View source for Popeye

{{Short description|Fictional character}}
{{About|the cartoon character|the fast-food chain|Popeyes|other uses|Popeye (disambiguation)}}
{{redirect|Popeye the Sailor|the cartoon series|Popeye the Sailor (film series)|the cartoon starring this character|Popeye the Sailor (film)}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=March 2013}}
{{Use American English|date=March 2023}}
{{Infobox comics character
| character_name     = Popeye the Sailor
| image              = Popeye the Sailor.png
| imagesize          = 120
| alt                = 
| caption            = 
| publisher          = [[King Features Syndicate]]
| debut              = ''[[#Thimble Theatre and Popeye comic strips|Thimble Theatre]]'' (1929)
| creators           = [[E. C. Segar]]
| voiced_by          = {{Collapsible list|title=Voice actor|[[Billy Costello (actor)|William Costello]] (1933–1935)<ref name="CartoonVoices">{{cite book |last1=Scott |first1=Keith |title=Cartoon Voices of the Golden Age, Vol. 1 |date=3 October 2022 |publisher=BearManor Media |language=en}}</ref>|[[Jack Mercer]] (1934–1945, 1947–1984)<ref name="CartoonVoices"/>|[[Floyd Buckley]] (1936–1937 radio appearances, 1937 [[Bluebird Records]] records, 1945–1946 cartoons)<ref name="Buckley">{{cite web|title=Sing Me A Cartoon #16: More Sailor Man Rhythm|url=https://cartoonresearch.com/index.php/sing-me-a-cartoon-16-more-sailor-man-rhythm/|website=cartoonresearch.com|access-date=28 August 2020|archive-date=October 1, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201001201316/https://cartoonresearch.com/index.php/sing-me-a-cartoon-16-more-sailor-man-rhythm/|url-status=live}}</ref>|Harry Foster Welch (1946–1947, 1960s [[Peter Pan Records]] records)<ref name="Welch 1">{{cite web|title=Who Is Harry Welch – and Was He Ever The Voice of Popeye?|url=https://cartoonresearch.com/index.php/who-is-harry-welch-and-was-he-ever-the-voice-of-popeye/|website=cartoonresearch.com|access-date=28 August 2020|archive-date=September 27, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200927152823/https://cartoonresearch.com/index.php/who-is-harry-welch-and-was-he-ever-the-voice-of-popeye/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="Welch 2">{{cite web|title=Popeye Records – with the mysterious Harry F. Welch|url=https://cartoonresearch.com/index.php/popeye-records-with-the-mysterious-harry-f-welch/|website=cartoonresearch.com|access-date=28 August 2020|archive-date=November 26, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201126214231/https://cartoonresearch.com/index.php/popeye-records-with-the-mysterious-harry-f-welch/|url-status=live}}</ref>|[[Mae Questel]] (1945–1946; cartoons)<ref name="Questel Interview">{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e7VxdSrfijM&t=476s| archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211030/e7VxdSrfijM| archive-date=2021-10-30|title=Mae Questel--Voice of Betty Boop and Olive Oyl, 1978 TV| date=October 5, 2014|publisher=YouTube|access-date=June 22, 2021}}{{cbignore}}</ref><ref name="CartoonVoices"/>|[[Candy Candido]] (''I'm Popeye the Sailor Man/The Little White Duck'')<ref name="Popeye and Duck">{{cite web|title=Candy Candido - I'm Popeye The Sailor Man / The Little White Duck (Shellac)|url=https://www.discogs.com/Candy-Candido-I'm-Popeye-The-Sailor-Man-The-Little-White-Duck/release/14293165|publisher=Discogs|access-date=August 30, 2020}}</ref>|[[Allen Swift]] (''Official TV Popeye Record Album'', ''Popeye's Favorite Sea Shanties'', Start commercial)<ref name="Swift">{{cite web|title=Popeye Records with "Captain Allen Swift"|url=https://cartoonresearch.com/index.php/popeye-records-with-captain-allen-swift/|website=cartoonresearch.com|access-date=28 August 2020|archive-date=March 11, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240311144729/https://cartoonresearch.com/index.php/popeye-records-with-captain-allen-swift/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="Start">{{cite web|url=https://www.behindthevoiceactors.com/commercials/Start/Popeye/|title=Voice(s) of Popeye in Start|website=Behind The Voice Actors|language=en-US|access-date=2020-07-11|archive-date=July 11, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200711015826/https://www.behindthevoiceactors.com/commercials/Start/Popeye/|url-status=live}}</ref>|[[Maurice LaMarche]] (1987–1990)|[[Jeff Bergman]] (1989–1996, commercials)<ref name="Quaker Oats">{{cite web|url=https://www.behindthevoiceactors.com/commercials/Quaker-Oats/|title=Quaker Oats|website=Behind The Voice Actors|language=en-US|access-date=2020-07-11|archive-date=August 9, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200809072326/https://www.behindthevoiceactors.com/commercials/Quaker-Oats/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="USPS">{{cite web|url=https://www.behindthevoiceactors.com/commercials/United-States-Postal-Service/|title=United States Postal Service|website=Behind The Voice Actors|language=en-US|access-date=2022-02-09|archive-date=February 9, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220209200430/https://www.behindthevoiceactors.com/commercials/United-States-Postal-Service/|url-status=live}}</ref>|[[Wally Wingert]] (''Popeye and the Quest For the Woolly Mammoth'', ''Popeye: The Rescue'', ''Popeye and the Sunken Treasure'')<ref name="Woolly Mammoth">{{cite web|url=https://www.behindthevoiceactors.com/video-games/Popeye-and-the-Quest-For-the-Woolly-Mammoth/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200116072208/https://www.behindthevoiceactors.com/video-games/Popeye-and-the-Quest-For-the-Woolly-Mammoth/|url-status=dead|archive-date=January 16, 2020|title=Popeye and the Quest For the Woolly Mammoth|website=Behind The Voice Actors|language=en-US|access-date=2020-08-27}}</ref><ref name="Sunken Treasure">{{cite web|url=https://www.behindthevoiceactors.com/video-games/Popeye-The-Sunken-Treasure/|title=Popeye and the Sunken Treasure|website=Behind The Voice Actors|language=en-US|access-date=2020-08-27|archive-date=November 28, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201128104330/https://www.behindthevoiceactors.com/video-games/Popeye-The-Sunken-Treasure/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="Did You Know">{{cite web|title=Wally Wingert's Did You Know?|url=https://www.wallyontheweb.com/dyk.php|publisher=Wally on the Web|access-date=July 7, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170719041028/https://www.wallyontheweb.com/dyk.php|archive-date=July 19, 2017}}</ref>|[[Billy West]] ([[Minute Maid]] commercial, ''[[Popeye's Voyage: The Quest for Pappy]]'', ''[[Drawn Together]]'')<ref name="Drawn Together">{{cite web|url=https://www.behindthevoiceactors.com/tv-shows/Drawn-Together/Popeye/|title=Voice of Popeye in Drawn Together|website=Behind The Voice Actors|language=en-US|access-date=2020-08-27|archive-date=October 22, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211022174743/https://www.behindthevoiceactors.com/tv-shows/Drawn-Together/Popeye/|url-status=live}}</ref>|[[Tom Kenny]] ([[#Feature films|2014 animation test]])<ref name="Popeye film">{{cite web|url=http://www.behindthevoiceactors.com/shorts/Popeye-2016/|title=Popeye (2016)|website=Behind the Voice Actors|language=en-US|access-date=2015-09-12|archive-date=September 21, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200921165055/https://www.behindthevoiceactors.com/shorts/Popeye-2016/|url-status=live}}</ref>|Joe Newton (''Popeye's Island Adventures'')<ref name="Island Adventures">{{cite web|url=https://www.behindthevoiceactors.com/shorts/Popeyes-Island-Adventures/|title=Popeye's Island Adventures|website=Behind the Voice Actors|language=en-US|access-date=2021-02-24|archive-date=April 23, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210423043536/https://www.behindthevoiceactors.com/shorts/Popeyes-Island-Adventures/|url-status=live}}</ref>}}
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| species            = 
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| affiliations       = 
| supports           = '''''Sons'''''{{Plainlist|
*[[Swee'Pea]]
*Popeye Junior
}}
'''''Family'''''{{Plainlist|
* Granny (paternal grandmother)
* Patcheye (great-grandfather)
* Aunt Jones (aunt)
*[[Poopdeck Pappy]] (father)
* Pipeye, Peepeye, Poopeye and Pupeye (nephews)
}}
| aliases            = 
| powers             = 
| partners           = [[Olive Oyl]] (girlfriend)
| IOM_alter_ego      = 
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}}
'''Popeye the Sailor''' is a fictional cartoon character created by [[E. C. Segar|Elzie Crisler Segar]].<ref name="EBA">[http://www.britannica.com/eb/article-9066592/Elzie-Segar Segar, Elzie (Crisler) – Encyclopædia Britannica Article] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080725164921/http://www.britannica.com/eb/article-9066592/Elzie-Segar |date=July 25, 2008 }}. Britannica.com. Retrieved on March 29, 2013.</ref><ref name="Character Trail">{{cite web |url=http://www.baskervilleproductions.com/popeye-trail |title=Character Trail |access-date=2019-01-05 |work=City of Chester website |archive-date=August 8, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200808051211/http://www.baskervilleproductions.com/popeye-trail |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="rg">Goulart, Ron, "Popeye", ''St. James Encyclopedia of Popular Culture''. Detroit: St. James Press, 2000. (Volume 4, pp. 87-8).{{ISBN|9781558624047}}</ref><ref name="bw">Walker, Brian. ''The Comics: The Complete Collection''. New York: Abrams ComicArts, 2011. (pp. 188-9,191, 238-243) {{ISBN|9780810995956}}</ref> The character first appeared on January 17, 1929, in the daily [[King Features Syndicate|King Features]] comic strip ''Thimble Theatre''. The strip was in its tenth year when Popeye made his debut, but the one-eyed sailor quickly became the lead character, and ''Thimble Theatre'' became one of King Features' most popular properties during the 1930s. Following Segar's death in 1938, ''Thimble Theatre'' (later renamed ''[[#Thimble Theatre and Popeye comic strips|Popeye]]'') was continued by several writers and artists, most notably Segar's assistant [[Bud Sagendorf]]. The strip continues to appear in first-run installments on Sundays, written and drawn by [[R. K. Milholland]]. The daily strips are reprints of old Sagendorf stories.<ref name="rg" />

In 1933, [[Max Fleischer]] adapted the ''Thimble Theatre'' characters into a series of ''[[Popeye the Sailor (film series)|Popeye the Sailor]]'' theatrical cartoon shorts for [[Paramount Pictures]].<ref name=Lenburg>{{cite book |last1=Lenburg |first1=Jeff |title=The Encyclopedia of Animated Cartoons |date=1999 |publisher=Checkmark Books |isbn=0-8160-3831-7 |access-date=6 June 2020 |url=https://archive.org/details/isbn_9780816038312/page/121/mode/2up |pages=121–124}}</ref> These cartoons proved to be among the most popular of the 1930s, and [[Fleischer Studios]], which  later became Paramount's own [[Famous Studios]], continued production through 1957. Cartoons produced during World War II included Allied propaganda, as was common among cartoons of the time.<ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.irishtimes.com/news/popeye-1.1049850 | title=Popeye | newspaper=[[The Irish Times]] | access-date=March 16, 2022 | archive-date=March 16, 2022 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220316231626/https://www.irishtimes.com/news/popeye-1.1049850 | url-status=live }}</ref> These cartoon shorts are now owned by [[Turner Entertainment]] and distributed by its sister company [[Warner Bros.]]<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.warnerbros.com/studio/news/%E2%80%9Cpopeye%E2%80%9D-comes-dvd-warner-home-video/|title=Popeye comes to DVD from Warner Home Video|access-date=March 18, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170318174234/https://www.warnerbros.com/studio/news/%E2%80%9Cpopeye%E2%80%9D-comes-dvd-warner-home-video/|archive-date=March 18, 2017|url-status=dead}}</ref>

Over the years, Popeye has also appeared in comic books, television cartoons, video games, hundreds of advertisements,<ref name="rg" /> peripheral products ranging from spinach to [[candy cigarette]]s, and the [[Popeye (film)|1980 live-action film]] directed by [[Robert Altman]] and starring [[Robin Williams]] as Popeye.

[[Charles M. Schulz]] said, "I think ''Popeye'' was a perfect comic strip, consistent in drawing and humor".<ref>Mendelson, Lee and Schulz, Charles M., ''Charlie Brown and Charlie Schulz: in celebration of the 20th anniversary of'' Peanuts. New York: New American Library, 1971. (p. 35)</ref> In 2002, ''[[TV Guide (magazine)|TV Guide]]'' ranked Popeye number 20 on its "50 Greatest Cartoon Characters of All Time" list.<ref>{{cite book|title=TV Guide Book of Lists|url=https://archive.org/details/tvguidebookoflis0000unse|url-access=registration|year=2007|publisher=Running Press|isbn=978-0-7624-3007-9|page=[https://archive.org/details/tvguidebookoflis0000unse/page/158 158]}}</ref>

==Inspiration==
The person believed to have inspired Popeye was Polish born Frank "Rocky" Fiegel, a tough laborer from [[Chester, Illinois]] who was always getting in fights. It was believed he could have been a professional boxer. However, he also gave out candy and treats to children,<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/southern-illinoisan/150448993/|via=[[Newspapers.com]]|title=Chester man accepted as real-life Popeye was a brawler, loved kids|last=Hubble|first=Dan|work=[[Southern Illinoisan]]|date=April 8, 1979}}</ref> including E.C. Segar, who remembered Fiegel when he created Popeye. Fiegel was described as "[j]ust like the fictional spinach-loving mariner ...  a one-eyed, pipe-smoking curmudgeon with a jutting chin."<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.military.com/off-duty/2024/02/05/real-popeye-sailor-was-actually-hard-drinking-bar-brawler-heart-of-gold.html|title=The Real 'Popeye the Sailor' Was Actually a Hard-Drinking Bar Brawler with a Heart of Gold|last=Stilwell|first=Blake|publisher=[[military.com]]|date=February 5, 2024|access-date=July 1, 2024}}</ref>

==Fictional character and story==
Popeye's story and characterization vary depending on the medium. In his debut storyline, Popeye's superhumanly proportioned strength and endurance stemmed from the "luck" he acquired by rubbing the feathers of the head of Bernice, a "whiffle hen", thus enabling him to survive fifteen gunshot wounds. By the end of 1929, however, Popeye's strength had become a regular fixture of his character, with spinach, by 1932, becoming the primary repository of his prowess.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.todayifoundout.com/index.php/2012/12/popeye-facts/|title=13 Interesting Popeye the Sailorman Facts|date=December 3, 2012|work=todayifoundout.com|access-date=February 12, 2016|archive-date=February 28, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160228010344/http://www.todayifoundout.com/index.php/2012/12/popeye-facts|url-status=live}}</ref> [[Swee'Pea]] is Popeye's ward in the comic strips, but his custody is inconsistent in cartoons.

