Spinach-loving Popeye sailed into massive worldwide success

WHEN a cartoon character can persuade your kids to eat more healthily, he has to be applauded.

Perhaps that was part of his appeal – and a farming community in Texas noticed sales of their spinach improved after the cartoon was shown on TV, so they erected a statue as a tribute.

However, when Popeye first appeared, on January 17, 1929, in the Thimble Theatre Comic Strip, he was a minor character.

Created by E.C. Segar, in his first story Popeye was hired by Castor Oyl and Ham to crew a ship for a voyage to Dice Island, the location of a casino owned by the crooked gambler Fadewell.

His appearance was intended to be short-lived, but he was so popular, he was written back in.

His appeal knew no bounds and eventually, he was given his own TV cartoon spot.

Merchandising followed, including a range of Popeye-shaped spinach macaroni, with the sailor able to encourage people to buy all kinds of spinach-related goods.

In 2004, the Empire State Building was even illuminated “spinach-green” to celebrate the cartoon sailor’s 75th birthday.