Over the last few years we have seen many new characters enter the public domain including Winnie-the-Pooh in 2022, Mickey Mouse in 2024, and now, Popeye in 2025! The character emerged from a comic strip called Thimble Theater, which was started in 1919 and originally centered around the characters Ham Gravy and Olive Oyl. Popeye made his first appearance in the series as a minor player in early 1929, and as his popularity grew, he later became the central focus of the comic.
Letโs take a look at who Popeye was as a character in 1929:
In his very first appearance, Popeye shows off his thorny side by retorting Castor Oylโs question with a sly remark about being a cowboy. The strip also shows him in a traditional all white sailor get-up that does not reflect his later appearance.
Popeye wears a black shirt for the first time, which is more in line with his iconic appearance.
Popeye throws his first ever punch. This time against Ham Gravy, one of the main characters of the strip at this point. The title, โThat Sailorโs No Gentlemanโ, is indicative of Popeyeโs rough and tough demeanor that would come to define the character.
After being shot repeatedly nearly a month earlier, in May 1929, Popeye reemerges full of bullet holes to knock down a foe. His displays of super strength do not originate from spinach, but possibly from rubbing the head of the Whiffle Hen (as seen on May 16, 1929).
Olive Oyl displays her first inclinations of romantic interest toward Popeye stating she would like to give him a kiss. The two do not become romantically involved in 1929, but the seeds were planted early.
This strip sees Popeye leave until August. However, his departure is not even the main appeal of the strip as it instead focuses on Olive Oylโs purchase of new clothing. This focus and Popeyeโs long absence, he is gone for all of July, thus implies that he was not meant to be a long lasting character, but only around temporarily.
Following over a month-long absence, Popeye returns to help Castor Oyl determine if Oliveโs new boyfriend is only there for her money. His return indicates his overwhelming popularity with the public that was soon to transpire into his status as unchallenged main character of the strip. The title of this strip too foreshadows this shift being titled: Popeyeโs The Man.
Olive Oyl displays her first show of affection to Popeye with a kiss. Though this was a mistake as she believed Popeye to be someone else. Despite this, it is yet another early indicator of their soon to be romance.
Popeye and Castor Oyl set off to locate Castorโs newly purchased brass mine. Their duo pairing indicates Popeyeโs increased status and stature within the strip as Castor was the undeniable main character of the strip up to this point. Popeyeโs appearance here again followed a brief absence from the strip dating back to September 30, 1929.
Popeye and Castor discover that where the brass mine ought to be is instead a farmer. Popeye implores Castor to allow the farmer to stay on the land, thus showing off his tender heart. Notably this strip takes place just two days before Black Thursday, the start of the Wall Street crash of 1929.
This strip shows off a bit more of Popeyeโs peculiar dialect and his penchant for curving authority. In the strip he asserts that he is only going to jail because Castor has implored him to.
The title of the panel, โThat Jailerโs No Postage Stampโ, also appears to be a humorous play on odd dialects installing postage stamp in lieu of โsapโ. In 1920s slang, sap referred to a foolish or gullible person. The titleโs swapping of the two terms is reflective of Popeyeโs own tendency to swap out words with similar meaning as a postage stamp and sap are both sticky.
Another display of Popeyeโs superhuman strength as he rips the bars off the jail cell.
Throughout 1929, Popeye not only showcased his superhuman strength and distinctive wardrobe but also his unique dialect and a characteristic phrase, โblow me down.โ These foundational elements of his character, present from his very inception, have now entered the public domain. As we continue to engage with and reinterpret Popeye in modern contexts, there are some complexities.
Jennifer Jenkins, director of Duke Lawโs Center for the Study of the Public Domain, explains the following in regards to character copyrights in a post from 2025:
โFirst, under US copyright law, anyone is free to use characters as they appeared in public domain works. If those characters recur in later works that are still under copyright, the rights only extend to the newly added material in those works, not the underlying material from the public domain worksโthat content remains freely available.
Second, with newer versions of characters, copyright only extends to their features that qualify for protection. It is not enough for the new material to be different. The features must be โoriginal, creative expression,โ meaning that they were independently created (as opposed to copied from somewhere else) and possess at least a modicum of creativity. Mere โideasโ such as generic character traits are not copyrightable. Nor are โmerely trivialโ or โminusculeโ variations added to the original characters. In addition, using commonplace elements that have become standard or indispensable (copyright law calls these โscรจnes ร faireโ) is not infringement.โ
Jenkins, Jennifer, and James Boyle. “Public Domain Day 2025.” Duke University School of Law, December 2024. https://web.law.duke.edu/cspd/publicdomainday/2025/.
As beloved characters enter the public domain, modern creators can give them a new gloss, recontextualizing them for a new audience. One memorable example is a 2023 horror movie starring a much darker vision of Winnie the Pooh: โBlood and Honey.โ We look forward to seeing what modern reinterpretations of Popeye arise, now that his fundamental character traits belong to everyone as part of the public domain.