"I'm Popeye the Sailor Man!"
Popeye the Sailor is an animated series based on the comic strip with the same name.
Why it Rocks
- It's quite faithful to the source material while still adding a unique twist to the stories. The show in fact effectively created one of the most famous format in the history of entertainment (Popeye and Bluto competing against each other, with the former saving the situation thanks to his spinach).
- While the plots mostly follow the same format, we still get to see episodes which plots don't do that.
- The stories are always lighthearted and this make even the propaganda episodes of the series entertaining to watch.
- Excellent animation.
- Amusingly grotesque character design.
- Olive Oyl's Famous Studios design is very cute, as her cuteness and wacky personality was increased, to make herself an all-American sloppy woman, and wear a red shirt with collar, black dress, and black high-heel shoes.
- Good use of comedy and slapstick, with the former based on amazingly exagerrated feats of strength performed by Popeye and Bluto while the compete against each other.
- Great characters that are still iconic even if they aren't totally likable, like Olive Oyl. The series allowed a wider audience to know Popeye, one of the most recognizable characters ever, with his unique characterization of both hero and anti-hero.
- Incredible action scenes provided by Popeye with his incredibly over the top fistfights.
- Great music. The show presents both original music in the opening theme and famous sailor songs.
Bad Qualities
- The All New Popeye Hour and Popeye and Son both toned down the violence, so Popeye could not punch Bluto in either of those shows.
Trivia
- Thanks to its positive representation of spinach, the series effectively boosted spinach sales and actually taught children to eat more vegetables.
- Despite being the anti-hero of the animated series, Bluto only appeared once in the comic strips.
- Popeye was initially supposed to open his spinach cans with a bite but this was rejected out of fear that kids could try to imitate the character, thus harming themselves.