There is no absolute sense of continuity in the stories, although certain plot and presentation elements remain mostly constant, including purposeful contradictions in Popeye's capabilities. Popeye seems bereft of manners and uneducated, yet he often comes up with solutions to problems that seem insurmountable to the police or the scientific community. He has displayed [[Sherlock Holmes]]-like investigative prowess, scientific ingenuity, and successful diplomatic arguments. In the animated cartoons his pipe also proves to be highly versatile. Among other things, it has served as a cutting torch, jet engine, propeller, periscope, musical instrument, and a whistle with which he produces his trademark toot. He also eats spinach through his pipe, sometimes sucking in the can along with the contents. Since the 1970s, Popeye is seldom depicted using his pipe to smoke tobacco.<ref name="rg" />

Popeye's exploits are also enhanced by a few recurring plot elements. One is the love triangle among Popeye, [[Olive Oyl]], and [[Bluto]] (sometimes called Brutus), and Bluto's endless machinations to claim Olive at Popeye's expense. Another is his near-saintly perseverance in overcoming any obstacle to please Olive, who often (if temporarily) renounces Popeye for Bluto.{{citation needed|date=January 2023}}

==Comics==
===''Thimble Theatre'' and ''Popeye'' comic strips<!--'Thimble Theatre', 'Thimble Theatre Starring Popeye', and 'Popeye (comic strip)' redirect here-->===
{{Infobox comic strip
| italic title = no
| title        = Thimble Theatre / Popeye
| image        = Popyeye-logo.svg
| caption      = 
| author       = [[E. C. Segar]] (creator, December 1919 – December 1937, May–August 1938)<br>[[Doc Winner]] (December 1937–May 1938)<br>Tom Sims & Doc Winner (August 1938 – December 1939)<br>[[Bela Zaboly]] & Tom Sims (December 1939 – December 1954 (daily strip), December 1939 – September 1959 (Sunday strip))<br>[[Bela Zaboly]] & [[Ralph Stein]] (December 1954 – August 1959, daily strip only)<br>[[Bud Sagendorf]] (August 1959 – February 1986 (daily strip), September 1959 – September 1994 (Sunday strip))<br>[[Bobby London]] (February 1986 – July 1992, daily strip only)<br>[[Hy Eisman]] (September 1994 – May 2022, Sunday strip only)<br>[[R. K. Milholland]] (June 2022 – present, Sunday strip only)
| url          = {{URL|popeye.com}}<br>{{URL|https://comicskingdom.com/popeye}}
| status       = New strips on Sundays, reprints Monday through Saturday
| syndicate    = [[King Features Syndicate]]
| publisher    = King Features Syndicate
| first        = {{start date and age|December 19, 1919}}
| last         = July 30, 1992 (last first-run daily strip, Sunday strips continue)
| genre        = [[Humor comics|Humor]], [[Action-adventure comics|adventure]]
}}
Segar's '''''Thimble Theatre'''''<!--boldface per WP:R#PLA--> debuted in the ''[[New York Journal-American|New York Journal]]'' on December 19, 1919. The paper's owner, [[William Randolph Hearst]], also owned [[King Features Syndicate]], which syndicated the strip. ''Thimble Theatre'' was intended as a replacement for ''Midget Movies'' by [[Ed Wheelan]] (Wheelan having recently resigned from King Features).<ref name="alc">Clark, Alan and Laurel. ''Comics: An Illustrated History''. London, Green Wood Publishing, 1992. {{ISBN|9781872532554}} (p.54)</ref> While initially failing to attract a large audience, the strip nonetheless increasingly accumulated a modest following as the 1920s continued. At the end of its first decade, the strip resultantly appeared in over a dozen newspapers and had acquired a corresponding Sunday strip (which had debuted on January 25, 1925, within the Hearst-owned ''[[New York Journal-American|New York American]]'' paper).

[[File:OriginalThimbleTheatreCast.png|thumb|left|upright|The original cast of "Thimble Theatre" in a 1925 Sunday strip. Left to right: Castor Oyl, Ham Gravy and Olive Oyl]]
''Thimble Theatre's'' first main characters were the lanky, long-nosed slacker [[Harold Hamgravy]] (rapidly shortened to simply "Ham Gravy") and his scrappy, headstrong girlfriend Olive Oyl. In its earliest weeks, the strip featured the duo, alongside a rotating cast of primarily one-shot characters, acting out various stories and scenarios in a parodic [[theatre|theatrical]] style (hence the strip's name). As its first year progressed, however, numerous elements of this premise would be relinquished (including the recurring character "Willie Wormwood", introduced as a parody of melodrama villainy), soon rendering the strip a series of episodic comic anecdotes depicting the daily life and dysfunctional romantic exploits of Ham Gravy and Olive Oyl. It could be classified as a [[gag-a-day]] comic during this period.<ref name="alc" />

In  mid-1922, Segar began to increasingly engage in lengthier (often months-long) storylines; by the end of the following year, the strip had effectively changed fully into a comedy-[[adventure fiction|adventure]] style focusing on Ham, Olive, and Olive's ambitious-but-myopic diminutive brother [[Castor Oyl]], initially a minor character yet arguably the protagonist of the strip by 1925. Castor and Olive's parents Cole and Nana Oyl also made frequent appearances beginning in the mid-1920s.<ref name="Character Trail"/> By the late 1920s, the strip had likewise acquired a number of notable characters beyond the sphere of Ham Gravy and the Oyl family, including Castor Oyl's wife Cylinda (to whom he was married from 1926 to 1928), her wealthy, misanthropic father Mr. Lotts  and Castor's [[Cockfighting|fighting cockerel]] Blizzard, all of whom had exited the strip by the close of 1928 (although Cylinda would eventually maritally reunite with Castor under [[R. K. Milholland]]'s authorship almost a century later).

Popeye first appeared in the strip on January 17, 1929, as a minor character. He was initially hired by Castor Oyl and Ham Gravy to crew a ship for a voyage to Dice Island, the location of a casino owned by the crooked gambler Fadewell. Castor intended to break the bank at the casino using the unbeatable good luck conferred by stroking the head feathers of Bernice the Whiffle Hen.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Rovin |first1=Jeff |title=The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Cartoon Animals |date=1991 |publisher=Prentice Hall Press |isbn=0-13-275561-0 |access-date=8 April 2020 |url= https://archive.org/details/illustratedencyc00rovi/page/24/mode/2up/ |page=24}}</ref> Weeks later, on the trip back, Popeye was shot many times by Jack Snork, an undercover stooge of Fadewell's, but survived by rubbing Bernice's head. After the adventure's conclusion in June, Popeye left the strip, but, owing to reader reaction, he was brought back after an absence of only five weeks.<ref name="rg" /><ref name="alc" />

Ultimately, the Popeye character became so popular that he was given a larger role by the following year, and the strip was taken up by many more newspapers as a result. Initial strips presented Olive as being less than impressed with Popeye, but she eventually left Ham to become Popeye's girlfriend in March 1930, precipitating Ham's exit as a regular weeks later. Over the years, however, she has often displayed a fickle attitude towards the sailor. Initially, Castor Oyl continued to come up with [[get-rich-quick scheme]]s and enlisted Popeye in his misadventures. By the end of 1931, however, he settled down as a [[detective]] and later on bought a [[ranch]] out west. Castor's appearances have resultantly become sparser over time. As Castor faded from the strip, [[J. Wellington Wimpy]], a soft-spoken and eloquent yet cowardly [[hamburger]]-loving moocher who would "gladly pay you Tuesday for a hamburger today" was introduced into the Sunday strip, in which he became a fixture by late 1932. After first appearing in the daily strip in March 1933, Wimpy became a full-time major character alongside Popeye and Olive.

''Thimble Theatre'' was renamed '''''Thimble Theatre Starring Popeye'''''<!--boldface per WP:R#PLA--> in 1931.<ref>Fred M. Grandinetti, ''Popeye: An Illustrated Cultural History'', McFarland, 2004, p. 5.</ref> It was eventually renamed simply '''''Popeye'''''<!--boldface per WP:R#PLA; 'Popeye (comic strip)' redirects here-->, the name under which the strip continues to run.

In July 1933, Popeye received a foundling baby in the mail whom he adopted and named [[Swee'Pea]]. Other regular characters introduced into the strip following its retool in 1930 were [[George W. Geezil]], an irascible [[shoemaking|cobbler]] who spoke in a heavily affected accent and habitually attempted to murder or wish death upon Wimpy; Rough-House, the temperamental owner of a budget [[diner]] who served as a long-suffering foil to Wimpy; [[Eugene the Jeep]], a yellow, vaguely doglike animal from Africa with [[magic in fiction|magical]] powers; the [[Sea Hag]], a terrible [[pirate]] and the last [[witch]] on Earth; [[Alice the Goon]], a monstrous creature who entered the strip as the Sea Hag's henchwoman and continued as Swee'Pea's [[babysitter]]; the hapless, perpetually anxious King Blozo; Blozo's unintelligent lackey Oscar; Popeye's lecherous, scheming father [[Poopdeck Pappy]]; and Toar, an ageless, dim-witted caveman.<ref name="bw" /><ref name="Character Trail"/>

Segar's strip was quite different from the theatrical cartoons that followed. The stories were more complex (often spanning months or even years), with a heavier emphasis on verbal comedy and many characters that never appeared in the cartoons (among them King Blozo, Toar, and Rough-House). Spinach usage, a trait introduced in July 1931, was comparatively infrequent, and [[Bluto]] appeared in only one story arc. Segar signed some of his early Popeye comic strips with a [[cigar]], his last name being a [[homophone]] of "cigar" (pronounced SEE-gar). Comics historian Brian Walker stated: "Segar offered up a masterful blend of comedy, fantasy, satire and suspense in ''Thimble Theater Starring Popeye''".<ref name="bw" />

Owing to Popeye's increasingly high profile, ''Thimble Theatre'' became one of King Features' most popular strips during the 1930s. A poll of adult comic strip readers in the April 1937 issue of ''[[Fortune (magazine)|Fortune]]'' magazine voted ''Popeye'' their second-favorite comic strip (after ''[[Little Orphan Annie]]'').<ref name="bw" /> By 1938, ''Thimble Theatre'' was running in 500 newspapers, and over 600 licensed "Popeye" products were on sale.<ref name="bw" /> The success of the strip meant Segar was earning $100,000 a year at the time of his death.<ref name="bw" /> The strip continued after Segar's death in 1938 under a succession of artists and writers. Following an eventual name change to ''Popeye'' in the 1970s and the cancellation of the daily strip in 1992 (in favor of reprints), the comic, now solely a Sunday strip, remains one of the longest-running strips in syndication today.

====Toppers====
''Thimble Theatre'' had a number of [[topper (comic strip)|topper strips]] on the Sunday page during its run; the main topper, ''Sappo'', ran for 21 years, from February&nbsp;28, 1926, to May&nbsp;18, 1947. (''Sappo'' was a revival of an earlier Segar daily strip called ''The Five-Fifteen'', aka ''Sappo the Commuter'', which ran from December&nbsp;24, 1920, to February&nbsp;17, 1925.) For seven weeks in 1936, Segar replaced ''Sappo'' with ''Pete and Pansy – For Kids Only'' (Sept 27 - Nov 8, 1936).<ref name=Holtz>{{cite book |last1=Holtz |first1= Allan |title=American Newspaper Comics: An Encyclopedic Reference Guide |date=2012 |publisher=The University of Michigan Press |location=Ann Arbor, Michigan |isbn= 9780472117567}}</ref>

There were also a series of topper panel strips that ran next to ''Sappo''. Segar drew one of them, ''Popeye's Cartoon Club'' (April 8, 1934 – May 5, 1935). The rest were produced by [[Joe Musial]] and [[Bud Sagendorf]]: ''Wiggle Line Movie'' (September 11 – November 13, 1938), ''Wimpy's Zoo's Who'' (November 20, 1938 – December 1, 1940), ''Play-Store'' (December 8, 1940 – July 18, 1943), ''Popeye's Army and Navy'' (July 25 – September 12, 1943), ''Pinup Jeep'' (September 19, 1943 - April 2, 1944), and ''Me Life by Popeye'' (April 9, 1944-?).<ref name=Holtz/>

====Artists after Segar====
[[File:Thimbledecem11951.jpg|right|thumb|Tom Sims and Bill Zaboly's ''Thimble Theatre'' (December 2, 1951)]]
Following Segar's illness and eventual death in 1938 (with his final ''Thimble Theatre'' strip appearing October 2 of that year), numerous people were hired to draw and write the strip. Tom Sims, the son of a [[Coosa River]] channel-boat captain, acted as the writer for ''Thimble Theatre'' beginning in August 1938 and established the ''Popeye the Sailorman'' spin-off. [[Doc Winner]], who had previously filled in for Segar between January and May 1938, initially acted as Sims' artist, with [[Bela Zaboly]]<ref>{{cite web |url= http://lambiek.net/artists/z/zaboly_bill.htm |title= Comic creator: Bill Zaboly |work= Lambiek.net |date= June 16, 2007 |access-date= November 30, 2009 |archive-date= June 11, 2009 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20090611142404/http://lambiek.net/artists/z/zaboly_bill.htm |url-status= live }}</ref> succeeding him by December 1939. In 1954, Sims relinquished writing duties on the daily strip to Ralph Stein, who would continue to collaborate with Zaboly until both the daily and Sunday strips were taken over by [[Bud Sagendorf]] in 1959.

Sagendorf wrote and drew the daily strip until 1986, and continued to write and draw the [[Sunday strip]] until his death in 1994.<ref name= Holtz/> Sagendorf, who had been Segar's assistant, made a definite effort to retain much of Segar's classic style, although his art is instantly discernible. Sagendorf continued to use many obscure characters from the Segar years, especially O. G. Wotasnozzle and King Blozo. Sagendorf's new characters, such as the Thung, also had a very Segar-like quality.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Grandinetti |first1=Fred |title=Popeye: An Illustrated Cultural History |date=2004 |publisher=McFarland & Co |isbn=9780786416059 |pages=14–16}}</ref> What set Sagendorf apart from Segar more than anything else was his sense of pacing. Where plotlines moved very quickly with Segar, it sometimes took an entire week of Sagendorf's daily strips for the plot to be advanced even a small amount.

From 1986 to 1992, the daily strip was written and drawn by [[Bobby London]], who, after some controversy, was fired from the strip for a story that could be taken to satirize [[abortion]].<ref>{{cite web| url= http://www.comic-art.com/intervws/london.htm| title= Bobby London Interview | archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20100125142108/http://www.comic-art.com/intervws/london.htm |archive-date= January 25, 2010 | website= comic-art.com | interviewer = | access-date= March 29, 2013}}</ref> London's strips put Popeye and his friends in updated situations, but kept the spirit of Segar's original. One classic storyline, titled "The Return of Bluto", showed the sailor battling every version of the bearded bully from the comic strip, comic books, and animated films. The Sunday edition of the comic strip was drawn by [[Hy Eisman]] from 1994 to 2022. Following Eisman's retirement, the Sunday strip was taken over by [[R. K. Milholland]], who had previously contributed ''Popeye'' cartoons to the web-only feature ''Popeye's Cartoon Club'' in 2019 and 2020.<ref>{{cite news
  | last = Cavna
  | first = Michael
  | title = Popeye is getting a makeover at age 93
  | newspaper = [[Washington Post]]
  | date = 2022-06-03
  | url = https://www.washingtonpost.com/comics/2022/06/03/popeye-strip-randy-milholland/
  | access-date = June 4, 2022
  | archive-date = June 4, 2022
  | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20220604074445/https://www.washingtonpost.com/comics/2022/06/03/popeye-strip-randy-milholland/
  | url-status = live
  }}</ref> The daily strip has featured reruns of Sagendorf's strips since London's firing.<ref name="rg" />

On January 1, 2009, 70 years since the death of his creator, Segar's comic strips (though not the various films, TV shows, [[theme music]], and other media based on them) became [[public domain]]<ref name="domain">{{cite news | url= http://www.cbc.ca/news/business/popeye-grey-owl-and-robert-service-join-the-public-domain-1.840389 | publisher= CBC News | title= Popeye, Grey Owl and Robert Service join the public domain | date= January 12, 2009 | website= cbc.ca | access-date= March 29, 2013 | archive-date= November 7, 2013 | archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20131107035606/http://www.cbc.ca/news/business/popeye-grey-owl-and-robert-service-join-the-public-domain-1.840389 | url-status= live }}</ref> in most countries, but remain under [[copyright]] in the United States. Because Segar was an employee of King Features Syndicate when he created the ''Thimble Theatre'' strip, it is treated as a [[work for hire]] under U.S. copyright law. Works for hire are protected for 95 years from publication or 120 years from creation, whichever is shorter.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://ipwatchdog.com/2009/01/05/popeye-falls-into-public-domain-in-europe/id=1345/ |title=Popeye Falls into Public Domain in Europe |first=Gene |last=Quinn |work=IPWatchdog.com |date=January 5, 2009 |access-date=March 11, 2011 |archive-date=January 7, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110107065245/http://ipwatchdog.com/2009/01/05/popeye-falls-into-public-domain-in-europe/id=1345/ |url-status=live }}</ref> As of 2024, ''Thimble Theatre'' comic strips from 1919 through 1928 have entered the public domain, concluding seventeen days before Popeye's first appearance. Even after the strips enter the public domain, [[trademark]]s regarding Popeye remain with King Features, as trademarks do not expire unless they cease to be used, and King Features has used the trademark continuously since the character's debut.

