Editorial: Blow Me Down! Popeye turns 80!
During the 1960’s, you couldn’t walk into any department store without seeing a one-eyed sailor man on any number of products. Many newspapers carried his comic strip adventures, and your neighborhood drug store sold his self-titled comic books. On television, his 454 animated cartoons aired in various time periods.
Of course, I’m referring to Popeye! Though no longer enjoying the same wide visibility, Popeye is still one of the most recognizable figures in the world.
The pipe-smoking strongman made his debut in the “Thimble Theatre” comic strip on January 17th, 1929. “Thimble Theatre” began in 1919, and featured the comedic adventures of The Oyl Family: Castor Oyl; his sister, Olive; and her boyfriend, Ham Gravy. Many stories dealt with Castor’s get rich quick schemes. The strip was created by E.C. Segar and syndicated by King Features.
E.C. Segar only intended Popeye to appear in one story, but the tough sailor struck a chord with depression era audiences and he returned to the strip as its star. Segar's work has often been referred to as the "Charles Dickens of comic art." Unfortunately Segar’s great success with Popeye was short-lived. He passed away from Leukemia in late 1938, and the comic strip was continued by others like Tom Sims, Bela Zaboly, Ralph Stein, Bud Sagendorf, Bobby London and, today, Hy Eisman. In 1979, the comic strip was still being read in 250 newspapers. Over time, and without marketing support from King Features Syndicate, it now appears in only a handful of newspapers. However, Hy Eisman’s new Sunday strips can be read online while the dailies consist of reprinted material by Bud Sagendorf.
http://www.the-trades.com/article.php?id=10812
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