List of Popeye references in popular culture

As a beloved popular culture icon with a long history, Popeye has inspired countless references and parodies in different media. These are but a few:

1930s[]

In the 1937 Looney Tunes short Porky's Garden, a chick, who has been bullied by a large chicken, eats some spinach and gains the likeness of Popeye ("Why, I'll lay 'em amongst the sweet peas, that big lug!") and knocks the big chicken down with one punch.
The 1938 Merrie Melodies short The Major Lied 'Til Dawn, features the titular Major eating a can of spinach ("If it's good enough for the sailor man, it's good enough for me!"), growing enormous muscles and beating up a crocodile.

1940s[]

Popeye appears in Osamu Tezuka's 1948 manga Lost World, both as 'Doctor Jupiter' and as himself (among several other American characters).
A 1949 Famous Studios cartoon, Toys Will Be Toys (from Paramount Pictures' Screen Songs series) features a Popeye toy among a parade of living toys.
Another 1949 Screen Songs cartoon, Marriage Wows, features a raccoon lifting the backside of a log with a single arm, mentioning that she had eaten some spinach.

1950s[]

Spike Milligan was a fan of Popeye cartoons and took the name of The Goon Show from Alice and her tribe.
The name "Marsupilami" (of a Belgian comics character created in 1952) is a combination of marsupial, Pilou-Pilou (the French name for Eugene the Jeep), and ami (friend).
Popeye also appears in Osamu Tezuka's 1952 manga Son-Goku the Monkey, acting as a 'heavenly hitman', one of several opponents to the legendary Monkey King.

1960s[]

In the 1967 The Avengers episode "The £50,000 Breakfast", John Steed jokes about watching Popeye cartoons while examining old footage.
In Not Brand Echh Vol 1 issue 12 (1969), Popeye and Wimpy appear among several classic comic strip characters in the story "Frankenstein Sicksty-Nine!"

1970s[]

Japanese magazines Popeye and Brutus were founded in 1976 and 1980, respectively. While their names reference the characters, and they pay occasional tribute to them, the magazines actually focus on fashion and lifestyle for men. Casa Brutus, covering design and architecture, followed in 2000.
The 1977 Peanuts film Race for Your Life, Charlie Brown features a fat, vicious cat named Brutus and voiced by Jackson Beck. This recalls Beck's voice work as Bluto and Brutus.
A hulking, vicious robot resembling Popeye appears in the 1977 Jetter Mars episode "The Best Robot Talent in History": he consists of a large cubical midsection emblazoned with an anchor, Popeye-style limbs and a Popeye head.
In the television series Happy Days, Ralph calls Potsie "Popeye" after they return from their ROTC naval class in the 1977 episode "My Fair Fonzie", and in the 1979 episode "Ralph Versus Potsie", Fonzie compares his love for parsley to Popeye's love of spinach.
In the comic strip Wormy, serialized between 1977 and 1988 in the role-playing magazine Dragon, cyclops character Ace resembles Popeye and also talks like him.
In Detective Comics Vol 1 issue 475 (1978), as Batman talks to the sailors on the Gotham docks, Popeye can be seen in silhouette.
Popeye is among a crowd of aliens in a panel from Uncanny X-Men Vol 1 issue 125 (1979).
In Marvel Premiere Vol 1 issue 50 (1979), Popeye and Brutus are seen as mental patients together with Wimpy as their doctor.

1980s[]