===Comic books===
[[File:Popeye-comic-book-cover.jpg|upright|right|thumb|[[Bud Sagendorf]]'s cover of ''Popeye'' #50 (Oct.–Dec. 1959) shows Popeye with his [[corncob pipe]], single good eye and girlfriend [[Olive Oyl]].]]

There have been a number of Popeye comic books, with his main series running continuously from 1948 to 1984 published in turn by [[Dell Comics]], [[Gold Key Comics]], [[King Comics]], [[Charlton Comics]], and back to Gold Key. The series was originally written and illustrated by [[Bud Sagendorf]]. In the series, Popeye became something of a crimefighter, thwarting evil organizations and Bluto's criminal activities. The new villains included the numerous Misermite dwarfs, who were all identical.

Popeye appeared in the British ''[[TV Comic]]'' becoming the cover story in 1960 with stories written and drawn by "Chick" Henderson. Bluto was referred to as Brutus and was Popeye's only nemesis throughout the entire run.

A variety of artists have created ''Popeye'' comic book stories since then; for example, [[George Wildman]] drew Popeye stories for Charlton Comics from 1969 until the late 1970s. The Gold Key series was illustrated by Wildman and scripted by [[Bill Pearson (American writer)|Bill Pearson]], with some issues written by [[Nick Cuti]].

Popeye also had his own [[manga]] series published by [[Shōnen Gahōsha]], written and drawn by ''[[Robotan]]'' and ''[[Marude Dameo]]'' creator Kenji Morita, which ran from 1961 to 1965.<ref>{{cite tweet |url=https://twitter.com/bobjinx/status/1358273442274025475 |title=I learned today that Popeye manga was a thing. |user=bobjinx |last=Flynn |first=Bob |number=1358273442274025475 |date=February 6, 2021 |access-date=September 21, 2022}}</ref><ref>{{cite tweet |url=https://twitter.com/bakertoons/status/1110382139512627200 |title=Was looking up Kenji Morita, and I have to say I like his style! |user=bakertoons |last=Brubaker |first=Charles |number=1110382139512627200 |date=March 25, 2019 |access-date=September 21, 2022}}</ref><ref>{{cite tweet |url=https://twitter.com/bakertoons/status/1110384933753798656 |title=Yep, he drew the Popeye manga from 1961-65 (not the '50s as I stated in the post. Oops). |user=bakertoons |last=Brubaker |first=Charles |number=1110384933753798656 |date=March 25, 2019 |access-date=September 21, 2022}}</ref>

In 1988, Ocean Comics released the ''Popeye Special'' written by [[Ron Fortier]] with art by [[Ben Dunn]]. The story presented Popeye's origin story, including his given name of "Ugly Kidd"<ref>{{cite web |last= Sterling |first= Mike |title= I Sorta Do and Sorta Don't Want This to Be Officially Part of Popeye's Backstory |url= http://www.progressiveruin.com/2012/09/20/i-sorta-do-and-sorta-dont-want-this-to-be-officially-part-of-popeyes-backstory/ |publisher= Progressive Ruin |access-date= December 11, 2013 |date= September 20, 2012 |archive-date= January 19, 2013 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20130119131053/http://www.progressiveruin.com/2012/09/20/i-sorta-do-and-sorta-dont-want-this-to-be-officially-part-of-popeyes-backstory/ |url-status= live }}</ref> and attempted to tell more of a lighthearted adventure story as opposed to using typical comic strip style humor. The story also featured a more realistic art style and was edited by Bill Pearson, who also lettered and inked the story as well as the front cover.<ref>{{Cite comic| writer=Fortier, Ron| penciller= Dunn, Ben | inker=Pearson, Bill| story=Borned to the Sea| title=Popeye Special | volume=1 | issue= 1| date=June 1987| publisher=Ocean Comics | page=| panel=}}</ref> A second issue, by the same creative team, followed in 1988. The second issue introduced the idea that Bluto and Brutus were actually twin brothers and not the same person,<ref>{{Cite comic| writer= Fortier, Ron| penciller=Dunn, Ben, [[Tom Grummett|Grummett, Tom]], Kato, Gary| inker=Barras, Dell| story=Double Trouble Down Under| title=Popeye Special | volume=1 | issue=2| date=September 1988| publisher= Ocean Comics | page=| panel=}}</ref> an idea also used in the comic strip on December 28, 2008, and April 5, 2009.<ref>{{citation | date = December 28, 2008 | title = Popeye | url= |access-date= }}</ref><ref>{{citation | date = April 5, 2009 | title = Popeye| url= |access-date= }}</ref> In 1999, to celebrate Popeye's 70th anniversary, Ocean Comics revisited the franchise with a one-shot comic book, ''The Wedding of Popeye and Olive Oyl'', written by [[Peter David]]. The comic book brought together a large portion of the casts of both the comic strip and the animated shorts, and Popeye and Olive Oyl were finally wed after decades of courtship. However, this marriage has not been reflected in all media since the comic was published.

In 2012, writer [[Roger Langridge]] teamed with cartoonists [[Bruce Ozella]], Ken Wheaton, and Tom Neely (among others) to revive the spirit of Segar in a 12-issue comic book miniseries published by [[IDW Publishing]]. Critic PS Hayes in reviewing the series stated:
{{blockquote|Langridge writes a story with a ''lot'' of dialogue (compared to your average comic book) and it's all necessary, funny, and entertaining. Bruce Ozella draws the perfect Popeye. Not only Popeye, but Popeye's whole world. Everything looks like it should, cartoony and goofy. Plus, he brings an unusual amount of detail to something that doesn't really need it. You'll swear that you're looking at an old Whitman Comics issue of Popeye, only it's better. Ozella is a great storyteller and even though the issue is jam packed with dialog, the panels never look cramped at all.<ref>{{cite web | url= http://www.geeksofdoom.com/2012/04/25/comic-review-popeye-1/ | title= Review: Popeye #1 | website= Geeksofdoom.com | date= April 25, 2012 | access-date= March 29, 2013 | archive-date= March 31, 2024 | archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20240331204938/https://geeksofdoom.com/2012/04/25/comic-review-popeye-1 | url-status= live }}</ref>}}

In late 2012, IDW began reprinting the original 1940s–1950s Sagendorf Popeye comic books under the title of ''Classic Popeye''.

In November 2022, the publication of a new [[manga]]-inspired series called ''Eye Lie Popeye'' by Marcus Williams was announced,<ref>{{Cite web |title=Popeye Announces First Manga With Special First Look (Exclusive) |url=https://comicbook.com/anime/news/popeye-sailor-man-manga-comic/ |access-date=2023-11-20 |website=Anime |date=November 21, 2022 |language=en |archive-date=November 20, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231120190834/https://comicbook.com/anime/news/popeye-sailor-man-manga-comic/ |url-status=live }}</ref> the series will be published in 2024 by Massive Publishing.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Comments |first=Rich Johnston {{!}} |date=2023-11-20 |title=Popeye Revamped Like One Piece in Massive's February 2024 Solicits |url=https://bleedingcool.com/comics/popeye-revamped-like-one-piece-in-massives-february-2024-solicits/ |access-date=2023-11-20 |website=bleedingcool.com |language=en |archive-date=November 20, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231120190835/https://bleedingcool.com/comics/popeye-revamped-like-one-piece-in-massives-february-2024-solicits/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

===Webcomics===
In January 2019, in celebration of its 90 years of character, King Feature Syndicate launched the [[webcomic]] ''Popeye's Cartoon Club''. In a series of Sunday-format comics, a wide assortment of artists depicted the characters in their own styles in one comic each, including [[Alex Hallatt]], [[Erica Henderson]], Tom Neely, [[Roger Langridge]], Larry deSouza, [[Robert Sikoryak]], [[Jeffrey Brown (cartoonist)|Jeffrey Brown]], Jim Engel, [[Liniers (cartoonist)|Liniers]], Jay Fosgitt, [[Carol Lay]], and Randy Milholland.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.dailycartoonist.com/index.php/2019/01/16/popeyes-cartoon-club-debuts-january-17/|title=Popeye's Cartoon Club debuts January 17|date=January 17, 2019|website=The Daily Cartoonist|access-date=June 25, 2019|archive-date=April 18, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190418005951/https://www.dailycartoonist.com/index.php/2019/01/16/popeyes-cartoon-club-debuts-january-17/|url-status=live}}</ref> At the end of the year, Milholland's ''Cartoon Club'' comic was declared the number one comic of the year on King Features' website, Comics Kingdom.<ref>{{cite tweet|number=1212056331286437890|user=PopeyeTweetsk|title=Popeye's Cartoon Club by Randy Milholland on Jun. 1 topped Comics Kingdom Top 10 Comics of the Year! 💪⚓--- Get…|date=December 31, 2019}}</ref>

From February through April 2020, ''Cartoon Club'' ran an additional five comics by Milholland,<ref>{{cite tweet|number=1229065488338124800|user=PopeyeTweetsk|title=In a special bonus series of #PopeyesCartoonClub, Popeye realizes somethin' about his nephews...Brought to you by…|date=February 16, 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite tweet|number=1231602231490818049|user=PopeyeTweetsk|title=In a special bonus series of #PopeyesCartoonClub, Olive Oyl meets Snake Oyl?Brought to you by Randy Milholland (…|date=February 23, 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite tweet|number=1234138955945332737|user=PopeyeTweetsk|title=In a special bonus series of #PopeyesCartoonClub, Popeye shows Sweet Pea the photo album of orphans.Brought to yo…|date=March 1, 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite tweet|number=1236660621321613313|user=PopeyeTweetsk|title=In a special bonus series of #PopeyesCartoonClub, Bluto and Brutus have a chat about Popeye.Brought to you by Ran…|date=March 8, 2020}}</ref><ref>{{cite tweet|number=1255867157768011777|user=PopeyeTweetsk|title=✨ In a special comic by Randy Milholland (@choochoobear), Popeye pays a visit to Sea Hag to make sure she's hanging…|date=April 30, 2020}}</ref> which was followed by an extended run from May 28 through July 6, 2020,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.comicskingdom.com/popeyes-cartoon-club/2020-05-28|title=''Popeye's Cartoon Club''|date=May 28, 2020|website=Comics Kingdom|access-date=June 4, 2020|archive-date=March 14, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220314091333/https://comicskingdom.com/popeyes-cartoon-club/2020-05-28|url-status=live}}</ref> making Milholland the first person to write a daily-update ''Popeye'' comic for King Features since 1994.

In August 2022, a new twice-weekly (Tuesdays and Thursdays) webcomic titled ''Olive & Popeye'' debuted. Milholland writes and draws the Thursday strips, which focus on Popeye and his extended family, while Tuesday strips focus on Olive and her own adventures. These were initially drawn by Shadia Amin, who was later replaced by Emi Burdge in October 2023. The two storylines run in parallel and occasionally intersect.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://comicskingdom.com/Olive-Popeye/archive?ckpage=5|title=Olive & Popeye|website=[[Comics Kingdom]]|access-date=October 6, 2023|archive-date=October 30, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231030163018/https://comicskingdom.com/Olive-Popeye/archive?ckpage=5|url-status=live}}</ref>

==Animation==
===Theatrical animated shorts===
{{Main|Popeye the Sailor (film series)}}
{{more citations needed|section|date=January 2021}}
In November 1932, King Features signed an agreement with [[Fleischer Studios]] to have Popeye and the other ''Thimble Theatre'' characters begin appearing in a series of animated cartoons released by [[Paramount Pictures]]. The first cartoon in the series was released in 1933, and ''Popeye'' cartoons remained a staple of Paramount's release schedule for nearly 25 years.<ref name=Lenburg/> [[Billy Costello (actor)|Billy Costello]] was the original voice of Popeye, a voice that was replicated by later performers, such as [[Jack Mercer]] and even [[Mae Questel]]. Many of the ''Thimble Theatre'' characters, including Wimpy, Poopdeck Pappy, and Eugene the Jeep, eventually made appearances in the Paramount cartoons, though Olive Oyl's extended family and Ham Gravy were absent. Thanks to the animated-short series, Popeye became even more of a sensation than he had been in comic strips, and by 1938, polls showed that the sailor was Hollywood's most popular cartoon character.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://forums.goldenagecartoons.com/showthread.php?t=2907|title=GAC Forums – Popeye's Popularity – Article from 1935|publisher=Forums.goldenagecartoons.com|access-date=November 30, 2009|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110711104313/http://forums.goldenagecartoons.com/showthread.php?t=2907|archive-date=July 11, 2011|df=mdy-all}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.awn.com/mag/issue2.4/awm2.4pages/2.4langerpopeye.html |title=Popeye From Strip To Screen |website=awn.com |access-date=November 30, 2009 |archive-date=November 25, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091125203044/http://www.awn.com/mag/issue2.4/awm2.4pages/2.4langerpopeye.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

Although Segar may have used spinach as a prop a few times, it was Max Fleischer who realized its potential as a trademark. In almost every Popeye cartoon, the sailor is invariably put into what seems like a hopeless situation, upon which (usually after a beating), a can of spinach becomes available, and Popeye quickly opens the can and consumes its contents. Upon swallowing the spinach, Popeye's physical strength immediately becomes superhuman, and he is easily able to save the day, and very often rescue Olive Oyl from a dire situation. It did not stop there, as spinach could also give Popeye the skills and powers he needed, as in ''The Man on the Flying Trapeze'', where it gave him acrobatic skills. This cartoon, incidentally was the only appearance of Olive Oyl's mother, Nana.

In May 1942, Paramount Pictures assumed ownership of Fleischer Studios, fired the Fleischers and began reorganizing the studio, which they renamed [[Famous Studios]]. The early Famous-era shorts were often World War II-themed, featuring Popeye fighting [[Nazi German]]s and [[Empire of Japan|Japanese]] soldiers, most notably the 1942 short ''[[You're a Sap, Mr. Jap]]''. In late 1943, the ''Popeye'' series began to be produced in [[Technicolor]], beginning with ''Her Honor the Mare.'' Famous/Paramount continued producing the ''Popeye'' series until 1957, with ''[[Spooky Swabs]]'' being the last of the 125 Famous shorts in the series. Paramount then sold the ''Popeye'' film catalog to [[Associated Artists Productions]], which was bought out by [[United Artists]] in 1958. Through various mergers, the rights are currently controlled by [[Warner Bros. Discovery]].

In 2001, [[Cartoon Network]], under the supervision of animation historian [[Jerry Beck]], created a new incarnation of ''[[The Popeye Show]]''. The show aired the Fleischer and Famous Studios ''Popeye'' shorts in versions approximating their original theatrical releases by editing copies of the original opening and closing credits (taken or recreated from various sources) onto the beginnings and ends of each cartoon, or in some cases, in their complete, uncut original theatrical versions direct from such prints that originally contained the front-and-end Paramount credits. The series aired 135 ''Popeye'' shorts over 45 episodes, until March 2004. ''The Popeye Show'' continued to air on Cartoon Network's spin-off network [[Boomerang (TV network)|Boomerang]].

While many of the Paramount ''Popeye'' cartoons remained unavailable on video, a handful of those cartoons had fallen into [[public domain]] and were found on numerous low budget VHS tapes and later DVDs. When [[Turner Entertainment]] acquired the cartoons in 1986, a long and laborious legal struggle with King Features kept the majority of the original Popeye shorts from official video releases for more than 20 years. King Features instead opted to release a DVD boxed set of the 1960s made-for-television ''[[Popeye the Sailor (TV series)|Popeye the Sailor]]'' cartoons, to which it retained the rights, in 2004. In the meantime, home video rights to the Associated Artists Productions library were transferred from [[CBS/Fox Video]] to [[MGM Home Entertainment|MGM/UA Home Video]] in 1986, and eventually to [[Warner Home Video]] in 1999. In 2006, Warner Home Video announced it would release all of the ''Popeye'' cartoons produced for theatrical release between 1933 and 1957 on DVD, restored and uncut. Three volumes were released between 2007 and 2008, covering all of the black-and-white cartoons produced from 1933 to 1943. In December 2018, a fourth volume featuring the first 14 color shorts from 1943 to 1945 was released on DVD and [[Blu-ray]] from Warner Home Video through the [[Warner Archive Collection]].

