#Felischer Studios

[chernobog13]

Superman blocks the dread electrothanasia ray, by Steve Rude.

[chernobog13]

POPEYE DELUXE SET

So I recently got the Mezco 5-Point Popeye Deluxe Set, and it has made me very happy.

The set comes with four figures and heavy cardboard panels that, when unfolded and attached to each other, become recreation of Rough House’s Cafe.

I am a fan of the original Thimble Theatre comic strip by E.C. Seegar, and the Popeye cartoons from Fleischer Studios, and these figures look like they jumped right off the comics page, or off the screen, and onto my desk.

Thimble Theatre was a newspaper comic strip that began in 1919.  It was originally a gag-a-day strip, but soon became an extended story following the exploits of Olive Oil, her extended family, and her then-boyfriend, Hamgravy.

While quite good and entertaining, Thimble Theatre did not attract a very big audience.  

That all changed in 1929 when a minor character, Popeye the Sailor, was introduced.  He had a minor supporting role in one adventure and then left the strip, never to be seen again like so many other characters that passed through the background of Thimble Theatre.

Except the audience LOVED Popeye!  So much so that he was brought back into the strip.  Thimble Theatre’s popularity soared, and Popeye’s role continually expanded until he took over the strip.

Hamgravy left the strip when Olive chose Popeye as her new boyfriend.  Likewise, most of OLive’s family were relegated to background, supporting roles.  Her brother, Castor, continued to get Popeye involved in his misadventures until he, too, became an occasional supporting character.

Bluto, Popeye’s familiar antagonist, actually only appeared once in the original comic strip.  However, he had such a great visual in contrast to Popeye that Felischer Studios, when they began making their Popeye theatrical cartoons, made Bluto the recurring bad guy.

Pluto’s inclusion in this set only makes sense because, thanks to the cartoons, he is the best known of Popeye’s antagonists.

We do not, and will not, speak of Brutus!

Likewise, the spinach can Popeye is pictured with above was infrequently used in the comic strip, and is more an element from the cartoons that most people are familiar with.

As I mentioned above, Olive Oil has pretty much been in the strip since its inception.  I’m not sure, but that might make her the longest running regular comics character at over 100 years!

Olive’s appearance has remained unchanged over the years, though how she manages to lift anything with those spaghetti strands she calls arms I don’t know.

Still, for a centenarian she’s in pretty good shape!

Rough House is the owner of the eponymously named Rough House’s Cafe, a greasy spoon diner frequented by the folks in Thimble Theatre, especially Popeye’s buddy, Wimpy.

I have to go back and watch my complete collection of the Fleischer Popeye cartoons, because I don’t remember if Rough House himself ever made an appearance.

I do know that he was in those dreadful (shudder) made-for-television Popeye cartoons from the 1950s and 60s.  I know some people like these cartoons because those were the version they grew up with, and/or because the stories used previously unseen plots and characters from Thimble Theatre.  However, after being exposed to the awesomeness that were the Fleischer cartoons, I could never really warm up to any of the other versions.  It’s like being raised on a diet of the finest sushi, and then being given an expired pouch of Bumblebee Tuna; it just ain’t the same.

The figures are only articulated at the neck, shoulders, and hips; hence the 5-Points moniker.

Those who read this blog regularly know I am generally not fond of figures with little or no articulation.  However, in the case of these characters I think it works perfectly.

In addition to the four figures, both Popeye and Bluto have an additional pair of interchangeable arms.  The accessories included are Popeye’s can of spinach, of course, and Rough House’s frying pan and spatula.

I did not assemble the cafe playset yet, as I have no space to display it yet.  The cardboard pieces all have adhesive strips to keep the pieces together, and once assembled there is no way to take it apart without damaging the individual panels.

I have one minor quibble with the set, and that’s with the paint job on the faces.  Although I did not notice it until I took photographs, it appears that the paint was applied over a layer of dust.

Or perhaps the faces could have used a little more sanding/smoothing out before applying the paint.  I’m not talking about the deliberate sculpted lines like wrinkles and such.  Check out the middle of Olive Oyl’s forehead in the photo above to see what I’m referring to.

Besides that minor point, I am extremely pleased by this set.  So much so that I want Mezco to produce more Thimble Theatre sets!  I want figures of Wimpy, and Poopdeck Pappy, and the Sea Hag, and Eugene the Jeep, and Swee’Pea, and many, many more!

Meanwhile, I’ll just pop those Fleischer cartoons into the ole BluRay player, and then bust open my Fantagraphics reprints of all the Seegar Popeye strips.

Arf!  Arf!

photos by me