Fans of the iconic 1930s figure Betty Boop can rejoice as an early version of the beloved cartoon enters the public domain on January 1, 2026. This allows anyone to reinterpret that particular iteration of Betty Boop, which was featured in the Dizzy Dishes animated short, into their own artistic creations without being subject to copyright restrictions. This iteration of Betty Boop showcased her trademark large eyes and pouty lips but also included elongated ears resembling those of a dog. Her romantic counterpart at that time was a canine chef, contributing to her fantastical dog-like appearance.

In 2026, Betty Boop will be accompanied in the public domain by various other cherished characters, literature, films, and musical works, including new Mickey Mouse cartoons and comics; the Blondie comic strip characters Blondie and Dagwood; William Faulkner’s novel As I Lay Dying; the illustrated adaptation of Watty Piper’s children’s story The Little Engine That Could; the movie All Quiet on the Western Front; as well as the musical standards “Dream a Little Dream of Me” and “Georgia on My Mind,” previously performed by renowned artists such as The Mamas & the Papas and Ray Charles, respectively.

These and other artistic pieces now in the public domain can be utilized freely without the need for permission or financial compensation. However, users should be vigilant about which version of the work is permissible for utilization. Fleischer Studios, which holds the copyright to the fully realized Betty Boop character, noted that the expiration of that copyright does not extend to other existing Betty Boop copyrights and trademarks.

Although nine early Mickey Mouse cartoons are now in the public domain, the character of Mickey Mouse continues to be protected by ongoing rights.

Here are some of the prominent and cherished works entering the public domain in 2026, as per the Duke University’s Center for the Study of the Public Domain:

Comics, Characters, and Cartoons
– Dizzy Dishes-era Betty Boop
– Rover (also known as Pluto) from Disney’s animated 1930 movie The Chain Gang
– Original Blondie comic strip characters Blondie and Dagwood
– Nine Mickey Mouse cartoons from 1930, along with the first Mickey Mouse comic strips released in that same year

Films
– All Quiet on the Western Front, directed by Lewis Milestone
– Hell’s Angels, helmed by Howard Hughes
– The Big Trail, directed by Raoul Walsh
– Anna Christie, directed by Clarence Brown

Literature
– William Faulkner’s As I Lay Dying
– Dashiell Hammett’s The Maltese Falcon
– T.S. Eliot’s Ash Wednesday
– Bertrand Russell’s The Conquest of Happiness

Musical Compositions
– “Georgia on My Mind,” created by Stuart Gorrell and Hoagy Carmichael
– “Dream a Little Dream of Me,” authored by Fabian Andre, Wilbur Schwandt, and Gus Kahn
– “On the Sunny Side of the Street,” by Dorothy Fields and Jimmy McHugh
– “I Got Rhythm,” “I’ve Got a Crush on You,” “But Not for Me,” and “Embraceable You,” composed by Ira Gershwin and George Gershwin