It’s Been 96 Years, But Even Today, Popeye’s First Appearance Is Genuinely Funny

Popeye the Sailor Man is one of the most iconic characters in history, appearing in cartoons, a live-action film, and even acting as the mascot for spinach. Popeye’s longevity becomes even more impressive when considering the character is nearly a century old, yet is still as recognizable today as he was upon his debut. Not only that, but his debut itself still holds up, as his first appearance is genuinely funny.

Popeye the Sailor made his first appearance in E.C. Segar’s Thimble Theatre comic strip published on January 17, 1929. But, interestingly enough, he wasn’t the star of the show just yet. In fact, Popeye was introduced as a one-off character who was little more than a plot device.

The main character at the time (Castor Oyl) needed to hire a sailor for an adventure that he was going on, and Popeye got the job. As shown in the comic strip above, Castor Oyl approaches Popeye while at the docks looking for a sailor to hire, and he asks the spinach-loving Popeye the Sailor Man if he is, in fact, a sailor. To that, Popeye gives a hilariously sarcastic response, “‘Ja think I’m a cowboy?”.

Popeye’s First Line of Dialogue is Just as Funny Today as It was in the 1920s

Popeye Proves that Sarcasm is Never Not Funny

Popeye’s character design is that of an exaggerated old-timey sailor, with the ‘tough guy’ look of a hardened seaman, complete with a tobacco pipe and tattoos – not to mention a full sailor’s uniform. Plus, he’s just hanging out at the docks next to a boat that one could assume is his (or, at least, a boat he works on). Yet despite this, Castor Oyl asked this obvious sailor if he was a sailor, and that ‘stupid’ question deserved nothing less than a sarcastic response.

Honestly, everything about this joke was perfect. From Popeye’s character design as an obvious sailor mixed with Castor Oyl’s ‘stupid’ question, to Popeye’s hilarious response, this joke fires on all cylinders. Not only that, but this joke proves true the simple fact that sarcasm is and will always be funny. This exact joke would land just as well if it was written today as it did nearly a century ago in the 1920s, and that is more than worthy of recognition.

Popeye’s Debut was So Funny, Fans Demanded More

Popeye’s First Joke is the Reason He’s as Popular as He is Today

Not only is Popeye’s first appearance as funny today as it was in the ‘20s, but the joke itself is the entire reason Popeye became so popular in the first place. As previously mentioned, Popeye was only meant to be a one-off character who basically only needed to exist for this joke alone. However, after fans read this Thimble Theatre comic, they reportedly wrote fan mail demanding to see Popeye again – and E.C. Segar gave the people what they asked for.

Since his debut almost a hundred years ago, Popeye has become a pop-culture icon who is recognized around the world, and likely will be for the next hundred years – and it’s all thanks to his genuinely funny first appearance.

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Popeye is a 1960 animated series that follows the adventures of the titular spinach-eating sailor and his perpetual comedic battles with his rival, Brutus.