In the television series Mork & Mindy (specifically during its 1980s seasons), main character Mork the alien would occasionally reference the Popeye movie, which was fitting considering that Mork was played by none other than Robin Williams, who also played Popeye in said film.
Popeye is among several captured superheroes and villains in What If? Vol 1 issue 29 (1981).
The Dr. Slump manga chapter 51, "Kick the Can", features an icon of Dr. Senbei Norimaki made to look like Popeye on the intro page.
In the 1985 The 13 Ghosts of Scooby-Doo episode "That's Monstertainment", a variation of "I'm Popeye the Sailor Man" plays as Shaggy eats Scooby Snacks.
In the 1985 Muppet Babies episode "The Great Muppet Cartoon Show", Popeye and Olive are portrayed by Kermit the Frog and Skeeter during the song "We Love Cartoons".
Marvel Comics' New Mutants Special Edition Vol 1 issue 1 (1985) introduces Harald Einarson, a tyrannical Asgardian lord modeled as (a more realistic-looking) Popeye, who also dies in the episode. Members of his court resemble other Thimble Theatre characters.
Popeye was among the many personalities that appeared as puppets in the music video for "Land of Confusion", Genesis' hit song of 1986. He can be spotted right after Phil Collins' encounter with Madonna.
In the 1987 ALF episode "Something's Wrong with Me", the titular alien refuses to eat spinach, commenting "On Melmac, Popeye was considered a geek".
A Popeye lookalike can be seen in What The--?! Vol 1 issue 1 (1988).
In Superman Vol 2 issue 16 (1988), the Prankster laments the state of children's television while parodies of 1980s cartoons are shown on monitors; a goateed Popeye-like sailor represents The All-New Popeye Hour.
Crimen y Castigo/Meurtres et Chatiments (a surreal comic serialized in an Argentine magazine then published as a book in France) has a detective come into "Thimbletown" in one chapter, to engage in violent and sexual situations with the Thimble Theatre-based locals.
In the television series Full House, Joey Gladstone (Dave Coulier) would at times imitate Popeye, sometimes singing "I'm Popeye the Sailor Man" and once even dressing as him, in the 1989 episode "Little Shop of Sweaters".

1990s[]

In the 1991 Red Dwarf episode "D.N.A.", it is twice discussed whether Descartes or Popeye said "I am what I am".
Babs Bunny does a Popeye impression in the 1991 Tiny Toon Adventures episode "Pledge Week".
Popeye makes a cameo appearance in The Shadow Strikes Vol 1 issue 26 (1991), using his original line ("'Ja think I'm a cowboy?") as a password.
Navy uniform-wearing Popeye can be seen in a bar among other fictional and historical characters in Captain America Vol 1 issue 401 (1992).
Hip hop group The Pharcyde's 1992 song "If I Were President" is a parody of the song of the same name as it appears in the cartoon Olive Oyl for President.
The 1992 arcade game Quiz & Dragons: Capcom Quiz Game contains two questions involving Popeye.
In the 1992 computer game Roberta Williams' Laura Bow in: The Dagger of Amon Ra, which is set in 1926, the protagonist may find herself discussing the comic strip Thimble Theatre with a group of children.
The Genie does a Popeye impression in The Return of Disney's Aladdin issue 2 (1993).
In the 1993 Animaniacs episode "Cat on a Hot Steel Beam", a Popeye-like character can be seen chasing after a Swee'Pea-like character.
Popeye makes a cameo appearance in the 1993 film Loaded Weapon 1, walking the docks at night until he is assaulted by criminals.
An aged Popeye makes an appearance in Marvels issue 1 (1994), commenting on the subject of Captain America.
In the 1995 Star Trek: The Next Generation novel Balance of Power, the 60th Ferengi Rule of Acquisition is given as "Let's you and him fight" (one of Wimpy's catchphrases).
In the 1997 Extreme Ghostbusters episode "Moby Ghost", Eduardo Rivera calls ghostly whaler Maiikrob "Popeye".
In a scene from the 1997 film Alien: Resurrection, Dom Vriess (Dominique Pinon) whistles "I'm Popeye the Sailor Man", likely a nod to Pinon's physical resemblance to Popeye.
In the long-running manga and anime One Piece, several allusions to Popeye are made, such as one of the main characters, Franky having large tattooed forearms and using cola to power himself up much like spinach. Another reference is seen in the character Macro who has Popeye forearms and even the same anchor tattoos. Protagonist Luffy (a man made of rubber) also regularly uses attacks that increase the size of his forearms as well as using a variation of Popeye's "Twisker Sock" in which he too twists his arms and hits his opponents with a spinning punch.
In the 1999 Buffy the Vampire Slayer episode "Graduation Day, Part Two", Angel comments "Looks like somebody has been eating his spinach", referring to his adversary Mayor Wilkins' superhuman strength.

