Olive Oyl

Last updated
Olive Oyl
Thimble Theatre/Popeye character
Olive Oyl color.png
First appearance Thimble Theatre (1919)
Created by E. C. Segar
Voiced by
Portrayed by
In-universe information
SpeciesHuman
GenderFemale
Family
  • Castor Oyl (brother)
  • Cole Oyl (father)
  • Nana Oyl (mother)
  • Deezil Oyl (niece)
  • Violet Oyl (niece)
Significant other Popeye (boyfriend)
ChildrenSwee'Pea (son)
NationalityAmerican

Olive Oyl is a cartoon character created by E. C. Segar in 1919 for his comic strip Thimble Theatre . [38] The strip was later renamed Popeye after the sailor character that became the most popular member of the cast; however, Olive Oyl was a main character for a decade before Popeye's 1929 appearance. [39]

Contents

Fictional character biography

Olive Oyl in her debut (strip printed December 19, 1919) Olive Oyl 1919.jpg
Olive Oyl in her debut (strip printed December 19, 1919)

In the strip as written by Segar, Olive is a scrappy, headstrong young woman (her age varying between her late teens and 26) visually characterized by her exaggeratedly slim build (evolving from its previous more realistically proportioned form by the late 1920s) and her long black hair (usually presented as rolled in a neat bun, like her mother's). She is the youngest sibling of Castor Oyl and Crude Oyl.

Olive Oyl and Hamgravy in a 1921 "Thimble Theatre" strip OliveOyl and Hamgravy.jpg
Olive Oyl and Hamgravy in a 1921 "Thimble Theatre" strip

Debuting on December 19, 1919, Olive was the childhood sweetheart and more-or-less fiancée of original Thimble Theatre protagonist Harold Hamgravy (Ham Gravy), a "lounge lizard" or slacker type who did as little work as possible and was always borrowing money. His attraction to other women—particularly if they were rich—naturally incensed Olive, leading her to (in a storyline run in mid-1928) succumb to a fit of "lunaphobia" (a kind of angry madness) over one of his amours; when she recovered, she continued to pretend to have the disorder to win him back. She was not immune to flattery from other men, but remained committed to Hamgravy on-and-off until Popeye's appearance. Olive and Popeye initially greeted each other with animosity (her first words to him being "take your hooks offa me or I'll lay ya in a scupper"), leading them to fight bitterly for weeks before finally realizing that they had feelings for each other. Following a series of Sunday strips run in March 1930, Popeye would definitively supersede Ham as Olive's lover, a position he occupies within the comic into the present; Ham had largely vanished from the daily strip six months earlier, although Popeye and Olive's relationship would nonetheless not be emphasized within the daily strip's continuity until the height of the Clint Gore story arc in January 1931.

The version of Olive Oyl most widely familiar is the coyer and more nervous version from the theatrical animated cartoons created by Fleischer Studios and continued by Famous Studios. Unlike most modern damsels in distress, Olive Oyl is tall and skinny, with tightly wound hair and enormous feet (the latter sometimes used to comedic effect). Popeye's comment about her measurements is that she is a perfect 57... 19-19-19.

In the films and later television cartoons, Olive Oyl is usually Popeye's girlfriend, although she could be extremely fickle, depending on who could woo her the best or had the flashier possessions, and she was prone to become angry with Popeye over seemingly minor issues. She constantly gets kidnapped by Bluto (aka Brutus), who is Popeye's arch-rival for her affections; when she gets angry with Popeye for whatever goes wrong, it's usually as a result of Bluto's trickery, but Popeye always rescues her and wins back her affection in the process.

In the cartoons, she helps take care of a baby named Swee'Pea or she usually asks Popeye to take care of him if she's too busy; it's unknown if Swee'Pea is Olive Oyl's biological or adopted son. In the comics, Swee'Pea is a foundling under Popeye's care. Later sources (mostly in the cartoon series) say that Swee'Pea is Olive Oyl's cousin or nephew that she has to take care of from time to time.

Like Popeye, there are times where Olive gains superhuman strength from eating spinach.

History of the character

Olive Oyl is named after olive oil, used commonly in cooking or in salads. [40] Segar's newspaper strips also featured a number of her relatives named after other oils, including her brother, Castor Oyl, their mother, Nana Oyl (after "banana oil", a mild slang phrase of the time used in the same way as "horsefeathers", i.e. "nonsense"), their father, Cole Oyl, and Castor's estranged wife, Cylinda Oyl; more recently, Olive's nieces Diesel Oyl and Violet Oyl have appeared in the cartoons. Also among Olive's family are her two uncles, Otto (Auto) Oyl and intrepid explorer Lubry Kent Oyl. Lubry Kent's gift to Castor and Olive, a lucky Whiffle Hen, led them into the adventure where they met Popeye. When Bobby London took over the strip from 1986 to 1992, he added the sultry blonde Sutra Oyl, Olive's cousin, and Standard Oyl, a distant relative who was an extremely wealthy corporate magnate.

