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Oscar is Popeye's balding, buck-toothed, none-too-bright friend that holds a number of odd jobs throughout his appearances, and sometimes accompanies the sailor protagonist on his adventures. He was created in 1931 and appeared in the original strip Thimble Theatre by E. C. Segar, and later by Tom Sims and Bela Zaboly.
Oscar is something of a gag character in Popeye media, often appearing as a "Where's Waldo?" of sorts in backgrounds or in prominent scenes with a different job and (usually) outfit each time he appears.
Character history[]
Creation and development in Thimble Theatre[]
Oscar was created by newspaper cartoonist Elzie Crisler Segar as a minor recurring character, debuting as General Bunzo's orderly within the 1931 storyline "The Great Rough-House War", although he would advantageously change allegiance to Nazilia's then-reigning monarch (and Bunzo's primary political opponent) King Blozo within months. Oscar would resultantly continue to appear throughout the 1930s as a rotating secondary character; while typically a naive (and oft-tactless) foil to the neurotic Blozo, Oscar's unintelligence frequently led him to shift allegiance to Blozo's antagonists (most notably the rebel leader Tork within the 1934 "Unifruit" storyline) on blatantly-superficial or opportunistic grounds, although Popeye, generally perceiving Oscar as a "kid", typically does not view him as entirely morally-accountable for these misjudgements.
Contrary to the majority of Segar's secondary cast, Oscar experienced an exponential boost in prominence under Tom Sims and Bela Zaboly's tenure on the strip during the 1940s and early 1950s. A cohort of Popeye's during the latter's naval tenure in 1944, Oscar, now a more broadly benevolent and childlike figure than the more opportunistic and morally-ambiguous character of Segar's tenure, increasingly assumed the role of a foil and babysitter to the now-verbose Swee'Pea by the end of the decade, resultantly promoting him to a lead character and regular alongside the titular sailor, Olive Oyl and Wimpy. While more sparsely-utilized during Ralph Stein's tenure in the mid-to-late 1950s, Oscar remained a regular character in the Sunday strips of the period (of which Sims retained authorship). Following Sims' departure in 1959, however, Oscar would effectively vanish from the strip altogether beyond minor cameo appearances.
In addition to his Thimble Theatre appearances, Oscar would serve as a minor supporting character in the comic book series by Segar's assistant Bud Sagendorf. His comic book appearances would continue until the title's end in 1984.
Fleischer Studios[]
As Popeye's popularity greatly grew, he would be given his own animated adaptation by Fleischer Studios. Oscar himself would also go on to become a minor recurring character in these shorts where he made semi-regular appearances with a variety of minor supporting roles where he had a different occupation each time, such as The Spinach Overture and Let's Celebrake, among others.
The All-New Popeye Hour[]
In 1978, Hanna-Barbera Productions with King Features Syndicate would produce a new Popeye television series: The All-New Popeye Hour. Oscar remained unchanged and would make sporadic appearances and cameos in several episodes with a different occupation each time, much like in the Fleischer-era shorts.
Oscar would go on to have a minor but notable role in the show's Valentine's Day special, The Popeye Valentine Special: Sweethearts at Sea.
Popeye's first movie[]
In Robert Altman's Popeye, Oscar is played by Stan Wilson. Oscar makes several appearances throughout the movie, usually as a bumbling and cowardly background character.
Revivals[]
Oscar would return in IDW Publishing's 2012 Popeye comics revival as a semi-recurring character, once again having a number of different odd jobs in every issue he appears in, ranging from such things as a simple shop clerk to a royal chauffeur.
Gallery[]
Oscar's gallery can be viewed here