Collection: Popeye Biography and Art Gallery Collection

Popeye began in 1929 as a supporting character on the "Thimble Theater" comic strip, which was created by artist E.G. Segar. The comic focused mainly on the Oyl family: Olive, her brother Castor, their parents Nana and Cole Oyl and Olive's beau Harold Hamgravy. Popeye proved so popular however that the strip soon made him a regular. In 1932, the Fleischer Brothers studio gained the rights to feature the "Thimble Theater" figures in a series of animated cartoons. The first Fleischer Popeye cartoon appear in 1933. It was entitled "Popeye the Sailor," and though it ostensibly featured the Fleischers' other big star, Betty Boop, it was intended as a showcase for the sailor man. He proved an instant success and subsequent cartoons soon followed. They also cemented the archetypal elements of Popeye's history: his conflicts with Bluto, his courtship of Olive, supporting characters like Wimpy and Swee Pea, and of course the ubiquitous spinach can which grants him superhuman strength. Though the Popeye pictures were originally in black and white, they proved so successful that color cartoons were soon produced, starting with 1936's "Popeye the Sailor Meets Sinbad the Sailor." Popeye cartoons changed exclusively to color in 1943, but by that time, the Fleischers were no longer directly involved. Paramount took over ownership in 1941, renamed the studio Famous Studios and continued producing Popeye cartoons. Though they remained successful and continued to be produced until 1957, they lacked the flair or bizarre imagination of the Fleischers' versions.Though the Fleischer/Famous Studio cartoons were eventually broadcast on TV, they were originally intended for theatrical release.

The rise of television subsequently engendered a number of Popeye cartoon series meant specifically for that medium. The first began in 1960 and ran for two years. Though over 220 episodes were produced and many of the original vocal actors (including Jack Mercer) returned, the animation was cheap and shoddy when compared to the artistry of the Fleischers. A second series, "Popeye and Friends," was produced by Hanna-Barbera in 1978. It went through several incarnations before coming to an end in 1983. A second Hanna-Barbera series, "Popeye and Son," appeared in 1987, but only lasted for one year. Both were hampered by content restrictions which prohibited them from showing violence. A computer animated Popeye TV special, entitled "The Quest for Pappy," appeared in 2004 to mark the character's 75th anniversary.