Voice artists

The first two Popeye cartoons, Popeye the Sailor (1933) and I Yam What I Yam (1933), featured Bonnie Poe as the voice of Olive Oyl. She was thereafter voiced by character actress Mae Questel (who also voiced Betty Boop and other characters). [41] Questel styled Olive's voice and delivery after those of actress ZaSu Pitts. [42]

In 1938, Margie Hines took over as the voice of Olive Oyl, starting with the cartoon Bulldozing the Bull. Questel returned as her voice in 1944, starting with the cartoon The Anvil Chorus Girl. Questel would remain so until after the King Features Syndicate made-for-TV Popeye shorts in 1960. [43]

Marilyn Schreffler became the new voice of Olive when Hanna-Barbera obtained the rights to produce made-for-television Popeye cartoons for The All-New Popeye Hour in 1978. Questel auditioned to reprise her role, but was rejected in favor of Schreffler. Despite being officially replaced by Schreffler, Questel later returned to voice Olive Oyl for a 1983 commercial promoting the Popeye video game. [44]

In the 1980 musical live-action feature film Popeye , Olive is portrayed by Shelley Duvall opposite co-star Robin Williams as her lover Popeye. [45] [46]

Appearance

Olive Oyl in Little Swee'Pea (1936) Olive-oyl-lilsweetpea1936.jpg
Olive Oyl in Little Swee'Pea (1936)

In her Famous Studios appearance, Olive is given more hair, smaller feet, wider eyes, a more feminine face, a tomboyish streak and a slightly less silly personality. She has black hair with a red bow. She wears a red shirt with short sleeves, black skirt with a red line on the bottom and black pumps. In later animated cartoons from King Features and Hanna-Barbera, while they would occasionally retain aspects of her Famous Studios incarnation, such as her hairstyles, Olive generally reverted to her original enormous feet, pinned-back-with-a-bun hairdo, tall flat brown boots and white socks.

Personality

Other Appearances

Parodies

In MAD Magazine #21 (1951), a parody of Olive called "Mazola Oil" appeared in Poopeye. Mazola supplies Poopeye with various spinach recipes to help Poopeye defeat other comic strip characters such as "Mammy Jokeum" (a parody of "Mammy Yokum" from Li'l Abner), "Melvin of the Apes" (a parody of Tarzan) and "Superduperman" (a parody of Superman). The story was reprinted in the paperback MAD Strikes Back (1962), which was later reprinted in a 50th Anniversary Edition (iBooks, Inc., New York, ISBN   0-7434-4478-7).

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bluto</span> Fictional character from Popeye franchise

Bluto, at times known as Brutus, is a cartoon and comics character created in 1932 by Elzie Crisler Segar as a one-time character, named "Bluto the Terrible", in his Thimble Theatre comic strip. Bluto made his first appearance on September 12 of that year. Fleischer Studios adapted him the next year (1933) to be the main antagonist of their theatrical Popeye animated cartoon series.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mae Questel</span> American actress (1908–1998)

Mae Questel was an American actress. She was best known for providing the voices for the animated characters Betty Boop, Olive Oyl and numerous others.

<i>Popeye</i> (film) 1980 film by Robert Altman

Popeye is a 1980 American musical comedy film directed by Robert Altman and produced by Paramount Pictures and Walt Disney Productions. It is based on E. C. Segar's Popeye comics character. The script was written by Jules Feiffer, and stars Robin Williams as Popeye the Sailor Man and Shelley Duvall as Olive Oyl. Its story follows Popeye's adventures as he arrives in the town of Sweethaven.

<i>Popeye and Son</i> American TV series or program

Popeye and Son is an American animated comedy series based on the Popeye comic strip created by E.C. Segar and published by King Features Syndicate. Jointly produced by Hanna-Barbera and King Features subsidiary King Features Entertainment, the series aired for one season of thirteen episodes on CBS. It is a follow-up to The All New Popeye Hour. Due to Jack Mercer's death in 1984, Maurice LaMarche voiced Popeye, while much of the cast of The All New Popeye Hour reprised their respective roles, with the exception of Daws Butler. However, Nancy Cartwright, who was trained by Butler, voiced Woody in the series.

