” says Huntington Station’s Erica Zimmerman, 42, a licensed cosmetologist who specializes in vintage hairstyles. 

While high-arch eyebrows, double-winged eyeliner and puckered red lips may be too cosplay theatrical for everyday wear, Zimmerman says the trend feeds into mainstream culture’s interest in retro Hollywood glam, especially among the many brides she styles.

THE 'IT' DRESS

The influence can also be seen in fashion. Major retailers are carrying affordably priced apparel and accessories splashed with images of Betty Boop, sometimes with her alliterative name. Less literal interpretations can be seen in larger trends, says Gabrielle Sunshine, who owns Penny Lane, a Huntington boutique.

This spring, Sunshine, 32, says the polka-dot dress is the “it” item this season. The classic cutie-pie pattern, she says, is a wink to renewed interest in Betty Boop. The dress is “ultra feminine,” she says, like Ms. Boop herself.

After noticing the boop-oop-a-doop moment, Sunshine brought burnout Betty Boop T-shirts into the shop, perfect for wearing with baggy jeans and sneakers, she says. “I was like, oh, gotta get on that bandwagon,” she adds.

SHE'S STILL A TREASURE

“She’s always had a following,” says Jay Chiaramonte, who since 2018 has owned the 2,000-square-foot Jay's Hidden Treasures Flea Market and Gift Shop in Lake Ronkonkoma. He does admit, however, that he’s seen a recent uptick in international online sales for Betty Boop collectibles. After acquiring a major Betty Boop collection not long ago, he dedicated an entire showcase to her merchandise, bringing in other pieces displayed around the store, he says. The 40 to 50 items range in price from a domed salt and pepper shaker set for $30 to a vintage made-on-Long Island resin figurine for $200.

Like other Long Island shopkeepers interviewed, Chiaramonte says customers keep coming, mentioning they’ve seen “Boop! The Musical.” Most of those inquiring are in their 50s to their 70s, he says.

“To be honest, I've never actually seen the Betty Boop cartoons myself,” says Chiaramonte, 35, mentioning that he feels “nostalgic” about the character anyway. “I just know she's been around my whole life … kind of like Coca-Cola, Marilyn Monroe, James Dean. It's like she's always been there. She’s earned her spot in everybody's life.”