===Original television cartoons===
In 1960, King Features Syndicate commissioned a new series of cartoons titled ''[[Popeye the Sailor (TV series)|Popeye the Sailor]]'', but this time for television syndication. [[Al Brodax]] served as executive producer of the cartoons for King Features. [[Jack Mercer]], [[Mae Questel]], and [[Jackson Beck]] returned for this series, which was produced by a number of companies, including [[Jack Kinney|Jack Kinney Productions]], [[Rembrandt Films]], [[Larry Harmon|Larry Harmon Productions]], [[Halas and Batchelor]], and [[Paramount Cartoon Studios]] (formerly Famous Studios). The artwork was streamlined and simplified for the television budgets, and 220 cartoons were produced in only two years, with the first set of them premiering in the autumn of 1960, and the last of them debuting during the 1961–1962 television season. For these cartoons, Bluto's name was changed to "Brutus", as King Features believed at the time that Paramount owned the rights to the name "Bluto". Many of the cartoons made by Paramount used plots and storylines taken directly from the comic strip sequences – as well as characters like King Blozo and the Sea Hag.<ref>{{cite web |author= Ian |url= http://www.straightdope.com/mailbag/mpopeye.html |title= The S Dope Mailbag: Is Popeye's nemesis named Bluto or Brutus? |publisher= [[The Straight Dope]] |website= Straightdope.com |date= 1969-12-31 |access-date= November 30, 2009 |archive-date= January 8, 2009 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20090108151031/http://www.straightdope.com/mailbag/mpopeye.html |url-status= live }}</ref> Since King Features has exclusive rights to these ''Popeye'' cartoons, they have been released on home video, with 85 of them included in a 75th anniversary ''Popeye'' DVD boxed set in 2004.

Popeye, Olive Oyl, Swee'Pea and Wimpy were featured prominently in the cartoon movie "[[Popeye Meets the Man Who Hated Laughter]]", which debuted on October 7, 1972, as one of the episodes of ''[[The ABC Saturday Superstar Movie]]''. In this cartoon, Brutus also appears as a turban-wearing employee of the nemesis, Dr. Morbid Grimsby.

On September 9, 1978, ''[[The All New Popeye Hour]]'' debuted on the [[CBS]] Saturday morning lineup. It was an hour-long animated series produced by [[Hanna-Barbera|Hanna-Barbera Productions]], which tried its best to retain the style of the original comic strip (Popeye returned to his original costume and Brutus to his original name of Bluto), while complying with the prevailing content restrictions on violence. In addition to providing many of the cartoon scripts, Mercer continued to voice Popeye, while [[Marilyn Schreffler]] and [[Allan Melvin]] became the new voices of Olive Oyl and Bluto, respectively. ''The All New Popeye Hour'' ran on CBS until September 1981, when it was cut to a half-hour and retitled ''The Popeye and Olive Comedy Show''. It was removed from the CBS lineup in September 1983, the year before Jack Mercer's death. These cartoons have also been released on VHS and DVD.

During the time these cartoons were in production, CBS aired ''The Popeye Valentine's Day Special – Sweethearts at Sea'' on February 14, 1979.

Popeye briefly returned to CBS in 1987 for ''[[Popeye and Son]]'', another [[Hanna-Barbera]] series, which featured Popeye and Olive as a married couple with a son named Popeye Jr., who hates the taste of spinach, but eats it to boost his strength. [[Maurice LaMarche]] performed Popeye's voice as Mercer had died in 1984. The show lasted for one season. [[USA Network]] later picked up reruns of the series after CBS's cancellation.  Additionally, the series aired on [[The Family Channel (American TV network, founded 1990)|The Family Channel]] from 1994 until 1995.

In 2004, [[Lionsgate]] produced an animated television special, ''[[Popeye's Voyage: The Quest for Pappy]]'' to coincide with the 75th anniversary of Popeye. [[Billy West (voice actor)|Billy West]] performed the voice of Popeye, describing the production as "the hardest job I ever did, ever" and the voice of Popeye as "like a buzzsaw on your throat".<ref>{{cite web| first = Billy | last = West | url= https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rckKbQeVeAI| archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211030/rckKbQeVeAI| archive-date=2021-10-30| title=The many voices of Billy West| publisher= Penn's Sunday School| date= August 9, 2012| via= YouTube}}{{cbignore}}</ref> The uncut version was released on DVD on November 9, 2004; and was aired in a re-edited version on [[Fox Broadcasting Company|Fox]] on December 17, 2004, and again on December 30, 2005. Its style was influenced by the 1930s Fleischer cartoons, and featured Swee'Pea, Wimpy, Bluto, Olive Oyl, Poopdeck Pappy, and the Sea Hag as its characters. On November 6, 2007, Lionsgate re-released ''Popeye's Voyage'' on DVD with redesigned cover art.

===Web series<!--'Popeye's Island Adventures' redirects here-->===
On December 2, 2018, a Popeye web series named '''''Popeye's Island Adventures'''''<!--boldface per WP:R#PLA--> produced by [[WildBrain]] subsidiary [[WildBrain Spark Studios]] premiered on the official Popeye [[YouTube]] channel. With intent on drawing in a younger, contemporary, international audience, the new series has updated the Popeye characters to fit the times. For instance, Popeye grows his own spinach and has replaced his [[corncob pipe]] with a [[bosun's whistle]]. Bluto no longer sports a [[beard]] and focuses his time on stealing Popeye's [[spinach]] rather than his girlfriend. Olive Oyl is shown as an inventor and engineer. The characters are drawn to appear younger than typically done, save Swea'pea, and no words are spoken, with all actions mimed.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Gene Gustines |first1=George |title=New Popeye Videos Show What 90 Years of Spinach Can Do for a Guy |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2018/12/02/business/media/popeye-the-sailor-cartoon.html |newspaper=[[The New York Times]] |date=December 2, 2018 |access-date=December 3, 2018 |archive-date=December 3, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181203055954/https://www.nytimes.com/2018/12/02/business/media/popeye-the-sailor-cartoon.html |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://screenrant.com/popeye-animated-shorts-youtube/|title=New Popeye Animated Short Series Premieres On YouTube|date=December 4, 2018|website=ScreenRant|access-date=January 17, 2019|archive-date=January 19, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190119121144/https://screenrant.com/popeye-animated-shorts-youtube/|url-status=live}}</ref>

==Theme song<!--'I'm Popeye the Sailor Man' redirects here-->==
{{Infobox song
| name          = I'm Popeye the Sailor Man
| artist        = [[Billy Costello (actor)|Billy Costello]]<br><small>later by [[Jack Mercer]]</small>
| released      = 1933
| recorded      = 1933
| composer      = [[Sammy Lerner]]
}}
{{Blockquote
|text= I'm Popeye the Sailor Man<br>I'm Popeye the Sailor Man<br>I'm strong to the "finich"<br>'cause I eats me spinach<br>I'm Popeye the Sailor Man}}

Popeye's theme song, titled "'''I'm Popeye the Sailor Man'''<!--boldface per WP:R#PLA-->", composed by [[Sammy Lerner]] in 1933 for Fleischer's first [[Popeye the Sailor (film)|''Popeye the Sailor'' cartoon]],<ref>CD liner notes: ''Saturday Morning: Cartoons' Greatest Hits'', 1995 MCA Records</ref> has become forever associated with the sailor. "[[The Sailor's Hornpipe]]" has often been used as an introduction to Popeye's theme song.

A cover of the theme song, performed by [[Face to Face (punk band)|Face to Face]], is included on the 1995 [[tribute album]] ''[[Saturday Morning: Cartoons' Greatest Hits (album)|Saturday Morning: Cartoons' Greatest Hits]]'', produced by [[Ralph Sall]] for [[MCA Records]]. A jazz version, performed by Ted Kooshian's Standard Orbit Quartet, appears on their 2009 Summit Records release ''Underdog and Other Stories''.

[[Playground song]] [[parody|parodies]] of the theme have become part of [[children's street culture]] around the world,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.fresnostate.edu/folklore/ballads/OpGa146.html|title=Popeye the Sailor Man|website=www.fresnostate.edu|access-date=April 20, 2015|archive-date=April 27, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150427111328/http://www.fresnostate.edu/folklore/ballads/OpGa146.html|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=x3NK8BYU1eUC&pg=PA161|title=Folklore from Contemporary Jamaicans|isbn=9780870495663|last1=Dance|first1=Daryl Cumber|year=1985|publisher=Univ. of Tennessee Press|access-date=April 20, 2015|archive-date=March 31, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240331204853/https://books.google.com/books?id=x3NK8BYU1eUC&pg=PA161#v=onepage&q&f=false|url-status=live}}</ref> usually interpolating "[[frying pan]]" or "[[garbage can]]" into the lyrics as Popeye's dwelling place<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.odps.org/glossword/index.php?a=term&d=3&t=788|title=popeye the sailor man|access-date=April 20, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150427145052/http://www.odps.org/glossword/index.php?a=term&d=3&t=788|archive-date=April 27, 2015|url-status=dead|df=mdy-all}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.playgroundjungle.com/2009/12/im-popeye-sailor-man.html|title=Im Popeye the Sailor Man|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150105052556/http://www.playgroundjungle.com/2009/12/im-popeye-sailor-man.html|archive-date=January 5, 2015|df=mdy-all}}</ref> and ascribing to the character various unsavory actions or habits<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=9_4fUgF9BFMC&pg=PA107|title=Yo Mama!: New Raps, Toasts, Dozens, Jokes, and Children's Rhymes from Urban Black America|isbn=9781592130290|last1=Jemie|first1=Onwuchekwa|year=2003|publisher=Temple University Press|access-date=April 20, 2015|archive-date=March 31, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240331204850/https://books.google.com/books?id=9_4fUgF9BFMC&pg=PA107#v=onepage&q&f=false|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=sdWwHbOf4oAC&pg=PA112|title=The Lore and Language of Schoolchildren|quote=...for some reason he chiefly features in verses which are obscene.|isbn=9780940322691|last1=Opie|first1=Iona Archibald|last2=Opie|first2=Peter|year=2001|publisher=New York Review of Books|access-date=April 20, 2015|archive-date=March 31, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240331204936/https://books.google.com/books?id=sdWwHbOf4oAC&pg=PA112#v=onepage&q&f=false|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|url=https://archive.org/details/americanchildren00bron|url-access=registration|page=[https://archive.org/details/americanchildren00bron/page/109 109]|title=American Children's Folklore|publisher=august house|isbn=9780874830682|last1=Bronner|first1=Simon J.|year=1988}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=7GN0E_diWbAC&pg=PA263|title=From Abba to Zoom: A Pop Culture Encyclopedia of the Late 20th Century|isbn=9780740793073|last1=Mansour|first1=David|date=2011-06-01|publisher=Andrews McMeel|access-date=April 20, 2015|archive-date=March 31, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240331204851/https://books.google.com/books?id=7GN0E_diWbAC&pg=PA263|url-status=live}}</ref> that transform the character into an "Anti-Popeye", and changing his exemplary spinach-based diet into an inedible morass of [[worm]]s, [[onion]]s, [[fly|flies]], [[tortilla]]s and [[Nasal mucus|snot]].<ref>{{cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=BTPh2zvOzmAC&pg=PA55|title=Children's Folklore: A SourceBook|quote=Each parody creates a fictive world that stands as a miniature rite of rebellion, a vision of a counter-factual world inhabited by worm-eating garbage-can residents, and tortilla-wielding aunt-killers. The exemplary Popeye is converted into an anti-Popeye, exhibiting filthy and murderous qualities obviously anathema to the conventional etiquette.|isbn=9781136546112|last1=Sutton-Smith|first1=Brian|last2=Mechling|first2=Jay|last3=Johnson|first3=Thomas W.|last4=McMahon|first4=Felicia|date=2012-10-12|publisher=Routledge|access-date=April 20, 2015|archive-date=March 31, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240331204950/https://books.google.com/books?id=BTPh2zvOzmAC&pg=PA55#v=onepage&q&f=false|url-status=live}}</ref>

==Portrayals==
* [[Billy Costello (actor)|Billy Costello]] (1933–1935)<ref name="CartoonVoices"/>
* [[Harry Foster Welch]] (1934–1940s, 1946–1947, 1960s; public events and amusement parks, [[Pleasure Island (Massachusetts amusement park)|Pleasure Island]], cartoons, [[Peter Pan Records]] records)<ref name="Welch 1"/><ref name="Welch 2"/>
* [[Jack Mercer]] (1934–1945, 1947–1984)<ref name="CartoonVoices"/>
* [[Floyd Buckley]] (1936–1937, 1945–1946; ''Popeye the Sailor'' radio show, [[Bluebird Records]] records, cartoons)<ref name="Buckley"/><ref name="Welch 1"/>
* [[Mae Questel]] (1945–1946; cartoons)<ref name="Questel Interview"/><ref name="CartoonVoices"/>
* [[Allen Swift]] (1956, 1959, 1960s–1970s; ''Official TV Popeye Record Album'', ''Popeye's Favorite Sea Shanties'', Start commercials)<ref name="Swift">{{cite web|title=Popeye Records with "Captain Allen Swift"|url=https://cartoonresearch.com/index.php/popeye-records-with-captain-allen-swift/|website=cartoonresearch.com|access-date=28 August 2020|archive-date=March 11, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240311144729/https://cartoonresearch.com/index.php/popeye-records-with-captain-allen-swift/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="Start">{{cite web|url=https://www.behindthevoiceactors.com/commercials/Start/Popeye/|title=Voice(s) of Popeye in Start|website=Behind The Voice Actors|language=en-US|access-date=2020-07-11|archive-date=July 11, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200711015826/https://www.behindthevoiceactors.com/commercials/Start/Popeye/|url-status=live}}</ref>
* [[Robin Williams]] (1980; ''[[Popeye (film)|Popeye]]'')
* [[Maurice LaMarche]] (1987–1990; ''[[Popeye and Son]]'')
* [[Jeff Bergman]] (1989–1996; commercials)<ref name="Quaker Oats">{{cite web|url=https://www.behindthevoiceactors.com/commercials/Quaker-Oats/|title=Quaker Oats|website=Behind The Voice Actors|language=en-US|access-date=2020-07-11|archive-date=August 9, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200809072326/https://www.behindthevoiceactors.com/commercials/Quaker-Oats/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="USPS">{{cite web|url=https://www.behindthevoiceactors.com/commercials/United-States-Postal-Service/|title=United States Postal Service|website=Behind The Voice Actors|language=en-US|access-date=2022-02-09|archive-date=February 9, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220209200430/https://www.behindthevoiceactors.com/commercials/United-States-Postal-Service/|url-status=live}}</ref>
* [[Wally Wingert]] (1997–1998; ''Popeye and the Quest For the Woolly Mammoth'', ''Popeye: The Rescue'', ''Popeye and the Sunken Treasure'')<ref name="Woolly Mammoth"/><ref name="Sunken Treasure"/><ref name="Did You Know"/>
* [[Billy West]] (2001, 2004, 2006; [[Minute Maid]] commercial, ''[[Popeye's Voyage: The Quest for Pappy]]'', ''[[Drawn Together]]'')<ref name="Drawn Together">{{cite web|url=https://www.behindthevoiceactors.com/tv-shows/Drawn-Together/Popeye/|title=Voice of Popeye in Drawn Together|website=Behind The Voice Actors|language=en-US|access-date=2020-08-27|archive-date=October 22, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211022174743/https://www.behindthevoiceactors.com/tv-shows/Drawn-Together/Popeye/|url-status=live}}</ref>
* [[Tom Kenny]] (2014; [[#Feature films|animation test]])<ref name="Popeye film"/>
* Joe Newton (2018; ''Popeye's Island Adventures'')<ref name="Island Adventures"/>

