TOTAL LICENSING
Happy Birthday Popeye! cartoonists such as Tom Sims, Bela”Bill” Zaboly, Bud Sagendorf, Bobby London. Today, Hy Eisman’s Popeye strip is printed in newspapers in 9 countries around the world.
As Popeye celebrates his 90th birthday, Total Licensing talked to Carla Silva, Head of Licensing at King Features Syndicate to find out more about the character’s extraordinary longevity and how they keep their licensing programs up to date and on trend.
Carla Silva Vice President/ General Manager, Global Head of Licensing, King Features
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Can you tell us something about Popeye’s beginnings? Originally appearing in 1929, E.C. Segar’s Popeye character first debuted in “The Thimble Theatre” comic strip in the New York Journal-American, which was at that time owned by Hearst Founder William Randolph Hearst. Popeye’s introduction was a small “walk-on role”, but as soon as readers discovered his famous first line ‘Ja think I’m a cowboy?!’ he was an instant hit and soon became a regular character in the strip that eventually became known as “Popeye” in 1967. There are 1000s of comics in the historical archive, and new Popeye comic strips are released weekly. After Segar’s passing in 1938, the strip was kept alive through the talents of
Over time, the much-loved character developed alongside his cast of friends before making his film debut in 1933 and television debut in 1960. For 90 years, the Popeye character has resonated with audiences of all ages and 600+ Popeye cartoons are in existence. “I Yam What I Yam” was the first cartoon in the Popeye series produced by the Fleischer Studios and distributed by Paramount Pictures between 1933 and 1942. Popeye was originally voiced by William Costello and later by Jack Mercer, and his first animated appearance also introduced his theme song, “I’m Popeye the Sailor Man,” composed by Sammy Lerner,
which gave birth to Popeye’s most famous line “I’m strong to da finich ‘cause I eats my spinach.”
When were the first licensed products produced? Were they aimed at adults or children? The first products featuring Popeye and his friends were collectibles dating back to the early days of the Popeye comic strip, but once the original Popeye cartoons began airing on television the licensing program really took off. Popeye was one of the first animated characters on TV whose popularity inspired demand for product tied to the entertainment and the consumer products program doubled in size by the time the King Features cartoons were airing in the 60s. Products were wide-ranging, from C&A books to costumes, dolls, puppets, toys, lunch boxes, art kits, consumables, and homegoods.