Popeye dressed as Santa at the end of "Mister and Mistletoe".
Popeye the Sailor is a cartoon character created by Elzie Crisler Segar for his newspaper comic strip Thimble Theatre. Originally introduced as a one-shot character in a 1929 storyline, he quickly became the strip's most popular character, to the point that it was eventually renamed after him. Popeye is an incredibly strong, surly, one-eyed sailor with large muscular forearms and the ability to pull off impossible feats. Originally, his strength came from rubbing the head of the Whiffle Hen from his debut storyline, but in 1932, the source of his strength was changed to frequently eating spinach, which has stuck ever since. Popeye would also have a prolific career in animation, first starring in a long-running series of theatrical cartoon shorts from 1933 to 1957, and later in a few television shows produced between 1960 and 1987. In 2002, he was ranked #20 in TV Guide's "50 Greatest Cartoon Characters of All Time" list.
Appearances in Christmas specials[]
Less than a year into his film career, Popeye's first Christmas-themed outing was the 1933 Fleischer Studios short Seasin's Greetinks! In it, he presents Olive Oyl with ice skates and takes her out skating, despite interference from Bluto.
22 years later, well after production of the Popeye cartoon shorts had moved to Famous Studios, Popeye starred in 1955's Mister and Mistletoe. In this short, he and his nephews are spending Christmas Eve at Olive's house.
Popeye's next and last Christmas cartoon was "Spinach Greetings", an episode of the 1960s Popeye shorts produced by King Features for television.
External links[]
- Official website
- Popeye the Sailorpedia: Popeye
- Halloween Specials Wiki: Popeye
- Other Holiday Specials Wiki: Popeye
- Thanksgiving Specials Wiki: Popeye
- New Year's Specials Wiki: Popeye
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