===Additional actors===
* [[Poley McClintock]] (1935; ''Beware of Barnacle Bill'')<ref name="CartoonVoices"/>
* Detmar Poppen (1935–1936; ''Popeye the Sailor'' radio show)<ref name="Radio">{{cite web|title=Gus Wicke, An Appreciation|url=https://cartoonresearch.com/index.php/gus-wicke-an-appreciation/|website=cartoonresearch.com|access-date=22 June 2021|archive-date=June 24, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210624050420/https://cartoonresearch.com/index.php/gus-wicke-an-appreciation/|url-status=live}}</ref>
* [[Candy Candido]] (1952; ''I'm Popeye the Sailor Man/The Little White Duck'')<ref name="Popeye and Duck">{{cite web|title=Candy Candido - I'm Popeye The Sailor Man / The Little White Duck (Shellac)|url=https://www.discogs.com/Candy-Candido-I'm-Popeye-The-Sailor-Man-The-Little-White-Duck/release/14293165|publisher=Discogs|access-date=August 30, 2020}}</ref>
* Tetsuo Nishihama (1978; ''Popeye the Sailorman/Olive and Bluto's Race Song'')<ref name="Spinach Power 1">{{cite web|title=Spinach Power – Popeye The Sailorman = ポパイ ザ セーラーマン (1978, Vinyl)|date=September 24, 1978|url=https://www.discogs.com/Spinach-Power-Popeye-The-Sailorman-ポパイ-ザ-セーラーマン/release/2473369|publisher=Discogs|access-date=March 16, 2021|archive-date=May 26, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210526195210/https://www.discogs.com/Spinach-Power-Popeye-The-Sailorman-ポパイ-ザ-セーラーマン/release/2473369|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="Spinach Power 2">{{cite web|title=SPINACH POWER/オリーブとブルートの競走曲(1978)|url=http://tgroovemusique.blog75.fc2.com/blog-category-164.html|publisher=DISCO 45・・・7インチ・シングル発掘の旅|access-date=March 16, 2021|archive-date=May 26, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210526195211/http://tgroovemusique.blog75.fc2.com/blog-category-164.html|url-status=live}}</ref>
* [[Tex Brashear]] (1987; [[Cocoa Puffs]] commercials)<ref name="Cocoa Puffs">{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-LwXb72VUtY&t=3s| archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211030/-LwXb72VUtY| archive-date=2021-10-30|title=Cocoa Puffs with Popeye 1987| date=July 10, 2013|publisher=YouTube|access-date=9 June 2021}}{{cbignore}}</ref><ref name="Tex Brashear">{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i3O4ihvM4yc&t=260s| archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211030/i3O4ihvM4yc| archive-date=2021-10-30|title=Tex Brashear- The Man of 3000 Voices| date=January 30, 2010|publisher=YouTube|access-date=9 June 2021}}{{cbignore}}</ref>
* [[Víctor Laplace]] (1992; ''Popeye y Olivia'')<ref name="Popeye Olivia 1">{{cite web|title=Popeye y Olivia|url=https://vimeo.com/71029611|publisher=Vimeo|access-date=18 June 2021|archive-date=8 July 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230708171131/https://vimeo.com/71029611|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="Popeye Olivia 2">{{cite web|title=Creó la frase más famosa entre las esposas y alerta que en Wikipedia está mal su edad: Linda Peretz y los "tres años menos"|date=October 19, 2023 |url=https://www.lanacion.com.ar/espectaculos/nacio-en-un-conventillo-creo-un-personaje-eterno-y-dice-que-en-wikipedia-esta-mal-su-edad-linda-nid19102023/|publisher=La Nación|access-date=April 4, 2024}}</ref>
* [[Sonny Melendrez]] (1994; [[Dickinson Theatres]] commercials)<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.behindthevoiceactors.com/commercials/Dickinson-Theatres/|title=Dickinson Theatres|website=Behind The Voice Actors|language=en-US|access-date=2020-07-11|archive-date=July 15, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200715101840/https://www.behindthevoiceactors.com/commercials/Dickinson-Theatres/|url-status=live}}</ref>
* Tim Kitzrow (1994; ''[[Popeye Saves the Earth]]'')<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.behindthevoiceactors.com/video-games/Popeye-Saves-The-Earth/|title=Popeye Saves the Earth|website=Behind The Voice Actors|language=en-US|access-date=2020-07-15|archive-date=August 9, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200809081453/https://www.behindthevoiceactors.com/video-games/Popeye-Saves-The-Earth/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="Tim Kitzrow 1">{{cite web|title=Tim Kitzrow - Voice Over/Writing/Producing|url=https://www.linkedin.com/in/tim-kitzrow-6275073a|publisher=LinkedIn|access-date=June 30, 2024}}</ref><ref name="Tim Kitzrow 2">{{cite web|title=Breaking into the industry: Tim Kitzrow|date=February 16, 2000 |url=https://www.ign.com/articles/2000/02/16/breaking-into-the-industry-tim-kitzrow|publisher=IGN|access-date=June 30, 2024}}</ref>
* [[Geertjan Hessing]] (1997; "I'm Popeye The Sailor Man" cover)<ref name="Popeye Cat Music">{{cite web|url=https://www.discogs.com/release/6018666-Popeye-Im-Popeye-The-Sailorman|title=Popeye – I'm Popeye The Sailorman (1997, CD)|date=1997 |publisher=Discogs|access-date=October 16, 2023|archive-date=October 30, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231030163016/https://www.discogs.com/release/6018666-Popeye-Im-Popeye-The-Sailorman|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="Cartoon Hits">{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uNLbvxwkwOo|title=Popeye the Sailorman|date=May 31, 2015 |publisher=YouTube|access-date=27 August 2023|archive-date=August 27, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230827203843/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uNLbvxwkwOo|url-status=live}}</ref>
* [[Keith Scott (voice actor)|Keith Scott]] (1997, 1999; ''[[Popeye & Bluto's Bilge-Rat Barges]]'', ''Pandemonium Cartoon Circus'')<ref>{{cite web|last1=Scott|first1=Keith|title=Popeye's Bilge-Rat Barges|url=http://voicechasers.com/database/showprod.php?prodid=75|access-date=September 25, 2016|archive-date=May 25, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190525153246/http://voicechasers.com/database/showprod.php?prodid=75|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref name="Bilgerat Barge">{{cite web|url=https://www.behindthevoiceactors.com/rides-attractions/Popeye-and-Blutos-Bilge-Rat-Barges/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191206004239/https://www.behindthevoiceactors.com/rides-attractions/Popeye-and-Blutos-Bilge-Rat-Barges/|url-status=dead|archive-date=December 6, 2019|title=Popeye and Bluto's Bilge-Rat Barges|website=Behind The Voice Actors|language=en-US|access-date=2020-08-27}}</ref><ref name="Cartoon Circus">{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PYRAek0PqvI&t=13s| archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211030/PYRAek0PqvI| archive-date=2021-10-30|title=Toon Lagoon Pandemonium Cartoon Circus (1999)| date=October 24, 2020|publisher=YouTube|access-date=May 9, 2021}}{{cbignore}}</ref>
* [[Scott Innes]] (1998; [[Campbell Soup Company|Campbell's Soup]] commercial)<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.behindthevoiceactors.com/commercials/Campbells-Soup/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161005144039/http://www.behindthevoiceactors.com/commercials/Campbells-Soup/|url-status=dead|archive-date=October 5, 2016|title=Campbells Soup|website=Behind The Voice Actors|language=en-US|access-date=2020-07-11}}</ref>
* Marc Biagi (2002; ''Slots from Bally Gaming'')<ref name="Bally Slots">{{cite web|url=https://www.behindthevoiceactors.com/video-games/Slots-from-Bally-Gaming/|title=Slots from Bally Gaming|website=Behind The Voice Actors|language=en-US|access-date=2020-09-18|archive-date=December 7, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201207090047/https://www.behindthevoiceactors.com/video-games/Slots-from-Bally-Gaming/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="Marc Biagi">{{cite web|title=Credits - The Many Worlds of Marc Biagi|url=http://blog.marcbiagi.com/credits/|access-date=September 18, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150914153737/http://blog.marcbiagi.com/credits/|archive-date=September 14, 2015}}</ref>
* Richard Halpern (2004; ''Boop-Oop-a-Dooin{{'}}'')<ref name="Boop-Oop 1">{{cite web|title=Sammy Timberg - Boop-Oop-A-Dooin' The Songs Of Sammy Timberg From Betty Boop, Popeye, Superman And Other Musical Classics (2004, CD)|url=https://www.discogs.com/Sammy-Timberg-Boop-Oop-A-Dooin-The-Songs-Of-Sammy-Timberg-From-Betty-Boop-Popeye-Superman-And-Other-/release/10836229|publisher=Discogs|access-date=May 16, 2021|archive-date=February 26, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210226192628/https://www.discogs.com/Sammy-Timberg-Boop-Oop-A-Dooin-The-Songs-Of-Sammy-Timberg-From-Betty-Boop-Popeye-Superman-And-Other-/release/10836229|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="Boop-Oop 2">{{cite web|title=Boop-Oop-A-Dooin' by Fred Seibert|url=https://soundcloud.com/fred-seibert/sets/boop-oop-a-dooin|publisher=SoundCloud|access-date=16 May 2021|archive-date=October 8, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211008203740/https://soundcloud.com/fred-seibert/sets/boop-oop-a-dooin|url-status=live}}</ref>
* Allen Enlow (2006; [[United States Power Squadrons]] radio spots)<ref name="Allen Enlow">{{cite web|title=Voice Overs|url=https://www.allenenlow.com/voice-overs|publisher=Brian Blunt|access-date=May 25, 2021|archive-date=May 25, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210525045157/https://www.allenenlow.com/voice-overs|url-status=live}}</ref>
* Matt Hurwitz (2018, 2023; ''[[Project Runway All Stars]]'', ''[[World of Warships]]'')<ref name="Project Runway">{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lMRQPK_zxRk&t=1s| archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211030/lMRQPK_zxRk| archive-date=2021-10-30|title=Popeye on PROJECT RUNWAY| date=August 2, 2018|publisher=YouTube|access-date=June 9, 2021}}{{cbignore}}</ref><ref name="Matt Hurwitz 1">{{cite web|title=Matt Hurwitz|url=https://www.filmfreeway.com/MattHurwitz|publisher=FilmFreeway|access-date=July 28, 2020|archive-date=July 28, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200728094429/https://filmfreeway.com/MattHurwitz|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="Matt Hurwitz 2">{{cite web|title=Matt Hurwitz - Freelance Entertainment Writer/Journalist|url=https://www.linkedin.com/in/matt-hurwitz-009a353|publisher=LinkedIn|access-date=June 9, 2021}}</ref><ref name="World Warships">{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gZQh8JMWfqw%3Fsi%3DQulLYvoRR9MN2g2x&t=6s|title=Popeye in the Armory! - Please welcome Popeye the Sailor Man to World of Warships!|date=June 2023 |publisher=YouTube|access-date=November 4, 2023|archive-date=November 4, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231104080835/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gZQh8JMWfqw%3Fsi%3DQulLYvoRR9MN2g2x&t=6s|url-status=live}}</ref>
* [[Satoshi Ohno]] (2020; [[Ajinomoto]] commercials)<ref name="Ajinomoto">{{cite web|title=大野智、実写版「ポパイ」に| date=March 19, 2020 |url=https://www.barks.jp/news/?id=1000180134|publisher=BARKS|access-date=September 7, 2024}}</ref>

==Other media==
The success of Popeye as a comic-strip and animated character has led to appearances in many other forms. For more than 20 years, Stephen DeStefano has been the artist drawing Popeye for King Features licensing.<ref>[http://fullecirclestuff.blogspot.com/2010/07/clean-shaven-man-popeye-conversation.html "A Clean Shaven Man", July 2010] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110824014728/http://fullecirclestuff.blogspot.com/2010/07/clean-shaven-man-popeye-conversation.html |date=August 24, 2011 }}. Fullecirclestuff.blogspot.com. Retrieved on March 29, 2013.</ref>

===Radio===
''Popeye'' was adapted to radio in several series broadcast over three different networks by two sponsors from 1935 to 1938. Popeye and most of the major supporting characters were first featured in a thrice-weekly 15-minute [[radio program]], ''[[Popeye the Sailor (radio series)|Popeye the Sailor]]'', which starred Detmar Poppen as Popeye, along with most of the major supporting characters—Olive Oyl (Olive Lamoy), Wimpy (Charles Lawrence), Bluto (Jackson Beck) and Swee'Pea (Mae Questel).<ref name="Radio"/> In the first episode, Popeye adopted Sonny (Jimmy Donnelly), a character later known as Matey the Newsboy. This program was broadcast Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday nights at 7:15pm. September 10, 1935, through March 28, 1936, on the [[NBC]] [[NBC#Red and Blue Networks|Red Network]] (87 episodes), initially sponsored by [[Wheatena]], a whole-wheat [[breakfast cereal]], which routinely replaced the spinach references. Music was provided by Victor Irwin's Cartoonland Band. Announcer [[Kelvin Keech]] sang (to composer Lerner's "Popeye" theme) "Wheatena is his diet / He asks you to try it / With Popeye the sailor man." Wheatena paid King Features Syndicate $1,200 per week.

The show was next broadcast Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays from 7:15 to 7:30pm on [[WCBS (AM)|WABC]] and ran from August 31, 1936, to February 26, 1937 (78 episodes). Floyd Buckley played Popeye, and [[Miriam Wolfe]] portrayed both Olive Oyl and the Sea Hag. Once again, reference to spinach was conspicuously absent. Instead, Popeye sang, "Wheatena's me diet / I ax ya to try it / I'm Popeye the Sailor Man".<ref>[http://www.old-time.com/commercials/Sounds/Popeye%20&%20Wheatena.wma 1930s ''Popeye the Sailor'' Wheatena audio clip] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061026232825/http://www.old-time.com/commercials/Sounds/Popeye%20%26%20Wheatena.wma |date=October 26, 2006 }}.</ref>

The third series was sponsored by the maker of [[Popsicle (brand)|Popsicles]] three nights a week for 15 minutes at 6:15&nbsp;pm on CBS from May 2, 1938, through July 29, 1938.

Of the three series, only 20 of the 204 episodes are known to be preserved.

===Feature films===
====''Popeye'' (1980)====
[[File:Malta - Mellieha - Triq tal-Prajjet - Anchor Bay+Popeye Village 01 ies.jpg|thumb|[[Popeye Village]] in [[Malta]], built as a location set for the feature film]]
{{Main|Popeye (film)}}

Director [[Robert Altman]] used the character in ''[[Popeye (film)|Popeye]]'', a 1980 live-action musical feature film, starring [[Robin Williams]] as Popeye. A co-production of [[Paramount Pictures]] and [[Walt Disney Productions]], the movie was filmed almost entirely on [[Malta]], in the village of [[Mellieħa]] on the northwest coast of the island. The set is now a tourist attraction called [[Popeye Village]]. The U.S. box office earnings were double the film's budget, making it a financial success. While the film received mostly negative reviews at the time, critical reception has improved over the years upon reassessment.

