About Popeye

Popeye the Sailor Man may be one of the most popular cartoon characters of all time. While he has recently faded off from mainstream attention, he can still be found on classic cartoon shows, cans of spinach and memorabilia. This animated icon will always be a part of cartoon history and continue to entertain new generations of cartoon viewers.

History

Popeye started out as a character that was apart of the "Thimble Theatre" comic strip. The strip's creator, Elzie Crisler Segar, debuted Popeye in 1919 and this unique sailor quickly became a fixture in the comic strip world. He was developed into his first cartoon short in 1933. The theme song "Popeye the Sailor Man" was introduced and Paramount produced these cartoons for many years after.
Popeye transferred to full color in the mid-1940s and along with the popularity of the cartoons, the comic strip thrived as well. Today, new versions of the Popeye comics are distributed in Sunday newspapers, while classic strips appear during the week.

Features

Popeye is a sailor who has small adventures like building a house to larger ones like battling Pluto in the ocean. Pluto is another sailor, and a much larger man than Popeye. Many of their fights are over Olive Oyl, Popeye's true love. Other popular characters in the Popeye universe include his nephews Pipeye, Pupeye, Poopeye and Peepeye, a hamburger lover named J. Wellington Wimpy, and his adopted son named "Swee'Pea." Spinach is a huge focus of the Popeye series because a can of spinach is what helps build Popeye's muscles and gives him an extra boost of strength.

Identification

Popeye is short compared to other characters like Pluto and Olive Oyl, but he has large muscular arms with anchor tattoos on both of them. His sailor outfit has changed colors throughout the years, and has appeared as white with blue trim, dark blue with a light blue trim, or all blue with a little bit of red mixed in. Popeye also wears a sailor hat that covers his nearly bald held and is usually seen with a pipe in his mouth.

Misconceptions

Popeye always appears with his right eye shut and there is debate to whether he is missing his eye or if it is just part of his stance. Popeye himself has quoted in comic strips that he lost his eye in a battle, but other versions of the cartoon have shown him open his eye or mention that it is still there.

Types

Along with the comic strip and cartoon shorts, Popeye has had several other incarnations. Robin Williams stars as Popeye in the musical film adaptation that was a success at the box office. Popeye has been the star in several video game adaptations including arcade, NES, Gameboy Advanced, and PC gaming systems. Popeye was converted to CG animation for the release of "Popeye's Voyage: The Quest for Pappy" in 2004.

Resources

• Official Popeye Website