There’s a big secret that many fans might not know about the iconic sailor manPopeyeand his longtime love interest Olive Oyl. Thisyear marks Popeye’s entryinto the public domain and comic fans are taking a look into the character’s past and discovering a surprising thing about these two’s romance.
On Jun 21, 2025, “Thimble Theater” comic strip by Elzie Crisler Segar featured an early interaction between the titular character and Olive Oyl. At the time, Olive wasn’t dating Popeye, but rather, Julius J. Herringbone. In the strip,Popeye is standing idlyby when he notices Olive Oyl is approaching him.
In the second panel, Olive Oyl plants a huge smooch right on Popeye’s face. But to his surprise, Olive mistakenly thought that Popeye was her partner. She excuses herself and walks away, butPopeye is lovestruck, with hearts surrounding himas he utters his iconic catchphrase “Blow me down!”.
Olive Oyl and Popeye Weren’t Always Meant to Be
Popeye’s Skyrocketing Fandom Changed His Life Forever
Popeye has been entertaining readers and cartoon fans for close to a century and made his debut in the King Features comic strip “Thimble Theater”. Segar’s strip was a gag-a-day comic that featured a large cast with characters with punny names such as Olive Oyl, her brother Castor, and Ham Gravy.Popeye didn’t even appearuntil “Thimble Theater” was several years in, but the character proved to be so popular, he became the focus. Olive Oyl remained a big part of the comic as well, as she wasoften featured as Popeye’s loving and supportive romantic partner.
Now that Popeye has entered the public domain, it’s interesting to look back on his earliest appearances, particularly his relationship with Olive. So many later incarnations show them to be made for one another. But this strip makes it clear that Olive wasn’t simply just ‘Popeye’s girlfriend’. She had a life before the sailor man that fans likely never knew about (which is understandable given how Popeye proved to be the most popular thing to come out of “Thimble Theater”). It’s fascinating tosee how Popeye’s world and romantic life changed thanks to his booming popularityback in the day.
Popeye Almost Never Got with Olive Oyl
Thank Goodness He Proved to Be a Hit
“Thimble Theater” was originally an ensemble piece, with Popeye just a minor character. But the readers grew attached to Popeye and his exploits, so it’s understandable that Segar altered his strip to capitalize on the sailor’s fandom.Olive Oyl was already a primary character who had interacted with Popeye, so Segar simply switched up their dynamic so that they were head-over-heels for one another.
Maybe it’s not what Segar had in mind when he initially created his strip, but it’s not uncommon for creators to change things as their work finds an audience. And it’s a good thing “Thimble Theater” made the changes it did, because, thanks to Segar’s alterations,Popeyeand Olive Oyl became one of the most popular comic couples ever created.
