fictional character
In fiction, a character (or speaker, in poetry) is a person or other being in a narrative (such as a novel, Play (theatre), play, Radio series, radio or television series, music, film, or video game). The character may be entirely fictional or b ...
featured in the ''
Popeye
Popeye the Sailor Man is a fictional cartoon character created by E. C. Segar, Elzie Crisler Segar.Thimble Theatre
Popeye the Sailor Man is a fictional cartoon character created by E. C. Segar, Elzie Crisler Segar.comic strip and animated cartoon spinoffs. Created by
E. C. Segar
Elzie Crisler Segar (; December 8, 1894 – October 13, 1938), known by the pen name E. C. Segar, was an American cartoonist best known as the creator of Popeye, a pop culture character who first appeared in 1929 in Segar's comic strip ''Thimbl ...
in 1936, the character is Popeye's father, who is between the ages of 85 and 99.
History
Pappy first appeared in ''Thimble Theatre'' not long after Popeye acquired
Eugene the Jeep
Eugene the Jeep is a character in the '' Popeye'' comic strip. A mysterious animal with magical or supernatural abilities, the Jeep first appeared in the March 16, 1936 ''Thimble Theatre'' comic strip (now simply ''Popeye''). He was also prese ...
in 1936. Popeye decided to use the creature's
supernatural
Supernatural refers to phenomena or entities that are beyond the laws of nature. The term is derived from Medieval Latin , from Latin (above, beyond, or outside of) + (nature) Though the corollary term "nature", has had multiple meanings si ...
knowledge to find his father. An expedition which included Toar the caveman and
Olive Oyl
Olive Oyl is a cartoon character created by E. C. Segar in 1919 for his comic strip '' Thimble Theatre''. The strip was later renamed ''Popeye'' after the sailor character that became the most popular member of the cast; however, Olive Oyl was ...
was set up to go to Barnacle Island. The ungrateful father answered Popeye's greeting with, "You look like something the cat dragged in... I don't like relatives." He came to Popeye's home anyway, followed by some
mermaid
In folklore, a mermaid is an aquatic creature with the head and upper body of a female human and the tail of a fish. Mermaids appear in the folklore of many cultures worldwide, including Europe, Asia, and Africa.
Mermaids are sometimes asso ...
s with whom he had flirted.
Poopdeck Pappy made his first
animated
Animation is a method by which still figures are manipulated to appear as moving images. In traditional animation, images are drawn or painted by hand on transparent celluloid sheets to be photographed and exhibited on film. Today, most ani ...
appearance in the ''Popeye the Sailor'' short '' Goonland'' (1938). In this cartoon, it is revealed that Popeye has a long-lost father, not seen since infancy, who is being held captive in the bizarre realm of Goon Island. When he goes to rescue the "ol' goat" in the Goon
prison
A prison, also known as a jail, gaol (dated, standard English, Australian, and historically in Canada), penitentiary (American English and Canadian English), detention center (or detention centre outside the US), correction center, correc ...
, his father refuses to acknowledge Popeye as his son, but when Popeye is himself captured by the Goons, Pappy eats Popeye's mislaid can of
spinach
Spinach (''Spinacia oleracea'') is a leafy green flowering plant native to central and western Asia. It is of the order Caryophyllales, family Amaranthaceae, subfamily Chenopodioideae. Its leaves are a common edible vegetable consumed eith ...
to rescue his only child. In the mêlée that ensues, the filmstrip is supposedly broken and the projectionist must safety pin it back together to finish the cartoon.
Popeye is the spitting image of Poopdeck Pappy, though Pappy has a white
beard
A beard is the hair that grows on the jaw, chin, upper lip, lower lip, cheeks, and neck of humans and some non-human animals. In humans, usually pubescent or adult males are able to grow beards.
Throughout the course of history, societal a ...
. Pappy is far less principled than his son, stealing from Popeye's
bank account
A bank account is a financial account maintained by a bank or other financial institution in which the financial transactions between the bank and a customer are recorded. Each financial institution sets the terms and conditions for each type o ...
and trying to sell
water
Water (chemical formula ) is an inorganic, transparent, tasteless, odorless, and nearly colorless chemical substance, which is the main constituent of Earth's hydrosphere and the fluids of all known living organisms (in which it acts as ...
for $5,000 in
Death Valley
Death Valley is a desert valley in Eastern California, in the northern Mojave Desert, bordering the Great Basin Desert. During summer, it is the hottest place on Earth.
Death Valley's Badwater Basin is the point of lowest elevation in North Am ...
(to which Popeye, while pouring water for the parched traveler, tells Poopdeck, "I yam disgustipated wit' ya!"). There is no love lost between him and Olive Oyl, whom he calls a "lath-legged bean pole." (This stemmed from Poopdeck slugging Olive when they first met.) However, while he is grumpy and somewhat hostile, he is quite protective of Popeye, and does have a hidden soft side.
