Elzie Crisler Segar, an American illustrator and caricaturist from Chester, created the Thimble Theater for the New York’s Evening Journal in 1919. This is where the famous Popeye debuted a decade later. The impetuous and brawling spinach-loving sailor gained such popularity that he quickly became the main character of the comic. In 1933, the first animated film in the series, Popeye the Sailor, was released in American cinemas. An animated series was made in the 1960s, followed twenty years later by a live-action series starring Shelley Duval and Shelley Duval. The hot-headed sailor with a pipe in his mouth and a can of spinach that gave him almost supernatural strength also has an interesting story. It turns out that the prototype of this character could have been a Pole.
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Popeye was Polish? Its prototype was supposed to have Polish roots
According to , the first mention that Segar was inspired by a real character when creating Popeye appeared in 1979 in The Southern Illinoisan. The cartoonist created the most famous spinach lover after the example of one Frank Fiegel, a resident of Chester. He was born in January 1868, and his parents came from Czarnków in Greater Poland. At some point, the family decided to emigrate to the United States, where they changed their surname from Figiel to Fiegel. It is not known whether Frank was born in Poland or already in the United States.
Fiegel, a bartender and laborer from the Chester area, rarely had a steady job and was often seen loitering around the local saloons. He lived with his mother until her death, then lived alone in the house
Frank Fiegel, or the real Popeye? He was a bartender and never parted with his pipe
Frank “Rocky” Fiegel became famous as a brawler and lover of fights. A dozen or so years ago, he tried various jobs, finally working as a bartender in Chester. Frequent brawls resulted in him having a notoriously bruised eye, earning him the nickname “popeye” at one point. He did not part with his pipe. He also had very good contact with children, to whom he would often tell stories about his sea adventures. He also often helped those who were teased by others.
Frank Fiegel died on March 24, 1947. He was buried in Chester, and years later, the information that he was the inspiration for Popeye was placed on the tombstone. However, EC Segar has never officially confirmed these reports. The cartoonist died in 1938.
Source: Gazeta
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