Elzie Crisler Segar

He has given us Popeye the Sailor, Olive Oyl, J. Wellington Wimpy, Swee'pea, Bluto, and the Sea Hag.


He's created such great fantasy characters as Bernice the Whiffle Hen, Eugene the Jeep and Alice the Goon.

He came up with the phrases:
"Well Blow Me Down!"

"I'll gladly pay you Tuesday for a Hamburger today."

"Let's You and Him Fight!"

"I'm one of the Jones Boys."

"I Yam What I Yam an' Tha's All I Yam!"

He made eating Spinach popular for kids. And Thanks to him, the words "Goon" and Jeep" have been added to the Dictionary.

Elzie Crisler Segar was one of the greatest comic strip creators who ever put pen and ink to paper. He created characters that were as three dimensional as you and I.

His works and characters have been compared to those of Charles Dickens, but Dickens never had Segar's sense of comedic timing.

His art was simple, yet cleverly detailed. His imagination unequaled.

With Popeye, Segar created a character that will live forever. Segar's Sailor has conquered animated films, comic books, and television. His image has adorned everything from dolls to lunch boxes and coloring books to t-shirts.

As I mentioned above, a character that will live forever. The irony is that E.C. Segar died at the all too young age of 43 of Leukemia, nine years after he introduced our One-Eyed Hero into his comic strip "Thimble Theatre".

Through Popeye, Elzie Segar will also live forever.

Today, December 8, is Elzie Crisler Segar's Birthday, born in 1894.

Take time to remember the man who has created some of comics most iconic characters.