popeye was created by e. c. segar and was inspired by a man segar knew in chester, illinois: frank "rocky" fiegel. popeye would make his debut in the january 17, 1929 "thimble theatre" strip "dice island" as a rough sailor for hire. while originally introduced as a minor character (with the actual star of the strips then being castor oyl), popeye's popularity eventually grew to the point where he became the main character of "thimble theatre", with the strip now focusing on his adventures and hijinks. initially, popeye was portrayed as a very strong and seemingly uneducated but very savvy sailor who would gain extraordinary luck and resilience when he rubbed the magical whiffle hen bernice, but by 1932, he began to favor spinach, crediting it as a healthy source of strength. as the strips started focusing more on popeye, he began to form a relationship with castor's sister olive oyl after she had left her previous boyfriend ham gravy, and the two would eventually go on to become one of the most recognizable couples in cartoon history.