This statue was dedicated in 2012.
Alice the Goon made her debut in the Sunday, December 10th, 1933 Thimble Theatre strip, amid the “Plunder Island” storyline. As yet unnamed (and her gender unspecified), she was a minion of the sorceress, the Sea Hag. She had a frightening appearance. She was depicted as a bald Amazonian giantess with a large nose and extremely hairy forearms and legs. Her name and gender were given in the January 14, 1934 strip, after she had captured Wimpy. Popeye eventually discovers that Alice was an unwilling slave to the Sea Hag, and helps Alice gain her freedom. Swee’ Pea likes Alice, and she becomes his babysitter in later comics.
In later appearances, Alice wore a dress and flowered hat. Her tribe lives on Goon Island, and the Goons are indistinguishable from each other. When Alice spoke, her words would appear as a series of meaningless squiggles. Wimpy is the only one who can understand her language. The word “goon” entered the English language as a result of this character. Alice and her Goon child were added to the character trail in 2012.
