Popeye Comic Strips Trivia Quiz

Answer: 1929

Popeye first appeared the same year as "Tarzan" and "Flash Gordon" hit the funny papers. It was also the year of the great stock market crash.

Answer: Thimble Theatre

"Thimble Theatre" had already been running for ten years when Popeye made his unceremonious entrance. He was intended as a one-off character, appearing in one plotline, and then he disappeared. Irate letters caused the strip's creator to rethink things.

Answer: Elzie Segar

Born in 1894, Elzie Crisler Segar (pronounced SEE-GAR) also created "Sappo", which ran as the header for "Thimble Theatre". Segar, who usually signed his work above a cigar, died in 1938 (only age 43) and was succeeded on "Popeye" by Bud Sagendorf.

Answer: Castor

Castor Oyl actually started out as the lead character of "Thimble Theatre", and Popeye became his sidekick after coming aboard the strip. Eventually, Popeye took over and Castor was marginalized. He rarely appeared in later strips.

Answer: "Ja think I'm a cowboy?"

His opening quip, a response to Castor Oyl's "Are you a sailor?", let readers know immediately what kind of character they were getting.

Answer: Off the coast of Santa Monica in a typhoon

This has actually been the subject of debate among people and places that wanted to claim the one-eyed sailor, but the true birthplace was established in the comic strip.

Answer: Whiffle

Bernice was also known as an African Escape Bird. Popeye would always rub her head before getting in a fight. That was before spinach became his favored fight-preparatory.

Answer: tha's all what I yam

This is probably the most famous saying of Popeye's to come out of the strip. Others include "Well, blow me down!", "I'm goner lay ya among the swee'peas," and "That's all I can stands, cuz I can't stands n'more!" Wimpy provided some memorable sayings as well: "I will gladly pay you Tuesday for a hamburger today," "Let's you and him fight," and "I would like to invite you over to my house for a duck dinner. You bring the ducks."

Answer: playing craps

Popeye's made a lot of money in his time and, invariably (at least in the early days), he would blow it right away "rolling the bones".

Answer: Sea Hag

The last witch on Earth and one of Popeye's greatest "emenies," the Sea Hag was created in 1929 and even crossed over to the animated films.

Answer: True

When Olive once got rich, she dumped Popeye and bought a mansion. Just to be near her, Popeye convinced Olive to hire him as her butler. Unfortunately, Popeye was no gentleman's gentleman!

Answer: J. Wellington Wimpy

Wimpy was inspired by Wellington J. Reynolds, one of E.C. Segar's instructors at the Chicago Art Institute. The Sea Hag, who had a sort of romance with him, called him Wellington. By the way, whenever he was in danger of getting into trouble, Wimpy would say, "Jones is my name. I'm one of the Jones boys."

Answer: Eugene the Jeep

First appearing in 1936, Eugene the Jeep was a fourth-dimensional creature living in our 3D world. Since he could only say "Jeep," he communicated using body language. It has been said that the army jeep was named for him.

Answer: False

Bluto first appeared on Sept 12, 1932, and was intended as a one-time villain, but then the Fleischer animation studios adapted him as the main villain of their cartoons, and the rest is history.

Answer: Spinachova

Popeye even went to war (with Wimpy as his general!) to protect his kingdom. Eventually, however, he sadly turned it over to the natives and went back to America.