January 17, 1929
Popeye the Sailor, one of the all-time favorites among cartoon characters, made his debut in a supporting role in E.C. Segar’s comic strip Thimble Theatre. In keeping with what has remained his maritime orientation, Popeye found himself in his first appearance being approached about helping out with waterborne transportation. An enterprising character named Castor Oyl, seeking to recruit somebody to crew a ship for an excursion to someplace called Dice Island, approaches Popeye on a dock and hires him on the spot.
The seagoing Popeye, starting with that storyline in which he transports everyone safely to and from Dice Island, soon emerged as a huge favorite among Thimble Theatre readers. He quickly became the focus of that comic strip, which was ultimately renamed Popeye. Castor Oyl faded away as one of that comic strip’s leading characters while his sister Olive earned even greater fame as Popeye’s girlfriend.
Over the decades, the greatest sailor to sail the seven seas has remained popular in not only comic-strip form but also via such means as animated cartoons, radio broadcasts, video and pinball games, and at least one live-action movie. While his trademarks throughout the year have ranged from corncob pipes to spinach-induced superhuman strength, Popeye continues to be defined as well by his nautical roots. Popeye-oriented features at the theme park Universal’s Islands of Adventure in Orlando, Florida, for example, include a playground built in and around a ship of his that is named the Olive.
Image Credit: Public Domain
Popeye’s first appearance in the comic strip Thimble Theatre can be viewed at https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/45/First_Popeye_Strip%2C_East_Liverpool_Review%2C_1929-01-17%2C_p12.jpg
Additional information on Popeye throughout the years is available at https://popeye.com/history/
Transportation History 
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