After Segar's death, Poopdeck's mother (called Granny who looks like her son and grandson, but wearing a
bonnet
A Bonnet is a variety of headgear, hat or cap
Specific types of headgear referred to as "bonnets" may include
Scottish
*Blue bonnet, a distinctive woollen cap worn by men in Scotland from the 15th-18th centuries And its derivations:
** Feat ...
) was introduced into the strip. She refuses to treat her son as an "eighty-five-year-old adult" (his age has been reduced from 99 to 85 in the comic strip) and often disciplines him after his raucous "nights on the town". She tends to be more amiable to Popeye, although she too believes that Olive needs a bit more meat on her bones. However, Olive agrees with how Granny keeps Pappy in the house, because when she does, the town is able to get a sound sleep. Granny is also notorious as being one of the worst cooks in the world.
In the
Fleischer Studios
Fleischer Studios () is an American animation studio founded in 1929 by brothers Max and Dave Fleischer, who ran the pioneering company from its inception until its acquisition by Paramount Pictures, the parent company and the distributor of i ...
shorts, both Poopdeck Pappy and Popeye were both voiced by
Jack Mercer
Winfield B. Mercer (January 31, 1910 – December 7, 1984), professionally known as Jack Mercer, was a prolific American voice actor, animator and TV screenwriter. He is best known as the voice of cartoon characters Popeye the Sailor Man and F ...
Pest Pilot
This is a list of the 109 cartoons of the ''Popeye the Sailor'' film series, produced from the beginning of the series in 1933 to 1942 by Fleischer Studios for Paramount Pictures.
During the course of production in 1941, Paramount assumed contr ...
Baby Wants a Battle
This is a list of the 122 cartoons of the ''Popeye the Sailor'' film series produced by Paramount Pictures' Famous Studios (later known as Paramount Cartoon Studios) from 1942 to 1957, with 14 in black and white and 108 in color. These cartoons ...
'' (1953)
*''Taxi-Turvy'' (1954)
*''Bride and Gloom'' (1954)
*''
Nearlyweds
This is a list of the 122 cartoons of the ''Popeye the Sailor'' film series produced by Paramount Pictures' Famous Studios (later known as Paramount Cartoon Studios) from 1942 to 1957, with 14 in black and white and 108 in color. These cartoons ...
'' (1957)
In
Robert Altman
Robert Bernard Altman ( ; February 20, 1925 – November 20, 2006) was an American film director, screenwriter, and producer. He was a five-time nominee of the Academy Award for Best Director and is considered an enduring figure from the New H ...
's ''
Popeye
Popeye the Sailor Man is a fictional cartoon character created by E. C. Segar, Elzie Crisler Segar.Ray Walston
Herman Raymond Walston (November 2, 1914 – January 1, 2001) was an American actor and comedian, well known as the title character on '' My Favorite Martian''. His other major film, television, and stage roles included Luther Billis (''South Pac ...
. He is the "Commodore" of Sweethaven, but gets kidnapped by Captain
Bluto
Bluto, at times known as Brutus, is a cartoon and comics character created in 1932 by Elzie Crisler Segar as a one-time character, named "Bluto the Terrible", in his ''Thimble Theatre'' comic strip (later renamed ''Popeye''). Bluto made his ...
and must be saved by Popeye. When Popeye sees his bulging arms, "squinky" eye and his
pipe
Pipe(s), PIPE(S) or piping may refer to:
Objects
* Pipe (fluid conveyance), a hollow cylinder following certain dimension rules
** Piping, the use of pipes in industry
* Smoking pipe
** Tobacco pipe
* Half-pipe and quarter pipe, semi-circul ...
, he recognizes his long-lost father—though, as in their meeting on Goon Island, Pappy initially refuses to accept that Popeye is his son.
He also appears in ''
Popeye and Son
''Popeye and Son'' is an American animated comedy series based on the ''Popeye'' comic strip created by E.C. Segar and published by King Features Syndicate. Jointly produced by Hanna-Barbera and King Features subsidiary King Features Entertainmen ...
'', in "Poopdeck Pappy and the Family Tree". While he comes to help his grandson Junior with his school report, traces of the classic Pappy come shining through when describing their ancestors in greater unsavory detail (much to Junior's initial dismay).
Pappy's history with Popeye has gradually been retconned in modern times. In the 2004 TV special '' Popeye's Voyage: The Quest for Pappy'', when Popeye and his friends find him, he is initially hostile to his son as depicted in earlier tellings of their separation, but it is later revealed Pappy's did not maliciously abandon Popeye, but in fact sought to protect him from the wrath of the Sea Hag, who had a vendetta with Pappy, by putting as much distance between them as possible so she wouldn't find him. Thus, by acting furious at being found, he hopes to drive him away and keep him safe. And in
Genndy Tartakovsky
Gennady Borisovich Tartakovsky (russian: Геннадий Борисович Тартаковский, born ), commonly known as Tartakovsky (), is a Russian-American animator, director, producer, screenwriter, voice actor, storyboard artist, ...
's abandoned ''Popeye'' feature film project, which was briefly leaked to the public in 2022 in animatic form, Popeye's father, who is seen only in flashback and never referred to as "Poopdeck Pappy," is again depicted putting his infant son in what he believes to be a safe place in order to protect him from the Sea Hag; in addition, a gem stolen from the Sea Hag has been put in Popeye's swaddling clothes, which will serve as the McGuffin for her later pursuit of the adult Popeye in the film.