Betty Boop

Betty Boop appears in Betty Boop, Excel Olympics, Penny-isms: Our 2026 Valentines as the public-domain character used for Planet Money’s official economics Valentine. Jennifer Jenkins says the 1930 version entered the public domain on January 1, 2026, allowing the team to use that image in a new card.

The source gives Betty Boop two roles. Legally, she demonstrates Public Domain Reuse after copyright expiration. Culturally, Jenkins frames her as an early comic character not defined by a relationship to a male character, which makes the reuse feel less like generic old IP and more like the return of a distinctive character to shared creative use.

Connections

• Jennifer Jenkins - public-domain expert and Betty Boop fan in the source.
• Planet Money and Kenny Malone - show and host building the Valentine joke.
• Public Domain Reuse - legal and creative mechanism.
• IP Ownership and [[TheWaltDisneyCompany|Disney]] - adjacent rights-control context.