This short video from the 1930’s features beloved cartoon characters and is described on YouTube as “creepy” and “disturbing”. The cartoon is indeed very dark and bizarre but only minimal knowledge of Masonic symbolism is required to realize that the cartoon is all about secret societies and the ordeals an initiate must go through to be accepted. To the symbol-literate, it’s as blatant as it gets.
At the beginning of the cartoon, Bimbo (a good name for a non-initiate?) walks down the street without a care in the world. Suddenly, a certain cartoon character traps Bimbo down a manhole.
Bimbo then finds himself in the underground lair of a strange secret society composed of masked men with candles on their heads (symbolizing illumination?). One asks him “Wanna be a member? Wanna be a member”. When Bimbo’s answers “NO!”, he is sent to various sadistic chambers that recall the various ordeals that are imposed on new initiates in actual secret societies.
After refusing to become a member several times, the masked man reveals himself and seduces him.
When Bimbo finally accepts Betty Boop’s offer, he discovers that all of the members were Betty Boop clones, which makes him very happy. In other words, secret society initiation might be difficult and terrifying but becoming a member provides great rewards.
Looking at the symbolism of Bimbo’s Initiation, we realize that those who produced it were obviously “in the know”. The cartoon is therefore yet another example of occult symbolism that can be seen by all but meant to be fully understood by few.