This statue was dedicated in 2007.
Olive Oyl first debuted in 1919. She is Popeye’s lanky love who is easily smitten with her sailorman. She is impressed by anyone with “edumacation and ettiket”. She was modeled after Dora Paskel, a lean local storekeeper, who tended to a store located on the corner where the statue now stands.
Swee’ Pea first appeared in 1933. There are a number of questions about who he is and from where he came. He is NOT the offspring of Popeye and Olive Oyl. Segar contributed to this confusion by giving Swee’ Pea two backgrounds. He was first sent to Popeye by express for safe keeping by the Demonian Secret Service. Later, he was left on Popeye’s doorstep because his father had been killed and he had been made the Crown Prince of Demonia. A mean old uncle wants to eliminate the royal baby and take control of the country, so Swee’ Pea is left with Popeye for protection. He soon became Popeye’s “adoptid infink” who could talk and fight but didn’t walk!
In fact, the nickname “Swee’Pea” was originally a term of affection used by Popeye. Before the baby came along in the cartoons, Popeye once addressed Olive Oyl that way in the short film “We Aim to Please.”
Jeep: Eugene the Jeep is a mysterious animal with magical abilities. The Jeep first appeared in March 16, 1936 with only his tail showing. The Jeep made his full appearance on April 1, 1936. In the August 9, 1936 strip (entitled “Wha’s a Jeep?”), Popeye asks Professor Brainstine what exactly a Jeep is. He gets the following response:
“A Jeep is an animal living in a three-dimensional world-in this case our world- but really belonging to a fourth dimensional world. Here’s what happened. A number of Jeep life cells were somehow forced through the dimensional barrier into our world. They combined at a favorable time with free life cells of the African Hooey Hound. The electrical vibrations of the Hooey Hound cell and the foreign cell were the same. They were kindred cells. In fact, all things are to some extent relative, whether they be of this or some other world, now you see. The extremely favorable conditions of germination in Africa caused a fusion of these life cells. So the uniting of kindred cells caused a transmutation. The result, a mysterious strange animal.”
The word “jeep” entered the English language as a result of its use in the Popeye comic strip. It has been theorized that the Jeep vehicle was named after this character. Soldiers in World War II may have nicknamed the machine after the popular character because both shared an ability to “go anywhere”.
Map link for Olive Oyl – Swee’ Pea – Jeep Statue
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