In September of 2026 the theatrical Popeye cartoon series celebrates the 70th anniversary of its television debut. These films, produced by Fleischer and Famous Studios, were an overwhelming success. They have never been off the air and continue to play somewhere in the world.
This led King Features Syndicate, who owned the rights to the characters but not the theatrical shorts, to have 220 new Popeye cartoons produced in color. King Features reaped the financial gain these films would achieve in syndication. They made millions of dollars and were enjoyed by children. Today adults have an intense hatred for them or remember the cartoons as a source of enjoyment during their youth.
The cartoons were rushed into production. King’s executive producer, Al Brodax, hired several different animation studios to create on these new Popeye adventures in record time.
I was asked to come up with, what I feel, are the ten best Popeye cartoons from this series. I included at least one from each studio. The animation, in the episodes selected, won’t cause the viewers to cringe. Each contain entertaining stories and no audio or visual errors.
#10-Caveman Capers (Larry Harmon, 1960)- While picnicking Olive Oyl notices all the food contains some kind of spinach. She asks Popeye how his spinach diet started and he spins a tale regarding his great, great, great grand-pappy, Prehistoric Popeye. Popeye fights caveman Brutus to win the affection of cavegirl Olive Oyl. During the battle Popeye discovers a dinosaur eating green weeds. It turns out to be spinach! He consumes it and ends up defeating Brutus. At the conclusion of Popeye’s story Olive Oyl likes the idea of hitting someone over the head with a club to catch their mate. She bops Popeye and says, “That’s one way to get a man!”
#9-Egypt Us (Gerald Ray, 1960)-Popeye, Olive Oyl and Wimpy are heading to Cony Island but end up in Africa. Wimpy is in charge of cooking the hamburgers. Popeye has to rescue Olive Oyl who has been selected to be an Aztek Princess. The sailor keeps running back and forth in his attempts to save Olive plus stop Wimpy from eating all of the burgers. Once Olive is saved Popeye begins to recite his “strong to the finich” song. However, he remembers Wimpy and the hamburgers! Rushing back to Wimpy he sees him with a plump stomach! The hamburger fiend sings “It’s bad to be tardy to a hamburger party says Wimpy the Burger Man!” His two shirt buttons pop off.
#8-The Billionaire (Gene Deitch with animation by Halas & Batchelor, 1960)-This cartoon took its inspiration from The Millionaire television series (1955 to 1960). A wealthy Popeye gives a million dollars to Olive Oyl, Wimpy and Swee’pea providing they all spend the money on a good cause. Brutus pretends to be friends with Popeye so he can collect his loot. Olive buys a beauty salon so she can become beautiful which will force Popeye to marry her. Wimpy buys a herd of cows but doesn’t have the heart to grind them into hamburgers. Swee’pea makes candy bars and personally samples each one. Brutus buys up all the spinach farms and had each plowed under. The bearded brute tells Popeye, “There ain’t none left know where!” Brutus shoves dollar bills, which he calls lettuce, into the sailor’s mouth. Popeye swallows the bills and regains his strength. It turns out the money was printed with green spinach ink! Brutus gets punched and eventually turns into a pile of change. Olive emerges from her beauty salon as a lovely blonde with a bust! Popeye says she looks like a puppet and her new look cracks apart. When the foursome ask for another million Popeye says he’s given the remaining money to the sailor’s relief.
#7-Coffee House (Jack Kinney, 1960)- Olive Oyl has become a beatnik and greets her date, Brutus. She thinks he’s the “coolest, daddy-o!” The pair go to a coffee house where Brutus recites a poem, Ode to an Onion:
O Onion, Onion
You are the gone-est
So green yet so honest
O Onion, Onion
Like, I dig you the mostest
O green and lovely hostess
Hip! Hip! Hip! And crazy-daisy
Like, your breath just leaves me hazy
O brave and noble Onion
Green stem and creamy bunion
Your personality is hallion
Live! Grow! Breathe!
O gracious scallion
Popeye decides to break up the pair and swallows a can of “Cultured Spinach” The sailor puts up a sign which says “Dance of the pugilist in the arena”. While Brutus gets clobbered the audience chants, “Cool, Cool.” Olive Oyl praises her boyfriend and he replies, “Like I am what I am.”
#6-It Only Hurts When They Laughs (Paramount Cartoon Studios, 1960)- This story was based upon a Sunday page from E.C. Segar’s Thimble Theatre comic strip. Segar created Popeye on January 17th, 1929. Writer, Seymour Kneitel (who also directed the episodes produced by Paramount), created many cartoons using the comic strip as source material. Brutus and Popeye head for Olive Oyl’s house. When the pair start fighting Olive demands they laugh instead. While she’s in the kitchen washing dishes she hears the boy’s laughter. However, the laughs soon turn into a destructive battle. Though the laughs continue so does the fighting. The pair combat each other using items in Olive’s house and in the process destroys it. When Olive Oyl sees what happens she shouts, “Oh, look what you rough necks have done!” Popeye and Brutus jointly sing, “You’re not a riff- raff if ya fights and ya laugh with Popeye the Sailor Man.”
