William Costello (1933-1936) Jack Mercer (1935-1945, 1947-1984)
Appears in:
Popeye
Popeye 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 ended up becoming the strip's most popular character, to the point that he eventually took over as the main character. Popeye is a strong, surly, one-eyed sailor with large muscular forearms. Originally, he got his strength 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.