Max and me in Miami, Florida
Circa 1940. Collection: V. Mahoney
MAX and Me
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by Ginny Mahoney
Granddaughter of Betty Boop’s creator, Max Fleischer
Since tomorrow — July 19th — is Max’s birthday, I thought I’d celebrate by sharing some fun facts about the man himself.
Max was born in 1883, the second eldest of Wilhelm and Amelia Fleischer’s six children. From a very early age, he had a restless, inquiring mind always eager to learn, understand and explain the world around him, and growing up in New York offered fertile ground for his active and adventurous imagination. He loved to draw, was fascinated by machines and for a time he even considered becoming an engineer. Max was also greatly influenced by his father’s love of music. All six of the Fleischer children played instruments and growing up, Max and his siblings enjoyed many evenings at home playing music together. 
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