#5-Myskery Melody (Paramount Cartoon Studios, 1961)-This episode was based on a daily storyline from E.C. Segar’s Thimble Theatre comic strip. A witch, her face covered by a hood, plays a haunting melody on a flute. Poopdeck Pappy explains to Popeye and Olive Oyl what happened when he was younger. Before the sailor was married, he courted Rose of the Sea. The romance was suddenly halted when she revealed her true identity! Rose of the Sea was really The Sea Hag! She swore revenge on Pappy for jilting her! With the help of the hag’s evil vulture the old sailor gets locked in a castle. Eugene, the Jeep aids Popeye and Pappy is rescued. As in the comic strip Eugene takes care of The Sea Hag by shooting her with electricity coming from his tale.
#4-Gem Jam (Paramount Cartoon Studios, 1960)-Popeye and Olive Oyl are in India. The Sea Hag is also there, and she puts Olive in a trance. Popeye’s girlfriend steals a sacred emerald from the crown of a jaded idol. However, the person who steals it gets cursed! Popeye ends up saving his gal from what he believes to be accidents. The Sea Hag appears and attempts to grab the idol! The witch is scared off by Popeye. One of the curses creates a hole which Olive falls into it. Popeye follows her and pulls off a rescue. Now, in the hole, Popeye pulls out a can of spinach. However, The Sea Hag tosses a stone at the can, and it falls to the ground. Olive pours some spinach into the hole and Popeye springs out! He grabs The Sea Hag but his sailor’s code won’t allow him to sock her. Olive eats the rest of the spinach and throttles her (off screen). Popeye throws the gem back on the idol.
#3-County Fair (Paramount Cartoon Studios, 1961)-Farmers Brutus and Popeye compete in a series of events for the best of show and the blue ribbon. Despite Brutus’ tricks Popeye always seems to tie up the score. Wimpy announces the final event is the spinach eating contest and the test to prove its strength. Brutus extends his hand to shake Popeyes. He says, “What ya say Popeye let’s keep this contest fair?” Once he has the one-eyed farmer’s hand the brute tosses him away. Brutus breaks the fourth wall and says to the viewers, “You didn’t think I was gonna play fair with that runt and take a chance against his spinach? “Brutus gobbles down some of the spinach and flings the rest in Popeye’s direction. Popeye chomps on the remaining pieces and heads towards his opponent. Brutus, holding two horses, is about to get the blue ribbon when Popeye socks him. The horses and Brutus land on Popeye’s one finger! He is awarded the prize and sings, “Brutus was beaten because he was cheaten says Popeye the Farmer Man!”
#2-Barbecue For Two (Jack Kinney, 1960)-This was one of two pilot episodes for the series. Popeye tries to keep Wimpy, Swee’pea and his bearded neighbor away from his barbecue with Olive Oyl. While the story is fast moving and enjoyable I selected it due to the character designs. This is the only television cartoon where Popeye and Olive Oyl look like their comic strip counterparts. Popeye wears his dark shirt, red collar and captain’s hat. His pants are green rather than blue but that’s a minor quibble. While Olive Oyl wears her comic strip attire in the series this is the only cartoon where her face has the homely look originated by E.C. Segar.
#1-Valley of the Goons (Paramount Cartoon Studios, 1960)- This is another story which has its roots in E.C. Segar’s daily Thimble Theatre comic strip. Popeye is shanghaied by a bunch of pirates who want goon skins! The evil crewmen land in Goon Valley, The Backwards Country. Gags include a Goon being robbed but the criminal gives back the money to his intended victim. The pirates use carrots as bait and capture the gentle creatures! A furious Popeye eats his spinach and, with his twirling pipe, travels to Goon Valley. Rather than Popeye defeating the gang himself he feeds spinach to each bound Goon. The Goons use their chins to knock out their captors. However, the ship’s captain heads towards Popeye with a club. The sailor socks him back to his ship. With a mighty puff of the sailor’s breath the craft, with the beaten crew, sails away. A baby Goon eats some spinach and uses its breath to push Popeye’s boat back home. The sailor sings, “They’ll be strong to the finch cause they learned to eat spinach from Popeye the Sailor Man!”
I grew up watching these on a show from Providence Rhode Island called Popeye and The 3 Stooges and didn’t notice all the animation errors. To me, as with many other children, it was just more of the sailor to watch. When I was fourteen, after watching a few cartoons from Jack Kinney’s studio, I was aghast how sloppy the animation was. Yet, several good cartoons came from his studio. As I got older, and researched the series, I realized each episode has to be judged on their own merits. Some personnel were able to adapt easier to limited animation than others. These can’t be compared to the theatrical Popeyes. Those were given much more time and a bigger budget. If these TV Popeyes brought smiles to children, worldwide, I think they count for something positive.