====Canceled animated film====
In March 2010, it was reported that [[Sony Pictures Animation]] was developing an animated Popeye film, with [[Avi Arad]] producing it.<ref>{{cite web |url= https://www.comingsoon.net/news/movienews.php?id=64471 |title= Sony making a CG Popeye Film |publisher= comingsoon.net |date= March 23, 2010 |access-date= April 17, 2020 |archive-date= January 4, 2014 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20140104204248/http://www.comingsoon.net/news/movienews.php?id=64471 |url-status= dead }}</ref> In November 2011, Sony Pictures Animation announced that Jay Scherick and David Ronn, the writers of ''[[The Smurfs (film)|The Smurfs]]'', are writing the screenplay for the film.<ref>{{cite news|title=Sony Pictures Animation and Arad Productions Set Jay Scherick & David Ronn to Write Animated POPEYE|url=http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/sony-pictures-animation-and-arad-productions-set-jay-scherick--david-ronn-to-write-animated-popeye-133185523.html|access-date=November 3, 2011|newspaper=Sony Pictures Animation "via" PR Newswire|date=November 3, 2011|archive-date=January 4, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140104210924/http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/sony-pictures-animation-and-arad-productions-set-jay-scherick--david-ronn-to-write-animated-popeye-133185523.html|url-status=live}}</ref> In June 2012, it was reported that [[Genndy Tartakovsky]] had been set to direct the feature,<ref name=Popeye>{{cite news|last=Abrams|first=Rachel|title=Helmer moves Sony's 3D 'Popeye' forward|url=https://variety.com/2012/film/news/helmer-moves-sony-s-3d-popeye-forward-1118055946/|access-date=June 26, 2012|newspaper=Variety|date=June 25, 2012|archive-date=June 27, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120627022017/http://www.variety.com/article/VR1118055946|url-status=live}}</ref> which he planned to make "as artful and unrealistic as possible."<ref>{{cite news|last=Keegan|first=Rebecca|title=Genndy Tartakovsky gets 'Hotel Transylvania' open for business|url=https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/movies/moviesnow/la-et-mn-hotel-transylvania-20120826,0,3490529.story|access-date=August 28, 2012|newspaper=Los Angeles Times|date=August 25, 2012|archive-date=August 26, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120826000631/http://www.latimes.com/entertainment/movies/moviesnow/la-et-mn-hotel-transylvania-20120826,0,3490529.story|url-status=live}}</ref> In November 2012, Sony Pictures Animation set the release date for September 26, 2014,<ref name=THRHT2Popeye>{{cite news|last=Kit|first=Borys|title='Hotel Transylvania 2' in the Works for 2015 Release|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/heat-vision/hotel-transylvania-2-works-2015-388315|access-date=November 10, 2012|newspaper=The Hollywood Reporter|date=November 9, 2012|archive-date=November 10, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121110010905/http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/heat-vision/hotel-transylvania-2-works-2015-388315|url-status=live}}</ref> which was, in May 2013, pushed back to 2015<!-- Why is it pushed back in 2015? -->.<ref name=A113Popeye2015>{{cite news|last=Jardine|first=William|title=Sony Pushes Genndy Tartakovsky's Popeye Back to 2015|url=http://www.a113animation.com/2013/05/genndy-tartakovsky-popeye-delayed-to-2015.html|access-date=May 22, 2013|newspaper=A113Animation|date=May 17, 2013|archive-date=June 29, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130629020454/http://www.a113animation.com/2013/05/genndy-tartakovsky-popeye-delayed-to-2015.html|url-status=live}}</ref> In March 2014, Sony Pictures Animation updated its slate, scheduling the film for 2016, and announcing Tartakovsky as the director of ''[[Hotel Transylvania 2]]'', which he was directing concurrently with ''Popeye''.<ref>{{cite news|last=Kit|first=Borys|title=Sony Animation Sets Slate: 'Smurfs', 'Transylvania 2,' More (Exclusive)|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/sony-animation-sets-slate-smurfs-687526|access-date=May 3, 2014|newspaper=The Hollywood Reporter|date=March 12, 2014|archive-date=March 15, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140315083314/http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/news/sony-animation-sets-slate-smurfs-687526|url-status=live}}</ref> On September 18, 2014, Tartakovsky revealed an "animation test" footage, about which he said, "It's just something that kind of represents what we want to do. I couldn't be more excited by how it turned out."<ref>{{cite news|last1=McMillan|first1=Graeme|title=Sony Pictures Releases First Glimpse of Genndy Tartakovsky's 'Popeye'|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/heat-vision/sony-pictures-releases-first-glimpse-734176|access-date=March 14, 2015|work=[[The Hollywood Reporter]]|date=September 18, 2014|archive-date=March 15, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150315081836/http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/heat-vision/sony-pictures-releases-first-glimpse-734176|url-status=live}}</ref> In March 2015, Tartakovsky announced that despite the well-received test footage, he was no longer working on the project, and would instead direct ''Can You Imagine?'', which is based on his own original idea,<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.slashfilm.com/genndy-tartakovsky-popeye-exit/|title=Genndy Tartakovsky Exits Sony's 'Popeye'|last=Han|first=Angie|publisher=[[/Film]]|date=March 13, 2015|access-date=March 14, 2015|archive-date=June 20, 2015|archive-url=https://archive.today/20150620223507/http://www.slashfilm.com/genndy-tartakovsky-popeye-exit/|url-status=live}}</ref> but it too was cancelled.<ref>{{cite web|title=Story pitch art for a Genndy Tartakovsky feature that didn't get made.|url=https://www.instagram.com/p/BWSu1ejAUv9/ |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/iarchive/instagram/scott.wills/1554510806467562493 |archive-date=2021-12-23 |url-access=subscription|access-date=July 26, 2018|website=Instagram|date=July 8, 2017|author=Scott Wills}}{{cbignore}}</ref>
Nevertheless, Sony Pictures Animation stated the project still remains in active development.<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://variety.com/2015/film/news/sonys-popeye-loses-director-genndy-tartakovsky-1201452898/|title=Sony's 'Popeye' Loses Director Genndy Tartakovsky|last=Khatchatourian|first=Maane|magazine=Variety|date=March 14, 2015|access-date=March 14, 2015|archive-date=March 15, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150315151524/http://variety.com/2015/film/news/sonys-popeye-loses-director-genndy-tartakovsky-1201452898/|url-status=live}}</ref> In January 2016, it was announced that T.J. Fixman would write the film.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://deadline.com/2016/01/sony-animation-popeye-brings-in-t-j-fixman-to-write-1201688083/|title=Sony Pictures Animation Brings In T. J. Fixman To Write 'Popeye'|first=Ali|last=Jaafar|date=January 22, 2016|work=Deadline|access-date=April 17, 2020|archive-date=August 9, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200809070522/https://deadline.com/2016/01/sony-animation-popeye-brings-in-t-j-fixman-to-write-1201688083/|url-status=live}}</ref> On May 11, 2020, it was announced that a ''Popeye'' movie is in development at [[King Features Syndicate]] with Genndy Tartakovsky coming back to the project.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.animationmagazine.net/features/genndy-tartakovskys-popeye-movie-afloat-with-king-features/|title=Genndy Tartakovsky's 'Popeye' Movie Afloat with King Features|first=Mercedes|last=Milligan|date=May 11, 2020|work=Animation Magazine|access-date=May 11, 2020|archive-date=May 12, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200512022801/https://www.animationmagazine.net/features/genndy-tartakovskys-popeye-movie-afloat-with-king-features/|url-status=live}}</ref> However, on July 21, 2022, Tartakovsky said the project was cancelled.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://decider.com/2022/07/21/primal-season-2-genndy-tartakovsky-interview-talks-adult-swim-hotel-transylvania-fixed-more/ |title='Primal' Season 2 on HBO Max: Genndy Tartakovsky Interview |publisher=Decider.com |date=2022-07-21 |accessdate=2022-08-05 |archive-date=July 29, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220729223914/https://decider.com/2022/07/21/primal-season-2-genndy-tartakovsky-interview-talks-adult-swim-hotel-transylvania-fixed-more/ |url-status=live }}</ref> An animatic for the film was later leaked onto the internet on July 22, 2022.<ref>{{cite web |last=Brew |first=Cartoon |url=https://www.cartoonbrew.com/feature-film/genndy-tartakovskys-popeye-animatic-video-leaked-219062.html |title=Full Animatic For Genndy Tartakovsky's 'Popeye' Leaked Online |publisher=Cartoonbrew.com |date=2022-07-26 |accessdate=2022-08-05 |archive-date=July 29, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220729214609/https://www.cartoonbrew.com/feature-film/genndy-tartakovskys-popeye-animatic-video-leaked-219062.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

====Second live-action film====
On March 19, 2024, it was announced that a new live action ''Popeye'' film is being developed at [[Chernin Entertainment]] with a screenplay written by Michael Caleo for King Features.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Donnelly |first=Matt |date=2024-03-19 |title=Popeye the Sailor Man Live-Action Film in Development From Chernin, King Features (EXCLUSIVE) |url=https://variety.com/2024/film/news/popeye-live-action-movie-chernin-king-features-1235945446/ |access-date=2024-03-19 |website=Variety |archive-date=March 19, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240319205934/https://variety.com/2024/film/news/popeye-live-action-movie-chernin-king-features-1235945446/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

====Live-action horror film====
In late 2024, it was announced that a live action horror movie, titled ''[[Popeye the Slayer Man]]'', was in development. It will revolve around a group of friends who sneak into an abandoned spinach factory, but are now haunted by Popeye, played by [[Steven Murphy (director)|Steven Murphy]]. The film is set to release in January 2025, which is when the character is slated to become public domain in the United States.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://bloody-disgusting.com/movie/3839572/exclusive-images-gory-and-raunchy-popeye-horror-movie-coming-in-early-2025/ |title=Exclusive Images: Gory and Raunchy 'Popeye' Horror Movie Coming in Early 2025! |last=Squires |first=John |date=November 14, 2024 |website=Bloody Disgusting.com |access-date=November 17, 2024}}</ref>

===Video and pinball games===
* When ''[[Donkey Kong (arcade game)|Donkey Kong]]'', which was originally conceived as a ''Popeye'' video game by [[Shigeru Miyamoto]],<ref>{{cite web |title=Iwata Asks: New Super Mario Bros. Wii – Mario Couldn't Jump At First |url=https://www.nintendo.co.uk/Iwata-Asks/Iwata-Asks-New-Super-Mario-Bros-Wii/Volume-1/1-Mario-Couldn-t-Jump-At-First/1-Mario-Couldn-t-Jump-At-First-210699.html |publisher=[[Nintendo]] |access-date=April 28, 2022}}</ref> proved to be a big success, King Features agreed to license the characters to [[Nintendo]] to create a [[Popeye (video game)|''Popeye'' arcade game]] in 1982. It was later ported to various home gaming platforms, including the [[Commodore 64]], [[Intellivision]], [[Atari 2600]], Atari 8-bit family, [[ColecoVision]], [[Odyssey2|Odyssey<sup>2</sup>]], and [[Nintendo Entertainment System]]. The goal was to avoid Brutus and the Sea Hag while collecting items produced by Olive Oyl such as [[heart (symbol)|hearts]], [[musical note]]s, or the [[Letter (alphabet)|letters]] in the word "help" (depending on the level). Hitting a can of spinach gave Popeye a brief chance to strike back at Brutus. Other characters such as Wimpy and Swee'Pea appeared in the game, but did not greatly affect gameplay. A [[board game]] based on the video game was released by [[Parker Brothers]].
* Nintendo also released two [[Game & Watch]] units featuring Popeye.
* Nintendo created another Popeye game for the Famicom, ''[[Popeye no Eigo Asobi]]'', in 1983. This was an educational game designed to teach Japanese children English words.
* A different ''Popeye'' game was developed for the [[ZX Spectrum]] by [[Don Priestley]] and first released by [[DK'Tronics]] in 1985. The game achieved critical success due to its huge, colorful sprites; amongst the largest seen on the Spectrum platform.<ref>[http://www.crashonline.org.uk/20/popeye.htm ''Popeye'' review] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170213160822/http://www.crashonline.org.uk/20/popeye.htm |date=February 13, 2017 }} from CRASH issue 20, September 1985; retrieved from CRASH The Online Edition</ref><ref>[http://www.users.globalnet.co.uk/~jg27paw4/yr19/yr19_41.htm ''Popeye'' review] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303170351/http://www.users.globalnet.co.uk/~jg27paw4/yr19/yr19_41.htm |date=March 3, 2016 }} from ''Your Spectrum'' issue 19, October 1985</ref> This distinct graphical style was due to King Features' insistence that any game had to include fair representations of the central cartoon characters. The game was ported to [[Commodore 64]] and [[Amstrad CPC]] in 1986. After releasing the budget version of this game, [[Alternative Software]] developed another two licensed games, ''Popeye 2'' (1991) and ''Popeye 3: Wrestle Crazy'' (1992) on the same platforms.
* [[Sigma Enterprises]] published two Popeye games for the [[Game Boy]]. The first, titled simply ''[[Popeye (Game Boy)|Popeye]]'', was released exclusively in Japan in 1990, while ''[[Popeye 2]]'' was released in Japan in 1991, North America in 1993, and Europe in 1994 by [[Activision]].
* In 1994, [[Technos Japan]] released ''[[Popeye Beach Volleyball]]'' for the [[Game Gear]], and ''Popeye: Tale of the Wicked Witch Sea Hag'' (''[[Popeye: Ijiwaru Majo Shihaggu no Maki]]'') for the Japanese [[Super Nintendo Entertainment System|Super Famicom]]. A side scrolling adventure game that was mixed with a board game, the game never saw U.S. release. It featured many characters from the ''Thimble Theatre'' series as well. In the game, Popeye has to recover magical hearts scattered across the level to restore his friends, who have been turned to stone as part of a spell cast upon them by the Sea Hag.
* [[Midway Games|Midway]] (under the ''[[Bally Technologies|Bally]]'' label) released ''[[Popeye Saves the Earth]]'', a [[SuperPin]] [[pinball]] game, in 1994.
* A [[Sega Genesis]] ''Popeye'' game was planned but never released.<ref name="Mega18">{{cite magazine|url=https://archive.org/stream/mega18#page/n92/mode/1up|title=More Up 'n' Coming Titles|magazine=[[Mega (magazine)|Mega]]|issue=18|publisher=[[Future Publishing]]|date=March 1994|page=93}}</ref><ref name="MMS17">{{cite magazine|url=https://archive.org/stream/mean-machines-sega-magazine-17#page/n17/mode/1up|title=News: CES Showtime|magazine=[[Mean Machines Sega]]|issue=17|publisher=[[EMAP]]|date=March 1994|pages=10–22}}</ref><ref name="MMS34a1">{{cite magazine|last=Merritt|first=Steve|url=https://archive.org/stream/mean-machines-sega-magazine-34#page/n10/mode/1up|title=News: E3 - The Future Is Here|magazine=[[Mean Machines Sega]]|issue=34|publisher=[[EMAP]]|date=August 1995|pages=8–18}}</ref>
* In 2005, [[Bandai Namco]] released a [[Game Boy Advance]] video game called ''[[Popeye: Rush for Spinach]]''.
* In fall 2007, Namco Networks released the original Nintendo ''Popeye'' arcade game for mobile phones with new features including enhanced graphics and a new level.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.namcogames.com/game_detail.php?gid=50|title=Popeye|website=Namco Mobile|date=2007|access-date=October 10, 2024}}</ref>
* In November 2021, independent developer ''Sabec LTD'' released what it called the "official ''Popeye'' game"<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nintendo.com/games/detail/popeye-switch/|title=Popeye|work=Nintendo.com|publisher=Sabec LTD|date=November 2021|access-date=December 2, 2021|archive-date=December 2, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211202034256/https://www.nintendo.com/games/detail/popeye-switch/|url-status=live}}</ref> for the [[Nintendo Switch]], featuring a three-dimensional adaptation of the "classic arcade game".
* Popeye and Bluto were introduced as playable characters in the sea combat game ''[[World of Warships]]''.<ref name="World Warships"/>

===Parodies===
* Parody versions of Popeye and Bluto make an appearance in [[Ex-Mutants|''Solo Ex-Mutants'' #2]] (Eternity Comics, 1988).
* In EC Comics' original ''Mad'' comic book, the satire "Poopeye" had him set up to fight other comic characters, even defeating Superman in the end.
* Popeye made a one-second appearance on an unfinished production ''[[Bring Me the Head of Charlie Brown]]'' by the [[California Institute of the Arts]] in 1986. He was seen punching [[Rocky Balboa]] in the face.

===Marketing, tie-ins, and endorsements===
From early on, Popeye was heavily merchandised. Everything from soap to [[razor blade]]s to spinach was available with Popeye's likeness on it. Most of these items are rare and sought by collectors, but some merchandise is still produced.