2000s[]

Popeye is referenced in the Simpsons episodes "Brother's Little Helper" (1999, where Popeye's theme song is parodied); "Jaws Wired Shut" (2002, where Homer Simpson is strengthened by Duff Beer as Popeye is by spinach, then effects a Popeye-like rescue); "The Strong Arms of the Ma" (2003, Marge Simpson's spinach-like use of steroids); "Father Knows Worst" (2009, Homer's spinach-like use of mayonnaise); "Dad Behavior" (2016, Abe Simpson's father is portrayed as a Popeye-like character). Many Popeyes are also seen in Bart Simpson's dream in "A Test Before Trying" (2013).
In the 2001 Malcolm in the Middle episode "Old Mrs. Old", Commandant Spangler is likened to Popeye for having only one eye.
Popeye is referenced in the Doctor Who books Time and Relative (2001) and Wooden Heart (2007).
In the 2002 The Office (UK version) episode "Motivation", David Brent finds out that the office workers have nicknamed him 'Bluto'.
In the 2002 The Fairly OddParents episode "Abra-Catastrophe!", countless Popeye-like sailors surround antagonist Denzel Crocker's van while it is camouflaged as a spinach wagon; in the 2004 episode "Just Desserts", Wanda the fairy godmother gains a surge of energy after eating from a spinach can; in the 2005 episode "The Good Old Days!", 'Poke Eye the Longshoreman' can be seen in a faux Fleischer Studios-style cartoon that protagonist Timmy Turner watches together with his grandfather. The latter episode also contains several allusions to old Popeye cartoons and substitutes beets for spinach.
Popeye appears as a bartender in a story segment from Simpsons Comics issue 81 (2003).
The Bluto/Brutus name debate became a topic of interest on the radio program The Rick Emerson Show.
In SpongeBob SquarePants, a minor recurring character simply known as the 'Popeye Fish' shares Popeye's Navy hat, chin, and even a similar voice.
In the animated series Codename: Kids Next Door, children are shown to collect trading cards and other items of 'the Yipper', a cartoon animal which bears a strong likeness to Eugene the Jeep.
Popeye can be seen in portrait at the Nut Bar in The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie (2004).
The ailing grandfather from the 2004 short film Life After is known only as 'Popeye' for the strength he possessed in his youth.
A Popeye drawing appears near the beginning of the first music video for My Chemical Romance's 2004 song "I'm Not Okay (I Promise)".
The Nintendo DS games Castlevania: Dawn of Sorrow (2004) and Castlevania: Portrait of Ruin (2006) feature a food item named "Tinned Spinach", which is described to give the illusion of increased muscle mass.
The Popeye film starring Robin Williams is mentioned in a parody of the film A Series of Unfortunate Events from Mad magazine issue 452 (2005).
The 2006 Drawn Together episode "The Lemon-AIDS Walk" portrays Popeye as a steroids abuser and drug dealer, with syringe tattoos instead of anchors, and Olive's pimp. He suddenly dies of AIDS during the episode.
In the 2006 Family Guy episode "You May Now Kiss the...Uh...Guy Who Receives", Popeye pays a visit to Dr. Hartman. The doctor informs him that the lumps in his arms are actually tumors. When Popeye tries to reply to this, it is all stuttered gibber. Dr. Hartman explains that Popeye's weird speaking pattern is caused by a stroke he had a few years ago, with Popeye still being alive deemed a miracle. In the 2008 episode "McStroke", Wimpy appears as a stroke victim.
In the three-part South Park episode "Imaginationland" from 2007, Popeye is a member of the Council of Nine, the rulers of the land of imaginary characters. He had previously made a cameo appearance in the episode "Hell on Earth 2006".
The 2007 Camp Lazlo episode "The Book of Slinkman" shows the picture of a character called Rugged Randolph, who has Popeye's forearms and tattoos.
The 2008 Pucca episode segment "Tame That Toon" features Abyo and Ching as Popeye and Olive, respectively.
Ghostbusters: The Video Game (2009) features a boss fight against Pappy Sargassi, a bearded, pipe-smoking fisherman ghost partly based on Poopdeck Pappy.

