The man above is a British sailor who used to impersonate Popeye. Many on the internet have shown him as being the inspiration for the character but that honour lies with someone else who looks an awful lot like him 🤔
The real Life Popeye was based on a guy named ( Frank Fiegel ) also known as Frank Rocky Fiegal who you'll see below. 😊
He was born in 1868 near Poznan in Poland. His parents moved to America shortly afterwards settling in Chester Illinois 🤓.
It's believed he spent many years in the Merchant Navy. After his stint in the Navy he returned to Chester Illinois where he spent the rest of his life working both as a labourer and a bartender. Frank also gained quite a bit of notoriety working as a bouncer. He was known for being a bit of a brawler. Apparently it wasn't a good idea to get In a fisty cuffs with him , especially after a tin of Spinach. Start a fight with this guy and you're likely to say goodbye to some teeth 😄.
Popeye first appeared on ( Jan - 17th - 1929 ) in The Daily King comic strip ( Thimble Theatre )
Here's a quick video of a Popeye fight just to give you an idea of how tough Popeye actually was 😁.
Apparently later in life after he retired he would sit on his porch and the local children would listen to his stories while he gave them candy . The children in the area used to think the world of the old guy. One of these kids grew up to be ( E. C Segar ) this was the cartoonist that created Popeye. I'm guessing he never used to say " Skidly Doo" or "Gag Gag Gag Gag Gag " and I'm guessing he wasn't a fan of Spinach but the rest seems pretty close to the truth even down to that cob pipe of his 🤔.
This is by Vivian Coscia , she does various handmade cartoon Character figures. She does everything from Family Guy ones to Daffy Duck. Well worth checking out for you collectors out there .
Thanks for the childhood memories Frank 😊