<i>Popeyes Voyage: The Quest for Pappy</i> American TV series or program

Popeye's Voyage: The Quest for Pappy is a 2004 animated Christmas television special produced by Mainframe Entertainment for Lions Gate Entertainment and King Features Entertainment, in association with Nuance Productions. The special, created to coincide with the 75th anniversary of the Popeye the Sailor comic strip character from E. C. Segar's Thimble Theatre, first aired on Fox on December 17, 2004, and was rebroadcast on the same network on December 30, 2005.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Poopdeck Pappy</span> Fictional character in Popeye franchise

Poopdeck Pappy is a fictional character featured in the Popeye comic strip and animated cartoon spinoffs. Created by E. C. Segar in 1936, the character is Popeye's father, who is between the ages of 85 and 99.

Swee'Pea is a character in E. C. Segar's comic strip Thimble Theatre / Popeye and in the cartoon series derived from it. His name refers to the flower known as the sweet pea. Before his addition to the animated shorts, the name "Sweet Pea" was a term of affection used by main character Popeye. In the cartoon We Aim to Please, he addressed girlfriend Olive Oyl that way.

<i>Popeye the Sailor</i> (film) 1933 American film

Popeye the Sailor is a 1933 animated short produced by Fleischer Studios and distributed by Paramount Publix Corporation. While billed as a Betty Boop cartoon, it was produced as a vehicle for Popeye in his debut animated appearance.

This is a list of the 122 cartoons of the Popeye the Sailor film series produced by Famous Studios for Paramount Pictures from 1942 to 1957, with 14 in black-and-white and 108 in color. These cartoons were produced after Paramount took ownership of Fleischer Studios, which originated the Popeye series in 1933.

Olive Oyl for President is a 1948 entry in the Popeye the Sailor animated short subject series, produced by Famous Studios and released on January 30, 1948 by Paramount Pictures. The short is a reworking of a 1932 Betty Boop cartoon, Betty Boop for President, and depicts what Popeye imagines the world would be like if Olive Oyl were president.

<i>Popeye the Sailor</i> (TV series) American TV series or program

Popeye the Sailor is an American animated television series produced for King Features Syndicate TV starring Popeye that was released between 1960 and 1963 with 220 episodes produced. The episodes were produced by a variety of production studios and aired in broadcast syndication until the 1990s.

<i>The All New Popeye Hour</i> American animated television series

The All New Popeye Hour is an American animated television series produced by Hanna-Barbera Productions and King Features Entertainment. Starring the comic strip character Popeye, the series aired from 1978 to 1983 Saturday mornings on CBS. Despite the series' mixed reception, it was a hit for King Features Entertainment.

<i>Popeye the Sailor</i> (film series) 1933 American film

Popeye the Sailor is an American animated series of short films based on the Popeye comic strip character created by E. C. Segar. In 1933, Max and Dave Fleischer's Fleischer Studios, based in New York City, adapted Segar's characters into a series of theatrical cartoon shorts for Paramount Pictures. The plotlines in the animated cartoons tended to be simpler than those presented in the comic strips, and the characters slightly different. A villain, usually Bluto, makes a move on Popeye's "sweetie", Olive Oyl. The villain clobbers Popeye until he eats spinach, giving him superhuman strength. Thus empowered, Popeye makes short work of the villain.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sea Hag</span> Fictional character in Popeye franchise

The Sea Hag is a fictional character owned by King Features Syndicate. She is a tall, masculine-looking witch featured in comics/cartoons as a nemesis to the character Popeye. The Sea Hag was created by Elzie Crisler Segar in 1929 as part of the Thimble Theatre comic strip.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Popeye</span> Fictional character

Popeye the Sailor is a fictional cartoon character created by Elzie Crisler Segar. The character first appeared on January 17, 1929, in the daily King Features comic strip Thimble Theatre. The strip was in its tenth year when Popeye made his debut, but the one-eyed sailor quickly became the lead character, and Thimble Theatre became one of King Features' most popular properties during the 1930s. Following Segar's death in 1938, Thimble Theatre was continued by several writers and artists, most notably Segar's assistant Bud Sagendorf. The strip continues to appear in first-run installments on Sundays, written and drawn by R. K. Milholland. The daily strips are reprints of old Sagendorf stories.

<i>The Paneless Window Washer</i> 1937 American film

The Paneless Window Washer is a 1937 Popeye theatrical cartoon short in the Max Fleischer Cartoon series directed by Dave Fleischer.

Fright to the Finish is a 1954 animated American short film directed by Seymour Kneitel and Al Eugster starring Jack Mercer as Popeye. The short was released by Paramount Pictures on August 27, 1954.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Margie Hines</span> American actress (1909–1985)

Margaret Louise Hines, also known as Marjorie Hines or Margie Hines, was an American animation voice artist.

