Arm wrestling He was born on 1928 by the American designer Crisler Segar, Popeye the sailor (who in Italy was called Popeye and son), appeared in the comic book "The Thimble Theater", a magazine created by Segar himself. Soon, Popeye became the most important and famous character of this magazine, so much so that he became the protagonist of a very long cartoon series that continues today, all characterized by a very famous theme. Popeye and son he's a funny looking sailor. It is characterized by a pipe that he always carries in his mouth, he is one-eyed, sailor-dressed, has the muscles of the forearms much more developed than the biceps, on which he has tattooed the classic sailor's anchor and walks with a particular gait. hopping strokes.

But what made it famous Popeye and son - Popeye and son (and vice versa) are spinach. His short-tempered, quarrelsome, but also very courageous, leads him to face situations and enemies physically much stronger than him, to the point that Popeye is punched punctually by the villain on duty and most of the time he is a big man and big man with a black, bristly beard that answers to the name of Gross. In most cases, Brutus happens to kidnap or harm Popeye's girlfriend, Olivia screaming "Help, Popeye!"(which in the cartoons in the original language sounds like" Help, Popeye! "). At this point Popeye arrives and in his fight with Brutus, as we have said, he proves to be only a good collector of violent punches, but he is this is where the spinach comes in. Popeye can open the box with just the pressure of his fist, or he uses his pipe as a blowtorch, and from the moment he feeds on this miraculous vegetable, he becomes very strong to the point that it only takes a few fist to make Brutus fly. Olivia, (Olive Oyl in the American original) Popeye's girlfriend is a very funny and likeable character. She is tall, thin, and has her hair pulled back into a small black crotch. Although he always plays the role of the victim, he has unsuspected strength and most of the time defends himself from Brutus using violent kicks and powerful punches, while struggling with his totally flexible body. Another characteristic character, friends of Arm wrestling, is Poldo Sbaffini (J. Ellington Wimpy in the original American) an individual, lazy, most of the time unemployed, but a huge devourer of sandwiches stuffed with burgers. Poldo always has a detached air and careless of what is happening around him, he always wears a bowler hat and is characterized by a sparse mustache. Another prominent character is Pee (Swee'Pee), a newborn dressed in a long shirt that appears to have arrived at the home of Popeye and son inside a postal package. Like Olivia, Pisellino also plays the role of a person to be saved, as due to her curiosity, typical of children, she always gets into a sea of ​​troubles, without realizing it. Therefore Popeye must always make use of his inseparable spinach to get him out of the pie. Sometimes it also happens that Pea himself eats the spinach and so ... better stay away from this super strong child. In Popeye's stories, his father Braccio di Legno also sometimes appears, a rather sprightly old man who is distinguished from his son only by his white beard. He has a rather nervous and short temper. Arm wrestling he also owns a dog, but he is a very special dog, in fact he comes from another dimension and responds to the name of Gip. He possesses extraordinary powers, such as that of becoming invisible, he also has the distinction of feeding exclusively on orchids. In his adventures Popeye not only collides with Brutus, but also with enemies of all kinds: witches, Martians and swindlers of the worst species. The idea of ​​Popeye and spinach was born for advertising purposes, to advertise this type of product and make sure that the children ate it without making too many fuss to their parents. This found was so successful that it made the fortune of many American spinach producers, to the point that they had a monument of thanks for this extraordinary person erected. In his first appearance of 1933 "Popeye the sailor", Popeye is accompanied by the famous presence of Betty Boop. We find Popeye on his boat singing the tune that made him famous "I'm Popeye the sailor man, ..." with the counterpoint of the pipe. With the strength of his fists he can tear any object into a thousand pieces: anchors, clocks, masts, etc ... So he just needs to punch a tuna to turn it into hundreds of cans.

At the port he is welcomed by his girlfriend Olivia, energetic and lanky, who forcefully rejects the sailors who court her, including Brutus the very strong sailor, a rival of Popeye's. Olivia and Popeye go to the playground where they are joined by the arrogant Brutus who wants to show everyone the power of his muscles, scoring the maximum score in the game of the hammer and challenging Popeye. In response, the sailor crumbles the hammer and with a well-placed fist, makes the weight splash beyond the maximum limit, which reaches the moon.
Popeye also surpasses Brutus in shooting, where he does not use his hands to throw the ball, but his muscles directly. The time comes for Betty Boop, who performs a Hawaiian dance from a stage. Popeye joins her and participates in the dance with her, but just at that moment Brutus kidnaps Olivia, taking advantage of her favorable situation. Popeye realizes the danger and chases Brutus, who with his strength, ties Olivia to the railway tracks. However, he is joined by Popeye, but as the two sailors fight each other on the tracks, the train arrives, threatening Olivia's life. To put an end to the fight, Popeye eats a box of spinach and with his mighty fist, knocks out his brash opponent and manages to stop the train, saving his beloved Olivia.
In the 1938 Goonland cartoon we find Popeye that blowing on the sails of his boat, with the strength of his lungs, makes it run as fast as a motorboat.

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