Popeye Day – January 17, 2025

History of Popeye Day

Elzie Crisler (E.C.) Segar — a cartoonist and writer from Illinois — created the Popeye masterpiece in 1919. However, Popeye was not part of the initial story. It took 10 years for the first appearance of Popeye. Seger published “Popeye in the Thimble Theatre.” The story initially revolved around the misadventures of Olive Oyl and her boyfriend, Harold Ham Gravy. The strong appeal of Popeye attracted the attention of readers and influenced the writer to shift the story into a Popeye-centric one. Olive became the love interest of Popeye.

The popularity of the comic increased steadily. Popeye made his silver screen debut on July 14, 1933. In the same year, Popeye also had his own cartoon. The journey of Popeye continued into radio, comic book series, magazines, and cartoon series in the 1960s. They introduced new characters and adventures in between these incidents. Bluto and Jeep brought a new flavor to the story.

An interesting detail about Popeye is his use of spinach. The story created a massive demand for spinach in the U.S. The creator of Popeye died 9 years after making his creation. The iconic character still dominates the cartoon industry thanks to the brilliant portrayal of the character and the depth of the story. Popeye is one of the most successful franchises to ever exist.