Bonnie Poe was an American actress, best known for providing the voice for the Fleischer Studios animated character Betty Boop beginning in 1933, starting with the Popeye the Sailor series and featuring in a dozen cartoons. She voiced her in a live-action segment on the special Hollywood on Parade No. A-8, performing a skit with Bela Lugosi providing a portrayal of Count Dracula.

<i>Popeye</i> (1990 video game) 1990 video game

Popeye is a Japan-exclusive Game Boy video game based on the comic strip of same name licensed from King Features Syndicate.

References

  1. ↑ "Who Is Harry Welch – and Was He Ever The Voice of Popeye?". cartoonresearch.com. Archived from the original on September 27, 2020. Retrieved August 28, 2020.
  2. ↑ "Popeye Records – with the mysterious Harry F. Welch". cartoonresearch.com. Archived from the original on November 26, 2020. Retrieved August 28, 2020.
  3. ↑ "Sing Me A Cartoon #16: More Sailor Man Rhythm". cartoonresearch.com. Archived from the original on 1 October 2020. Retrieved 28 August 2020.
  4. ↑ "Popeye Marry-Go-Round Close". YouTube. Archived from the original on 2021-12-11. Retrieved February 21, 2021.
  5. ↑ "Celebrating the 111th Birthday of "Mercer, the Popeye Man"". cartoonresearch.com. Archived from the original on January 11, 2021. Retrieved January 9, 2021.
  6. ↑ "Spike Jones And His City Slickers - I'm Popeye The Sailor Man (1957, Vinyl)". Discogs. Retrieved April 4, 2024.
  7. ↑ "Jack Mercer, the Recording Star". cartoonresearch.com. Archived from the original on January 23, 2024. Retrieved January 23, 2024.
  8. ↑ "Popeye Meets the Man Who Hated Laughter". Behind the Voice Actors. Archived from the original on 2020-12-05. Retrieved 2020-08-27.
  9. ↑ "Popeye Advertises Popeyes Chicken 1975)". YouTube. Archived from the original on September 3, 2023. Retrieved September 3, 2023.
  10. ↑ "Popeye Advertises Popeyes Chicken 1975)". YouTube. Archived from the original on September 3, 2023. Retrieved September 3, 2023.
  11. ↑ "Suzuki Popeye Japanese Commercial (1989)". YouTube. Archived from the original on 3 September 2023. Retrieved 3 September 2023.
  12. ↑ "Popeye 1-900 Hotline 80s Commercial (1989)". YouTube. Archived from the original on 2021-12-11. Retrieved 30 April 2021.
  13. ↑ "Quaker Oats". Behind The Voice Actors. Archived from the original on 2020-08-09. Retrieved 2020-08-30.
  14. ↑ "Popeye/ Corto Animado Institucional- EE.UU". YouTube. Archived from the original on 2021-12-11. Retrieved 21 June 2021.
  15. ↑ "CN: Olive Oyl (OLV)". YouTube. Archived from the original on 2021-12-11. Retrieved 21 June 2021.
  16. ↑ "Cherry Davis". Cherry Davis. Archived from the original on August 14, 2020. Retrieved August 30, 2020.
  17. ↑ "Popeye Saves the Earth". Behind The Voice Actors. Archived from the original on 2020-08-09. Retrieved 2020-08-30.
  18. ↑ "Popeye Saves the Earth Promotional Video". YouTube. Archived from the original on 2021-12-11. Retrieved August 30, 2020.
  19. ↑ "Popeye and the Quest For the Woolly Mammoth". Behind The Voice Actors. Archived from the original on 2020-01-16. Retrieved 2020-08-30.
  20. ↑ "Popeye and the Sunken Treasure". Behind The Voice Actors. Archived from the original on 2020-11-28. Retrieved 2020-08-30.
  21. ↑ Scott, Keith. "Popeye's Bilge-Rat Barges". Archived from the original on 2019-05-25. Retrieved 2020-08-30.
  22. ↑ "Popeye and Bluto's Bilge-Rat Barges". Behind The Voice Actors. Archived from the original on 2019-12-06. Retrieved 2020-08-30.
  23. ↑ "Toon Lagoon Pandemonium Cartoon Circus (1999)". YouTube. Archived from the original on 2021-12-11. Retrieved May 9, 2021.
  24. ↑ "Slots from Bally Gaming". Behind The Voice Actors. Archived from the original on 2020-12-07. Retrieved 2020-08-30.