'''Restaurants'''
* Wimpy's name was borrowed for the [[Wimpy (restaurant)|Wimpy]] restaurant chain, one of the first international fast food restaurants featuring hamburgers, which they call "Wimpy Burgers".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.wimpyburgers.co.uk/|title=Wimpy Burger – Junk Food Health Advice – Wimpy Burgers, learn the truth|work=wimpyburgers.co.uk|access-date=November 16, 2004|archive-date=November 25, 2004|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20041125215141/http://www.wimpyburgers.co.uk/|url-status=live}}</ref>
* The popular fast-food chain [[Popeyes]] was found on June 12, 1972, and is the second-largest "quick-service chicken restaurant group" behind [[Kentucky Fried Chicken]]. It was not named for the sailor, but some Popeye references were featured in a few commercials throughout its early years as part of a licensing deal with King Features (the chain was actually named after a fictional detective from the 1971 film ''[[The French Connection (film)|The French Connection]]'' named [[Jimmy "Popeye" Doyle]]).
* Wimpy has also appeared in commercials for [[Burger King]] and [[Carl's Jr.]] hamburgers.

'''Retail foods and beverages'''
* Allen Canning Company produces its own line of canned "Popeye Spinach" in multiple varieties. The cartoon Popeye serves as the [[mascot]] on the can.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.popeyespinach.com/ |title=Popeye Spinach |publisher=Popeye Spinach |access-date=November 30, 2009 |archive-date=June 3, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100603061751/http://www.popeyespinach.com/ |url-status=live }}</ref>
* Since 1989, "Popeye's Supplements" has been a chain of Canadian Sports Nutrition Stores.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.popeyescanada.com/history.html|title=Popeye's Supplements Canada ~ Over 120 Locations Across Canada!—History|work=popeyescanada.com|access-date=August 26, 2015|archive-date=October 27, 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151027075347/http://www.popeyescanada.com/history.html|url-status=live}}</ref>
* In 1989, Popeye endorsed Instant Quaker Oatmeal, citing it as a better food than spinach to provide strength.<ref name="popeye_oatmeal">{{cite news |title=Popeye snubs his spinach for oatmeal |date=1990-03-28 |page=22 |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=2a5RAAAAIBAJ&dq=&pg=6860%2C7668970 |access-date=2013-08-29 |archive-date=January 25, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210125191205/https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=2a5RAAAAIBAJ&dq=&pg=6860%2C7668970 |url-status=live }}</ref> The commercials had the tagline "Can the spinach, I wants me Quaker Oatmeal!" or "Popeye wants a Quaker". The [[Religious Society of Friends]] (also known as the Quakers) was offended by the promotion, given the physical aggression from "Popeye the Quaker man" and also the excessive submissiveness of Olive Oyl.<ref name="popeye_oatmeal_offense">{{cite news |title=Popeye's pugnacity steams up Quakers |date=1990-04-24 |author=Stieg, Bill |page=6 |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=UdY0AAAAIBAJ&dq=&pg=6674%2C6694750 |access-date=2013-08-29 |archive-date=January 28, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220128123454/https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=UdY0AAAAIBAJ&dq=&pg=6674%2C6694750 |url-status=live }}</ref>
* In 2001, Popeye (along with Bluto, Olive, and twin Wimpys) appeared in a television commercial for [[Minute Maid]] [[Orange juice]]. The commercial, produced by [[Leo Burnett Worldwide|Leo Burnett Co]], showed Popeye and Bluto as friends, due to their having had Minute Maid Orange Juice that morning. The ad agency's intention was to show that even the notable enemies would be in a good mood after their juice, but some, including Robert Knight of the Culture and Family Institute, felt the commercial's intent was to portray the pair in a homosexual romantic relationship; even so, it is a suggestion that Minute Maid denies. Knight was interviewed by [[Stephen Colbert]] on [[Comedy Central]]'s ''[[The Daily Show]]'' about this issue.
* World Candies Inc. produced Popeye-branded "[[candy cigarette]]s", which were small sugar sticks with red dye at the end to simulate embers. They were sold in a small box, similar to a cigarette pack. The company still produces the item, but has since changed the name to "Popeye Candy Sticks" and has ceased putting the red dye at the end.

'''Sports'''
* Starting in 1940, Popeye became the mascot of [[Clube de Regatas do Flamengo]] in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The mascot of the soccer club is currently a cartoon vulture.<ref>[http://www.flamengo.com.br/mascote/ Club mascots] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110717055611/http://www.flamengo.com.br/mascote/ |date=July 17, 2011 }} (in Portuguese). Flamengo official website. Retrieved January 18, 2010.</ref>
* During the [[2004 NASCAR Nextel Cup Series]], two racing cars displaying Popeye characters were driven by [[Kasey Kahne]] (#9) and [[Jeremy Mayfield]] (#19), to promote Popeye's 75th anniversary.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://popeye.com/2004/03/15/popeye-sails-into-nascar/|title=POPEYE SAILS INTO NASCAR|work=popeye.com|access-date=November 25, 2024|date=March 15, 2004}}</ref>

[[File:Polikarpov I-16-Mosca.jpg|thumb|Popeye on a [[Spanish Republican Air Force]] [[Polikarpov I-16]]. ''Museo del Aire'']]

'''Other'''
* In 1987, Stabur Graphics commissioned artist [[Will Elder]] to paint "Popeye's Wedding" as oil on masonite. Released was a stamped, numbered, and signed Limited Edition lithograph, an edition size of 395. The lithograph shows Popeye slipping a lifesaver-ring onto Olive's finger along with Nana Oyl, Alice the Goon, Swee'Pea (cradled in Popeye's free arm), Wimpy, Granny, Eugene the Jeep, and Brutus (holding a large cauldron of steaming, cooked rice). Twenty-one other characters watch from the pews. The litho is titled "Wit Dis Lifesaver, I Dee Wed!" and is pictured on page 83 of the book "Chicken Fat" by Will Elder (Fantagraphics, 2006).
* In 1990, Popeye appeared in a [[public service announcement]] which was tied to the maritime nature of the character, warning of the harmful effects of coastal pollution. Bluto carelessly dumps garbage over the side of his boat, to which Olive reacts in horror as [[seagull]]s and other sea creatures are caught in [[six-pack rings|six-pack ring holders]]. Popeye eats spinach and blows a tornado from his pipe, which cleans up Bluto's garbage and dumps it on him; however, when some more plastic garbage sails by Popeye's boat, he says unsurprisingly, "I can't do it all meself, peoples!" and encourages viewers to be careful about littering at sea.
* In 1995, the ''Popeye'' comic strip was one of 20 included in the [[Comic Strip Classics]] series of commemorative U.S. postage stamps.
* From 1996 to 1999, the [[Darien Lake]] theme park in Western New York operated a "Popeye's Seaport" in the park. It was rebranded as "[[Looney Tunes]] Seaport" after Darien Lake came under the [[Six Flags]] banner.
* In [[Universal Orlando Resort|Universal Studios Orlando Resort]]'s [[island]] [[theme park]], [[Universal's Islands of Adventure]], there is a river rafting water ride, [[Popeye & Bluto's Bilge-Rat Barges]], themed after Popeye the Sailor saving Olive Oyl from Bluto. There is also a kids' playground, ''Me Ship, the Olive'', built in and around Popeye's ship. The three levels of the ship all contain a variety of interactive elements including cannons and hoses which can further soak riders on the ''Popeye and Bluto's Bilge-Rat Barge'' ride.

===Popeye & Friends Character Trail===
[[Chester, Illinois]], Segar's hometown, erected a statue of Popeye in Segar's honor in 1977 and began the Popeye & Friends Character Trail in 2006, adding new statues honoring the other Thimble Theater characters each year.

This Character Trail is spread throughout Chester and includes (with unveiling dates):
* Popeye (1977)<ref name="Character Trail"/>
* J. Wellington Wimpy (2006)<ref name="Character Trail"/>
* Olive Oyl, Swee'Pea, and Jeep (2007)<ref name="Character Trail"/>
* Bluto (2008)<ref name="Character Trail"/>
* Castor Oyl and Whiffle Hen (2009)<ref name="Character Trail"/>
* Sea Hag and Bernard (2010)<ref name="Character Trail"/>
* Cole Oyl (2011)<ref name="Character Trail"/>
* Alice the Goon and her Goon-child (2012)<ref name="Character Trail"/>
* Poopdeck Pappy (2013)<ref name="Character Trail"/>
* Professor Wotasnozzle (2014)<ref name="Character Trail"/>
* RoughHouse (2015)<ref name="Character Trail"/>
* Pipeye, Pupeye, Peepeye, and Poopeye, Popeye's four nephews (2016)<ref name="Character Trail"/>
* King Blozo (2017)<ref name="Character Trail"/>
* Nana Oyl (2018)<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.randolphcountyheraldtribune.com/news/20180905/nana-oyl-to-join-statues-on-character-trail|title=Nana Oyl To Join Statues On Character Trail|access-date=July 8, 2019|archive-date=July 8, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190708145923/http://www.randolphcountyheraldtribune.com/news/20180905/nana-oyl-to-join-statues-on-character-trail|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref name="Character Trail"/>
* Popeye's Pups (September 2019)<ref name="Character Trail"/>
* Sherlock & Segar (December 2019)<ref name="Character Trail"/>
* Toar (2020)<ref name="Character Trail"/>
* Harold Hamgravy (2021)<ref name="Character Trail"/>
* Oscar (2022)<ref name="Character Trail"/>

Frank "Rocky" Fiegel was the real-life inspiration for the character Popeye. His parents, Bartłomiej and Anna H. Fiegiel, had come from the area of the [[Greater Poland Voivodeship]], then part of [[Prussia]], and migrated to the United States. He had a prominent chin, sinewy physique, characteristic pipe, and a propensity and agile skill for fist-fighting.<ref name="Grandinetti_p4">Grandinetti, [https://books.google.com/books?id=3XCHkn64cYkC&dq=frank+rocky+fiegel&pg=PA4 p. 4] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230408181524/https://books.google.com/books?id=3XCHkn64cYkC&dq=frank+rocky+fiegel&pg=PA4 |date=April 8, 2023 }}.</ref><ref name=NYTIMES>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2004/01/18/national/where-they-really-knew-popeye-and-co.html|title=Where They Really Knew Popeye and Co.|newspaper=The New York Times|date=2004-01-18|agency=Associated Press|access-date=September 15, 2018|archive-date=September 15, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180915192646/https://www.nytimes.com/2004/01/18/national/where-they-really-knew-popeye-and-co.html|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="Fishman2015">{{cite web |last1=Fishman |first1=Julie |title=The Real People Behind Famous Children's Characters: Frank "Rocky" Fiegel (Popeye) |url=https://mom.me/lifestyle/9673-real-people-behind-famous-childrens-characters/item/frank-rocky-fiegel-popeye/ |website=mom.me |access-date=2 June 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180915192537/https://mom.me/lifestyle/9673-real-people-behind-famous-childrens-characters/item/frank-rocky-fiegel-popeye/ |archive-date=September 15, 2018 |date=January 28, 2015}}</ref> Fiegel died on March 24, 1947, never having married. His gravestone has an image of Popeye engraved on it.<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=3XCHkn64cYkC&q=1947+fiegel+popeye+grave&pg=PA5|title=Popeye: An Illustrated Cultural History, 2d ed.|first=Fred M.|last=Grandinetti|date=December 31, 2003|publisher=McFarland|isbn=9780786426874|via=Google Books}}</ref> Segar regularly sent money to Fiegel ({{Failed verification span|text=as a thank you for the inspiration|date=June 2024}}) according to {{Failed verification span|text=Segar's assistant and successor, [[Bud Sagendorf]] and|date=June 2024}} Popeye historian Michael Brooks.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Tribune |first=Chicago Tribune {{!}} Chicago |date=2004-01-17 |title=Popeye's home fussin', fightin' |url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/2004/01/17/popeyes-home-fussin-fightin/ |access-date=2024-06-30 |website=Chicago Tribune |language=en-US}}</ref><ref name="Character Trail"/>

Additional hometown residents of Chester have inspired other Segar characters, including Dora Paskel, an uncommonly tall, angular lady who ran a general store in town and was the origin for Popeye's gal, Olive Oyl. She even wore a hair bun close to her neckline. William "Windy Bill" Schuchert, a rather rotund man who owned the local opera house (and was Segar's early employer), was the seed for the character J. Wellington Wimpy. He even sent out his employees to purchase hamburgers for him between performances at a local tavern named Wiebusch's, the same tavern Fiegel frequented and where he engaged in fistfights.<ref name=NYTIMES /><ref>{{cite web|url=https://orrec.com/real-life-inspirations-for-famous-cartoon-characters|title=Real Life Inspirations For Famous Cartoon Characters &#124; Orrec|website=orrec.com|access-date=September 15, 2018|archive-date=September 15, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180915192612/https://orrec.com/real-life-inspirations-for-famous-cartoon-characters|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="Character Trail"/>

A conjecture presented in a 2009 book raised the idea that while living in Santa Monica, Segar might have based some of Popeye's language on a local fisherman, even though the article has yet to make a definitive claim.<ref>{{cite book |last=Harris |first=Book |date=2009 |title=Santa Monica Pier: A Century of the Last Great Pleasure Pier|location=US |publisher=Angel City Press |isbn=9781883318826 }}</ref>

===Cultural influences===
Culturally,<ref>''Popeye: The First Fifty Years''. New York: Workman Publishing. Pages 44–45.</ref> many consider Popeye a precursor to the [[superhero]]es who eventually dominated U.S. [[comic book]]s.<ref>Blackbeard, Bill, "The First (arf, arf!) Superhero of Them All". In Dick Lupoff & Don Thompson, ed., ''All In Color For A Dime'' Arlington House, 1970.</ref>

In medicine, the bulge indicating a bicep tear is called the [[Popeye sign]].<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Yoshida |first1=Naoki |last2=Tsuchida |first2=Yoshihiko |date=2017-11-16 |title="Popeye" Sign |url=https://doi.org/10.1056/NEJMicm1704705 |journal=New England Journal of Medicine |volume=377 |issue=20 |pages=1976 |doi=10.1056/NEJMicm1704705 |issn=0028-4793 |pmid=29141167 |access-date=January 31, 2024 |archive-date=September 23, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210923195649/https://www.nejm.org/doi/10.1056/NEJMicm1704705 |url-status=live }}</ref>

In 1973, [[Cary Bates]] created [[Captain Strong]], a takeoff of Popeye, for [[DC Comics]],<ref>[http://www.oddballcomics.com/article.php?story=archive2003-01-06 Action Comics #421] {{dead link|date=January 2018 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes}} at OddballComics.com.</ref> as a way of having two cultural icons – [[Superman]] and (a proxy of) Popeye – meet.<ref>[http://www.fortunecity.com/tatooine/niven/142/recycleb/rb19.html Superman and Cap'n Strong] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100410214516/http://www.fortunecity.com/tatooine/niven/142/recycleb/rb19.html |date=April 10, 2010}} at the Quarter Bin.</ref>

The 1981 [[Nintendo]] videogame [[Donkey Kong]], which introduced [[Donkey Kong (character)|its eponymous character]] and Nintendo's unofficial company mascot [[Mario]] to the world, was originally planned to be a Popeye game. Mario (then known as Jumpman) was originally supposed to be Popeye, Donkey Kong was originally [[Bluto]], and the character Pauline was originally [[Olive Oyl]], but when Nintendo was unable to acquire the rights to use the actual franchise characters, it decided to create original characters instead.<ref>{{cite web |last=East |first=Tom |title=Donkey Kong Was Originally A Popeye Game |url=http://www.officialnintendomagazine.co.uk/13484/donkey-kong-was-originally-a-popeye-game/ |work=[[Official Nintendo Magazine]] |publisher=Official Nintendo Magazine |date=November 25, 2009 |access-date=February 28, 2013 |quote=Miyamoto says Nintendo's main monkey might not have existed. |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141110045437/http://www.officialnintendomagazine.co.uk/13484/donkey-kong-was-originally-a-popeye-game/ |archive-date=November 10, 2014 |df=mdy-all}}</ref><ref>Full interview of Shigeru Miyamoto by Satoru Iwata "Iwata Asks" https://iwataasks.nintendo.com/interviews/wii/nsmb/0/0/ {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240302201527/https://iwataasks.nintendo.com/interviews/wii/nsmb/0/0/ |date=March 2, 2024 }}</ref>