2010s[]

The large, bearded Detective Blutosky from the animated series Sym-Bionic Titan is based on Bluto.
In the Zombies map "Five", from the 2010 video game Call of Duty: Black Ops, Richard Nixon may say "I would gladly pay you Tuesday for some extra rounds today" (a variation on Wimpy's well-known catchphrase) when running low on ammo.
In the 2010 Smallville episode "Isis", Cat Grant says to Clark Kent "You're the Popeye to my Olive".
In the 2010 The Office (US version) episode "Costume Contest", Jim Halpert dresses up as Popeye along with his wife Pam as Olive Oyl and their baby Cece as Swee'Pea.
Popeye and Bluto can be glimpsed on a pirate ship in the 2010 MAD episode "Pirates of the Neverland: At Wit's End". A 2010 Celebrities Without Their Makeup segment has Santa Claus' makeup removed to reveal Popeye's face. The 2011 short segment "Popeye and Bluto's Dinner Mix-Up" has Bluto pummel the sailor after being mistakenly served the latter's spinach order at a restaurant.
In the 2011 Futurama episode "Reincarnation", during a black-and-white Fleischer Studios-style segment, Philip J. Fry eats a can of mushroom jelly in order to gain strength.
In the 2011 film Red State, main antagonist Abin Cooper likes to tell his young grandson to flex his "muscles" like Popeye.
In the 2011 film adaptation of The Green Hornet, one of the enemy gangsters is nicknamed 'Popeye'. Aptly, he loses an eye.
'Officer Popeye' appears briefly in Funny or Die's 2011 video "Boop with Rose McGowan", which is based upon Betty Boop.
The 'Sailor's Cap' that may be bought and worn in the 2011 video game Jetpack Joyride has the following item description: "A genuine old fashioned sailor's cap. Now you just need an anchor tattoo and a can of spinach."
The Winged Lemongrab Horse, ridden by the second Earl of Lemongrab in the TV series Adventure Time, bears a marked facial resemblance to Eugene the Jeep.
In the 2012 So Random! episode "Cole & Dylan Sprouse", the Sally Jensen: Kid Lawyer sketch "Cartoons" has Sally send Popeye (Dylan Sprouse) to jail for inspiring a boy (Cole Sprouse) to eat spinach, get strong and lift a car to impress his girlfriend, which caused the boy's arms to be ripped out of their sockets.
In the 2012 video game Adventure Time: Hey Ice King! Why'd You Steal Our Garbage?!!, Lumpy Space Princess devours a can of beans to transform into a larger, stronger version of herself.
In the 2012 The Walking Dead episode "Nebraska", Lori Grimes is called 'Olive Oyl' by Daryl Dixon for having gotten very thin like Olive.
Popeye is referenced in the intro track of Meek Mill's 2012 album Dreams and Nightmares.
In the 2013 Annoying Orange episode "Popeye Yeah!", Orange annoys a Papaya after mishearing his name as 'Popeye'.
The 2013 film Scooby-Doo! Mask of the Blue Falcon features many cameos from Hanna-Barbera-created characters, including the appearance of a Bertha Blast lookalike as the Caterer.
In the 2013 film The Wolf of Wall Street, Popeye Meets Hercules is shown on television, inspiring protagonist Jordan Belfort to gain strength from cocaine like Popeye does from spinach.
A flashback from Batman Vol 2 issue 23.1 (2013) introduces the Joker's abusive Aunt Eunice, who looks like Olive Oyl.
Buffy Summers mentions Popeye and his gaining strength from spinach in Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season Ten issue 9 (2014).
In the 2014 Clarence episode "Nothing Ventured", Clarence's friend Sumo comes off looking like Popeye in a police sketch.
in the 2014 Family Guy episode "Herpe, the Love Sore", Peter Griffin tries to get strong by eating spinach.
In the 2014 Teen Titans Go! episode "Vegetables", Cyborg eats a can of spinach while fighting crime in order to gain strength, which gives him a Popeye look and an anchor icon on his arm. In the 2015 episode "The HIVE Five", Raven prank calls villain Gizmo asking for 'olive oil', then mentioning Popeye.
In the 2015 Steven Universe episode "Cry for Help", Sugilite (the fusion of two characters) destroys a tower using a winding punch that leaves her two right arms wrapped together, matching the Twisker Sock's look and function.
In the 2015 Defiance episode "The Awakening", protagonist Joshua Nolan jokingly speculates than an Omec alien's increased resistance to bullets is due to her eating her spinach.
In the 2015 film Ted 2, a Popeye standee and a Bluto costume can be seen at the New York Comic Con.
Singer Chris Brown wears a Popeye shirt in the music video for his 2016 song "Paradise".
In the music video for Katy Perry's 2017 song "Swish Swish", a member of Perry's basketball team is given a spinach powerup by Popeye, although only the latter's arm can be seen.
Quelle Chris' 2017 song "Popeye" mentions various cartoon characters, most notably the sailor himself.
In the 2017 Samurai Jack episode "XCVII", a robotic version of Popeye briefly appears as an old foe of Jack's, remarking that the samurai "busted" his eye sometime in the past. It should be noted that Samurai Jack creator Genndy Tartakovsky is a Popeye fan and was originally set to direct Sony's animated Popeye film.
The 2017 video game Cuphead has many references to Fleischer Studios cartoons from the 1930s such as Betty Boop, Popeye, and others. The character Captain Brineybeard, who serves as a boss in the game, is a clear reference to Bluto in terms of design and nautical theme. Another boss, the giant Wally Warbles bird, resembles Rokh. Female bosses such as Hilda Berg, Sally Stageplay, and Pirouletta have Olive's distinctive body type and nose, and some stages incorporate the style and 3D backgrounds present in the short films Popeye the Sailor Meets Sindbad the Sailor and Popeye the Sailor Meets Ali Baba's Forty Thieves.
Since 2017, the comic strip Bizarro frequently includes hidden references to Olive Oyl (often abbreviated as "O2").
Following his professional debut in 2017, American boxer Richard "Popeye the Sailor Man" Rivera has fashioned a public persona based on the sailor character.
In the 2018 special My Little Pony Equestria Girls: Forgotten Friendship, Pinkie Pie shows Sunset Shimmer her ridiculous-looking face on the latter's cell phone, and she looks like Popeye.
In the 2019 novel of the horror media franchise Bendy, Dreams Come to Life, Popeye and Olive Oyl are mentioned briefly when the protagonist Daniel "Buddy" Lewek is gathering discarded newspapers around the neighborhood for any new Popeye comic strips.
The cover of the 2019 song "Harder", by Jax Jones and Bebe Rexha, is made to resemble a spinach can with caricatures of both musicians, Jones having Popeye arms.

