
Popeye is a sailor character created by E.C Segar for his 1929 comic strip Thimble Theatre. Popeye has an unusual manner of speaking, always is seen smoking a pipe and has super-human strength.
Generally considered a simpleton due to his lack of worldly knowledge he still has a good heart and tries his best to overcome challenges he faces, often to save his friends from foes.
Popeye throughout the years has dealt with many people such as meeting Sinbad the Sailor, another nautical themed public domain character in the equally public domain Fleischer cartoon “Popeye meets Sinbad the Sailor”
Notes
- Popeye’s strength didn’t come from spinach until 1931 which means thats a bit of a grey area whether that would be classified as a public domain aspect of the character or whether thats generic enough to fly. By 2027 that won’t matter though.
- King Features Syndicate still owns the trademark Popeye so you can’t use that name to advertise your creation or product.
- Popeye became public domain in Europe and most non-US territories by 2009 but didn’t become public domain in the US until 2025.