a
comic strip character created by
American cartoonist Elzie (Crisler) Segar (1894-1938) in 1929. Popeye was a
rough-hewn, spinach-loving
sailor who often smoked a corncob
pipe and who soon became the
star of the
comic strip.
Involved in a long-
term chivalrous
romance with Olive Oyl, he overcame his rivals, including the hulking archenemy Bluto, with spinach that gave him instant strength. In addition to the
comic strip, he also appeared in hundreds of animated cartoons, a musical and several
motion-
pictures and was often seen or heard stating the familiar words "I am what I am." Popeye's popularity and his
association with spinach resulted in a statue being erected to
honor him in Crystal City,
Texas, an important spinach-growing center.