The 1988 Walt Disney/Touchstone Pictures film ''[[Who Framed Roger Rabbit]]'' featured many classic cartoon characters, and the absence of Popeye was noted by some critics. Popeye (along with Olive Oyl, Bluto, and Wimpy) actually had a cameo role planned for the film. However, Disney could not obtain the rights in time and Popeye's cameo was dropped from the film.<ref>{{cite news |last=O'Connor |first=John J. |url=https://movies.nytimes.com/movie/54379/Who-Framed-Roger-Rabbit/overview |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071102091156/http://movies.nytimes.com/movie/54379/Who-Framed-Roger-Rabbit/overview |url-status=dead |archive-date=November 2, 2007 |department=Movies & TV Dept. |work=[[The New York Times]] |date=2007 |title=Who Framed Roger Rabbit – Trailer – Cast – Showtimes|access-date=November 30, 2009}}</ref>

===The Popeye dance===
The Popeye was a popular dance in the [[dance craze]] era of the late 1950s and early 1960s. Originating in [[New Orleans]] around 1962, the Popeye was performed by shuffling and moving one's arms, placing one arm behind and one arm in front and alternating them, going through the motion of raising a pipe up to the mouth, and alternate sliding or pushing one foot back in the manner of ice skating, similar to motions exhibited by the cartoon character. According to music historian Robert Pruter, the Popeye was even more popular than the [[Twist (dance)|Twist]] in New Orleans.<ref>{{cite book|title= Chicago Soul|author=Robert Pruter|page=196}}</ref> The dance was associated with and/or referenced to in several songs, including [[Eddie Bo]]'s "Check Mr. Popeye", [[Chris Kenner]]'s "Something You Got" and "[[Land of a Thousand Dances]]", [[Chubby Checker]]'s "Popeye The Hitchhiker", [[Frankie Ford]]'s "You Talk Too Much", [[Ernie K-Doe]]'s "Popeye Joe", [[Huey "Piano" Smith]]'s "Popeye", [[The Sherrys]] "Pop Pop Pop-Pie", and [[Harvey Fuqua]]'s "Any Way You Wanta". A compilation of 23 Popeye dance songs was released in 1996 under the title ''New Orleans Popeye Party''.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.allmusic.com/album/new-orleans-popeye-party-mw0000185678 |title=Various Artists—New Orleans Popeye Party |publisher=allmusic.com |access-date=June 11, 2017}}</ref>

===Spinach===
Initially Popeye's chief superhuman characteristic was his indestructibility, rather than super strength, which was attributed to his having rubbed the head of Bernice the Whiffle Hen numerous times after being shot. Popeye later attributed his strength to spinach.<ref>Bill Blackbeard, "The First (arf, arf) Superhero of Them All". In ''All in Color for a Dime'', ed. by Dick Lupoff and Don Thompson, Ace, 1970.</ref><ref>{{cite book|title= Superheroes!:Capes cowls and the creation of comic book culture|author1=[[Laurence Maslon]]|author2=Michael Kantor|page=16}}</ref> The popularity of Popeye helped boost [[spinach]] sales. Using Popeye as a role model for healthier eating may work; a 2010 study revealed that children increased their vegetable consumption after watching Popeye cartoons.<ref>Hewitt, Katie (August 16, 2010) [http://m.theglobeandmail.com/life/parenting/how-to-win-the-kid-v-veggies-battle/article4267723/?service=mobile How to win the kids v. veggies battle] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130203124705/http://m.theglobeandmail.com/life/parenting/how-to-win-the-kid-v-veggies-battle/article4267723/?service=mobile |date=February 3, 2013 }}, ''Toronto Globe and Mail''</ref> The spinach-growing community of [[Crystal City, Texas]], erected a [[statue]] of the character in recognition of Popeye's positive effects on the spinach industry. There are also statues in [[Springdale, Arkansas|Springdale]] and [[Alma, Arkansas]] (which claims to be "The Spinach Capital of the World"), at canning plants of Allen Canning, which markets Popeye-branded canned spinach. In addition to Allen Canning's Popeye spinach, Popeye Fresh Foods markets bagged, fresh spinach with Popeye characters on the package. In 2006, when spinach contaminated with ''[[E. coli]]'' was [[2006 North American E. coli outbreak|accidentally sold to the public]], many editorial cartoonists lampooned the affair by featuring Popeye in their cartoons.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.cagle.com/news/Spinach/main.asp |title=No Eats Me Spinach! |publisher=Cagle.com |access-date=November 30, 2009 |archive-date=March 31, 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240331205619/https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/npm/bootstrap@5.1.3/dist/css/bootstrap.min.css?ver=5.0.0 |url-status=live }}</ref>

A frequently circulated story claims that Fleischer's choice of spinach to give Popeye strength was based on faulty calculations of its iron content. In the story, a scientist misplaced a decimal point in an 1870 measurement of spinach's iron content, leading to an iron value ten times higher than it should have been.<ref name=Hamblin1981>{{cite journal|author=Hamblin, T.J.|doi=10.1136/bmj.283.6307.1671|title=Fake|year=1981|journal=BMJ|volume=283|issue=6307|pages=1671–4|pmid=6797607|pmc=1507475}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2009/dec/08/ec-segar-popeye-google-doodle |title=E.C. Segar, Popeye's creator, celebrated with a Google doodle |last=Gabbatt |first=Adam |date=December 8, 2009 |work=guardian.co.uk |access-date=May 5, 2010 |location=London |archive-date=January 15, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180115001822/https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2009/dec/08/ec-segar-popeye-google-doodle |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.cracked.com/article_18517_the-7-most-disastrous-typos-all-time.html |title=The 7 Most Disastrous Typos Of All Time |last=della Quercia |first=Jacopo |date=May 3, 2010 |publisher=Cracked.com |access-date=May 5, 2010 |archive-date=May 5, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100505080652/http://www.cracked.com/article_18517_the-7-most-disastrous-typos-all-time.html |url-status=live }}</ref> The error was not a slipped decimal point but a measurement error that was corrected in the 1930s; however, the myth of extraordinarily high iron content persisted.<ref name=Hamblin1981/><ref name="Arbesman2012">{{cite news |last1=Arbesman |first1=Samuel |title=Paradox of Hoaxes: How Errors Persist, Even When Corrected |url=https://www.wired.com/2012/09/opinion-errors-knowledge-crowdfixing/ |access-date=29 June 2019 |work=[[Wired magazine]] |date=September 27, 2012 |archive-date=August 7, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200807051537/https://www.wired.com/2012/09/opinion-errors-knowledge-crowdfixing/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

===Word coinages===
The strip is also responsible for popularizing, although not inventing, the word "[[wikt:goon|goon]]" (meaning a thug or lackey); goons in Popeye's world were large humanoids with indistinctly drawn faces that were particularly known for being used as muscle and slave labor by Popeye's nemesis, the [[Sea Hag]]. One particular goon, the aforementioned female named Alice, was an occasional recurring character in the animated shorts, but she was usually a fairly nice character.

Eugene the Jeep was introduced in the comic strip on March 13, 1936. Two years later the term "jeep wagons" was in use, later shortened to simply "[[jeep]]" with widespread World War II usage and then trademarked by [[Willys-Overland]] as "Jeep".<ref>[http://www.wordorigins.org/index.php/more/372/ Jeep] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100328072940/http://www.wordorigins.org/index.php/more/372/ |date=March 28, 2010 }}. wordorigins.org</ref>

===Events and honors===
The Popeye Picnic is held every year in [[Chester, Illinois]], on the weekend after [[Labor Day (United States)|Labor Day]]. Popeye fans attend from across the globe, including a visit by a [[film crew]] from South Korea in 2004. The one-eyed sailor's hometown strives to entertain devotees of all ages.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.popeyepicnic.com |title=Chester, Illinois: Official Website |publisher=Popeye Picnic |access-date=November 30, 2009 |archive-date=January 24, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100124231933/http://www.popeyepicnic.com/ |url-status=dead }}</ref>

In honor of Popeye's 75th anniversary, the [[Empire State Building]] illuminated its notable tower lights green the weekend of January 16–18, 2004 as a tribute to the icon's love of spinach. This special lighting marked the only time the Empire State Building ever celebrated the anniversary/birthday of a comic strip character.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.kingfeatures.com/ |title=Welcome to King Features Syndicate |publisher=Kingfeatures.com |date=November 17, 2008 |access-date=November 30, 2009 |archive-date=January 27, 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100127135732/http://www.kingfeatures.com/features/comics/comics.htm |url-status=live }}</ref>

==''Thimble Theatre''/''Popeye'' characters==
===Characters originating in comic strips by E. C. Segar===
* Popeye the Sailor
* [[Olive Oyl]]
* [[Swee'Pea]] (Popeye's adopted baby son in the comics, Olive's cousin in the cartoons)
* [[J. Wellington Wimpy]]
* [[Bluto]]/Brutus
* [[Eugene the Jeep]]
* The [[Sea Hag]]
* The Sea Hag's [[vulture]]s, including her favorite, Bernard
* [[Alice the Goon]] and the other Goons
* Rough House (a [[cook (profession)|cook]] who runs a local restaurant, the Rough House)
* [[George W. Geezil]] (the local cobbler who hates Wimpy)
* [[Ham Gravy]] (full name Harold Hamgravy, Olive Oyl's original boyfriend)
* [[Castor Oyl]] (Olive Oyl's brother)
* Cole Oyl (Olive Oyl's father)
* Nana Oyl (Olive Oyl's mother)
* [[Poopdeck Pappy]] (Popeye's 99-year-old long-lost father; also a sailor)
* Professor O. G. Watasnozzle<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.seattlepi.com/comics-and-games/fun/Popeye/2015-07-29/|title=July 29, 2015 Popeye comic strip|access-date=July 29, 2015|work=Seattle Post-Intelligencer|archive-date=January 28, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160128113436/http://www.seattlepi.com/comics-and-games/fun/Popeye/2015-07-29/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.seattlepi.com/comics-and-games/fun/Popeye/2015-07-30/|title=July 30, 2015 Popeye comic strip|access-date=July 30, 2015|work=Seattle Post-Intelligencer|archive-date=January 28, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160128113436/http://www.seattlepi.com/comics-and-games/fun/Popeye/2015-07-30/|url-status=live}}</ref> (a character with a large nose, as his name indicates)

===Characters originating in the cartoons===
<!-- try to list characters in rough order of original appearance -->
* Peepeye, Poopeye, Pupeye and Pipeye (Popeye's identical nephews in the Fleischer Studio shorts)
* Shorty (Popeye's shipmate in three World War II-era in the Famous Studios shorts)
* Popeye Jr. (son of Popeye and Olive Oyl, exclusive of the series ''[[Popeye and Son]]'')
* Tank (son of Bluto, exclusive of the series ''[[Popeye and Son]]'')

==Filmography==
===Theatrical===
* ''[[Popeye the Sailor filmography (Fleischer Studios)|Popeye the Sailor]]'' (1933–1942, produced by [[Fleischer Studios]], 109 cartoons)
* ''[[Popeye the Sailor filmography (Famous Studios)|Popeye the Sailor]]'' (1942–1957, produced by [[Famous Studios]], 122 cartoons)
* ''[[Popeye (film)|Popeye]]'' (1980, produced by [[Paramount Pictures]] and [[Walt Disney Pictures]], directed by [[Robert Altman]]; live-action)

===Television===
* ''[[Popeye the Sailor (1960s TV series)|Popeye the Sailor]]'' (1960–1962, [[American Broadcasting Company|ABC]]; produced by [[Larry Harmon Pictures]], [[Rembrandt Films]], [[Halas and Batchelor]], Gerald Ray Studios, [[Jack Kinney|Jack Kinney Productions]], [[Famous Studios|Paramount Cartoon Studios]] and [[Gibba|Corona Cinematografica]] for King Features Syndicate, 220 cartoons)
* ''[[The All New Popeye Hour]]'' (1978–1983, [[CBS]]; produced by [[Hanna-Barbera|Hanna-Barbera Productions]], 167 cartoons) Known as ''The Popeye and Olive Comedy Show'' for its final season.
* ''[[Popeye and Son]]'' (1987–1988, CBS; produced by Hanna-Barbera Productions, 26 cartoons)

===Television specials===
* ''[[Popeye Meets the Man Who Hated Laughter]]'' (1972, ABC; produced by [[Hal Seeger|Hal Seeger Productions]])
* ''[[The All New Popeye Hour|The Popeye Valentine Special: Sweethearts at Sea]]'' (1979, CBS; produced by Hanna-Barbera Productions)
* ''[[Popeye's Voyage: The Quest for Pappy]]'' (2004, [[Fox Broadcasting Company|Fox]]; produced by [[Rainmaker Studios|Mainframe Entertainment]] for King Features)

===DVD collections===
'''Theatrical cartoons'''
* ''[[Popeye the Sailor: 1933–1938, Volume 1]]'' (released July 31, 2007) features Fleischer cartoons released from 1933 through early 1938 and contains the color Popeye specials ''[[Popeye the Sailor Meets Sindbad the Sailor]]'' and ''[[Popeye the Sailor Meets Ali Baba's Forty Thieves]]''.
* ''[[Popeye the Sailor: 1938–1940, Volume 2]]'' (released June 17, 2008) features Fleischer cartoons released from mid-1938 through 1940 and includes the last color Popeye special ''[[Aladdin and His Wonderful Lamp]]''.
* ''[[Popeye the Sailor: 1941–1943, Volume 3]]'' (released November 4, 2008) features the remaining black-and-white ''Popeye'' cartoons released from 1941 to 1943, including the final Fleischer-produced and earliest Famous-produced entries in the series.
* ''[[Popeye the Sailor: The 1940s, Volume 1]]'' (released December 11, 2018) features the first 14 color Popeye shorts produced by Famous Studios. The set was made available on Blu-ray and DVD, and the shorts were sourced from 4K masters scanned from the original nitrate negatives.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://forum.blu-ray.com/showthread.php?t=312055 | title=Popeye the Sailor: The 1940s Vol. 1 (Warner Archive Collection) 12/18/2018 Pre-order—Blu-ray Forum | access-date=November 30, 2018 | archive-date=November 24, 2018 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181124105641/https://forum.blu-ray.com/showthread.php?t=312055 | url-status=live }}</ref>
* ''[[Popeye the Sailor: The 1940s, Volume 2]]'' (released June 18, 2019) features the next 15 color Popeye shorts produced by Famous Studios. The set was made available on Blu-ray and DVD, and the shorts were sourced from 4K masters scanned from the original nitrate negatives.<ref>{{cite tweet|number=1129455509117923328|user=WarnerArchive|title=Pop open another can of spinach with #Popeye the Sailor: The 1940s Volume 2 - coming to Blu-ray next month! List of…|date=May 17, 2019}}</ref>
* ''[[Popeye the Sailor: The 1940s, Volume 3]]'' (released September 17, 2019) features the next 17 color Popeye shorts produced by Famous Studios. The set was made available on Blu-ray and DVD, and the shorts were sourced from 4K masters scanned from the original nitrate negatives.

'''TV cartoons'''
* ''Popeye the Sailor: The 1960s Classics, Volume 1'' (released May 7, 2013)<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.tvshowsondvd.com/releases/Popeye-Volume-Release/13332|title=Popeye The Sailor—The 1960s Classics, Vol. 1|work=tvshowsondvd.com|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130910092116/http://www.tvshowsondvd.com/releases/Popeye-Volume-Release/13332|archive-date=2013-09-10}}</ref> A DVD-R release by [[Warner Archive Collection]] consisting mostly of made for TV cartoons produced for King Features Television by Paramount Cartoon Studios and Gerald Ray Studios.

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==Further reading==
* Grandinetti, Fred M. ''Popeye: An Illustrated Cultural History.'' 2nd ed. McFarland, 2004. {{ISBN|0-7864-1605-X}}

==External links==
{{Wikiquote}}
{{Commons category}}
* {{official website|http://www.popeye.com/}}
* [https://comicskingdom.com/popeye ''Popeye''] at [[Comics Kingdom]]
* [https://www.newspapers.com/article/southern-illinoisan/150448993/ Photo of Rocky Fiegel]

{{Popeye}}
{{King Features Syndicate Comics}}
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