This article is about the character. For the franchise as a whole, see Popeye franchise. For other meanings, see Popeye (disambiguation). Popeye is the main protagonist of the Popeye franchise, a sailor character created in 1929 by Elzie Crisler Segar for his Thimble Theatre comic strip (subsequently renamed after Popeye himself). Initially introduced into Segar's (then long-established) strip as a minor character, Popeye, throughout his debut storyline, rapidly amassed substantial popularity am