Popeye the Sailor was created by Elzie Crisler Segar (December 8, 1894 – October 13, 1938) and made his debut on January 17, 1929, in the King Features comic strip Thimble Theatre. Shortly after his introduction, Popeye rose rapidly in popularity and became one of the most beloved characters of the 1930s, at one point surpassing Disney’s iconic Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck in popularity.

In November 1932, Max and Dave Fleischer of Fleischer Studios acquired the production rights from Segar to produce a series of animated films featuring Popeye and other Thimble Theatre characters. Popeye made his animated debut on July 14, 1933, in the Betty Boop short Popeye the Sailor, which featured Popeye alongside Olive Oyl. Due to the shorts’ immense success, Fleischer Studios launched Popeye into his own series, The Popeye the Sailor Series, beginning with the release of I Yam What I Yam on September 29, 1933.

All of these pieces are original vintage production cels from the 1930s Popeye the Sailor series. There are no reproductions, limited editions, or sericels; each work is 100% original production artwork.