  25. ↑ "Sammy Timberg - Boop-Oop-A-Dooin' The Songs Of Sammy Timberg From Betty Boop, Popeye, Superman And Other Musical Classics (2004, CD)". Discogs. Archived from the original on February 26, 2021. Retrieved May 16, 2021.
  26. ↑ "Boop-Oop-A-Dooin' by Fred Seibert". SoundCloud. Archived from the original on 8 October 2021. Retrieved 16 May 2021.
  27. ↑ "Voice(s) of Olive Oyl in Robot Chicken". Behind The Voice Actors. Archived from the original on 2020-01-16. Retrieved 2020-08-30.
  28. ↑ "Robyn Gryphe". Voice123. Archived from the original on May 25, 2021. Retrieved May 25, 2021.
  29. ↑ "Prego". Behind The Voice Actors. Archived from the original on 2020-01-16. Retrieved 2020-08-30.
  30. ↑ "The Pete Holmes Show". Behind the Voice Actors. Archived from the original on 2020-01-16. Retrieved 2020-09-07.
  31. ↑ "Popeye (2016)". Behind the Voice Actors. Archived from the original on 2020-09-21. Retrieved 2020-08-30.
  32. ↑ "Gary Lucas' Fleischerei, "The Broken Record" from 'Music from Max Fleischer's Cartoons'". SoundCloud. Archived from the original on 10 February 2021. Retrieved 16 May 2021.
  33. ↑ "Spinach Power – Popeye The Sailorman = ポパイ ザ セーラーマン (1978, Vinyl)". Discogs. Archived from the original on May 26, 2021. Retrieved March 16, 2021.
  34. ↑ "SPINACH POWER/オリーブとブルートの競走曲(1978)". DISCO 45・・・7インチ・シングル発掘の旅. Archived from the original on May 26, 2021. Retrieved March 16, 2021.
  35. ↑ "Popeye y Olivia". Vimeo. Archived from the original on July 8, 2023. Retrieved June 18, 2021.
  36. ↑ "Creó la frase más famosa entre las esposas y alerta que en Wikipedia está mal su edad: Linda Peretz y los "tres años menos"". La Nación. Retrieved April 4, 2024.
  37. ↑ "Comercial Vale Cap "Popeye" - com Rodrigo David". YouTube. Archived from the original on 2021-12-11. Retrieved 25 May 2021.
  38. ↑ Hawkes, Rebecca (11 April 2016). "Popeye: 10 things you never knew". Telegraph . Archived from the original on 17 August 2017. Retrieved 17 August 2017.
  39. ↑ Wheeler, Lesley (17 August 2017). Voicing American Poetry: Sound and Performance from the 1920s to the Present. Cornell University Press. ISBN   978-0801474422. Archived from the original on 31 March 2024. Retrieved 17 August 2017– via Google Books.
  40. ↑ Orey, Cal (30 December 2014). The Healing Powers of Olive Oil: A Complete Guide To Nature's Liquid Gold. Kensington Books. ISBN   9781617734540. Archived from the original on 31 March 2024. Retrieved 17 August 2017– via Google Books.
  41. ↑ Taylor, James D. (17 August 2017). The Voice of Betty Boop, Mae Questel. Algora Publishing. ISBN   9781628942422. Archived from the original on 31 March 2024. Retrieved 17 August 2017– via Google Books.
  42. ↑ Stumpf, Charles (22 January 2010). ZaSu Pitts: The Life and Career. McFarland. ISBN   9780786460236. Archived from the original on 31 March 2024. Retrieved 17 August 2017– via Google Books.
  43. ↑ "Mae Questel, Actress, Voice Of Betty Boop, Olive Oyl". Archived from the original on 2017-08-17. Retrieved 17 August 2017.
  44. ↑ Taylor, James D. (2016). The Voice of Betty Boop, Mae Questel. Alford Publishing. ISBN   978-1628942408. P.135-136. Retrieved 18 December 2018.
  45. ↑ LLC, New York Media (29 December 1980). "New York Magazine". New York Media, LLC. Archived from the original on 31 March 2024. Retrieved 17 August 2017– via Google Books.
  46. ↑ Gunden, Kenneth Von (1 February 1989). Flights of Fancy: The Great Fantasy Films. McFarland. ISBN   9780786412143. Archived from the original on 31 March 2024. Retrieved 17 August 2017– via Google Books.
  47. 1 2 3 "Olive Oyl Voice - Popeye franchise | Behind The Voice Actors". behindthevoiceactors.com. Archived from the original on 12 February 2018. Retrieved 16 January 2019. Check mark indicates role has been confirmed using screenshots of closing credits and other reliable sources.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: postscript (link)
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.