Posted By Dan Greenfield on Dec 8, 2024 | 1 comment

The Sailor Man’s creator was born 130 years ago…

E.C. Segar

By PETER BOSCH

Well, blow me down! On January 17, 2024, Popeye turned 95 years old and the mortification of missing that special date is staggering! However, we are determined to make it up by celebrating the 13oth birthday of Elzie Crisler Segar, his creator, who came into this world Dec. 8, 1894, in Chester, Illinois.

Chester is a small town (current population: less than 8,000) and Segar began his work life helping his father with house painting. He also played drums at a local theater, where he would soon become a projectionist. He learned to draw cartoons through a correspondence course and moved to Chicago. Making the acquaintance of Richard F. Outcault, creator of The Yellow Kid (one of the first comic strips in America), he was taken under his wing and introduced at the Chicago Herald. Shortly after that, he was drawing Charlie Chaplin’s Comic Capers, a newspaper strip that had three artists before he took it on.

1916 Charlie Chaplin’s Comic Capers

A few years later, King Features Syndicate hired him to create a new strip and he came up with Thimble Theatre in 1919. Writing and drawing the strip (with his name signed next to a smoking cigar to let people know Segar was pronounced “See-gar”), he began his cast of characters with Castor Oyl, his sister Olive, and her boyfriend Ham Gravy. The stories started as simple gags but then got much longer.

In September 1928, Castor and Olive’s Uncle Lorby came to visit from Africa, bringing with him a Whiffle Hen, a special bird named Bernice, that brought good luck to anyone who rubbed the bird’s head fathers. Castor decides to use that luck to win a fortune at an offshore island casino. And this is where Popeye is introduced, at first hired to ferry them across the water but quickly becoming a part of the Oyls’ adventure.

First appearance of Popeye in Thimble Theatre (Jan. 17, 1929)

A Superman before there was one (June 10 and 11, 1929)

At the end of the adventure in June 1929 (told you the stories got longer), Castor, Olive, Ham, and even Popeye became rich.

June 27, 1929 — Almost the last appearance of Popeye

At this point, Segar decided to write out Popeye, intended as just a one-off character for that story alone — until the public let it be known they wanted him back. And return he did on August 5, 1929, for good. Segar created Popeye – but the public made him a star!

Popeye joined the Sunday Thimble Theatre strip on March 2, 1930. In the following year, the title of the dailies and Sundays changed to Thimble Theatre Starring Popeye (and, later, became just Popeye).

The first Thimble Theatre Sunday with Popeye (March 2, 1930)

Ah, yes, “but what about spinach?!” you ask? The first time that was introduced was on June 26, 1931. (And it took six years before Crystal City, Texas — the “World Spinach Capital” — erected a statue of Popeye.)

First mention of spinach as the source of Popeye’s strength

The Popeye statue in Crystal City, Texas, erected in 1937

A rich cast was introduced over the years during Segar’s time on the strip. This early drawing below (minus Wimpy!) contains many of those in his storylines up to that point, and still to spring from Segar’s fertile imagination were Swee’Pea, the Goons, Eugene the Jeep, Poopdeck Pappy, and, of course, Bluto:

Thimble Theatre drawing by Segar used for toy manufacturer Chein & Co.’s 1932 catalogue cover

In 1933, Popeye made his big screen debut in a Betty Boop cartoon aptly named Popeye the Sailor. William Costello was the first voice of Popeye, Bonnie Poe was Olive Oyl, and Mae Questel was the voice of Betty Boop.

A clip from the first appearance onscreen of Popeye, Olive Oyl, and Bluto

(Just a bit of trivia: As many know, the voice of Betty Boop in many cartoons of the 1930s was provided by Questel and she would also take on Olive Oyl in the Popeye animated shorts — but much less known is she also did Popeye’s voice a few times when Jack Mercer, Costello’s replacement, was in the service for a short time during World War II.)

To Tell the Truth with Jack Mercer from 1974

Popeye also had a few cartoons that were double the normal length. The best was Popeye the Sailor Meets Sinbad the Sailor (1936):

Segar enjoyed great success because of Popeye, earning $100,000 a year between the strip and all the merchandising that came from the character. What is truly sad, though, is Segar died October 13, 1938, from leukemia at age 43, just nine years after Popeye made his debut.

Despite his short time entertaining America, his art and his wit influenced other comic professionals for generations to come, including the likes of Charles Schulz and Carl Barks. And his hometown of Chester, Illinois, has taken great pleasure in being associated with him and Popeye, as can be witnessed by the tribute of statues throughout the city, including these:

Popeye, plus Olive Oyl, Swee’Pea, and Eugene the Jeep

Wimpy, plus Popeye’s nephews (Poopeye, Peepeye, Pipeye, and Pupeye)

Bluto and the Sea Hag

Castor Oyl and the Whiffle Hen, Bernice

—

MORE

— POPEYE VARIATIONS: Dig This Offbeat Salute to the Spinach Eatin’ Sailor Man. Click here.

— SWABBIES IN LOVE: The Romance Comic We All Wanted. Click here.

—

13th Dimension contributor-at-large PETER BOSCH’s first book, American TV Comic Books: 1940s-1980s – From the Small Screen to the Printed Page, was published by TwoMorrows. A sequel, about movie comics, is coming in 2025. Peter has written articles and conducted celebrity interviews for various magazines and newspapers. He lives in Hollywood.