2020s[]

In the 2020 Family Guy episode "Holly Bibble", Peter Griffin (as Noah) compares his nautically-inept son Chris to Popeye after making him run down to the aft cabin by saying he had left Penthouse magazines there.
In a Mutts strip that was released on July 29th, 2020, Popeye shows up at the end and asks "'Ja think I'm a cowboy?", replaying his first-ever appearance in the Thimble Theatre comic strip storyline "Dice Island".
In the 2021 Riverdale episode "The Homecoming", it is revealed that the character known as 'Sweet Pea' (which sounds like 'Swee'Pea') was given the alias 'Popeye' in a book.
The 2021 episode "Saitama VS Popeye" of American web series DEATH BATTLE! features a fight between Popeye and One-Punch Man protagonist Saitama, with Popeye winning. In the 2022 episode "Harley Quinn vs. Jinx", a spinach can with Popeye's face appears in a blink-and-you-miss moment.
In the 2022 Paradise PD episode, "Boat!", Thester asks a few logical questions about Popeye, such as "Why does Popeye wait so long to eat the spinach?", "Why doesn't Bluto or Olive eat the spinach?", and "Why does Popeye only exercise his upper arms?". Later on, Robby wonders why would Popeye not crush Bluto's throat if he is strong enough to crush a can of spinach.
In the 2023 film The Killer, the protagonist mentions Popeye and his catchphrase, "I yam what I yam".

List of Popeye references in popular culture

Contents

1930s[]

1940s[]

1950s[]

1960s[]

1970s[]

1980s[]

1990s[]

2000s[]

2010s[]

2020s[]

See also[]

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