2017-01-17 Tue

I'm Popeye the sailor man
I'm Popeye the sailor man
I'm strong to the fin-ich
Cause I eats me spin-ach
I'm Popeye the sailor man.

The theme song which we loved to watch as kids opens up a funny and magical world of one-eyed spinach-eating sailor and his stick figured girlfriend.

Popeye the Sailor Man: a cartoon fictional character created by Elzie Crisler Segar first appeared in the daily King Features comic strip, Thimble Theatre, on January 17, 1929. Within a very short period, since Popeye made his debut, this one-eyed sailor became so popular that it was turned into a series of Popeye the Sailor theatrical cartoon shorts for Paramount Pictures.

When Elzie Segar introduced Popeye in a 1929 comic strip, he drew his inspiration for the sailor from a character from his hometown of Chester, Illinois – a one-eyed man named Frank 'Rocky' Fiegal. Olive Oyl was based on another of Segar's neighbours – a very tall, slim woman named Dora Paskel, who usually wore her hair in a bun.

Thanks to Popeye Spinach became one of the favourite foods of American children at the time and thanks to the spinach there was a boost in spinach production of the southern states of America. A full-colour Popeye statue was erected in Crystal City, Texas, to celebrate the boost to the region's spinach-growing industry.

Many stamps were issued in the memory of this weird looking yet loving character. In 1995 USPS released a 32 cents stamps dedicated to comic strip classics, shows Popeye.

It’s amazing how a small strip of comic can make wonders!