| Olive Oyl | |
|---|---|
 | |
|
Real name |
Olive Oyl |
|
First appearance |
Syndicated comic strip The Thimble Theatre (19 December 1919) |
|
Original publisher |
King Features Syndicate |
|
Created by |
E. C. Segar |
Origin[]
Olive Oyl is the girlfriend of Ham Gravy, the original protagonist of the Thimble Theatre comic strip. She is also the sister of recurring character Castor Oyl. According to the Comics Kingdom author, “Their adventures usually concentrate on acquiring undeserved status or wealth, and often end in futile embarrassment and defeat.” Olive Oyl seems to have been presented as something of a homebody, although some strips portray her as a dancer, a cook and even a surgeon, and the comic strips from 1919 portray her as an actress performing a role. She is sometimes also portrayed as a “damsel in distress” from antagonist Willie Wormwood.
Public Domain Comic Strip Appearances[]
- Thimble Theater comic strip (1919–1928)
Public Domain Literary Appearances[]
- All the Funny Folks (1926)
Public Domain Cartoon Appearances[]
- I'm in the Army Now (Fleischer, 1936)
- Little Swee'Pea (Fleischer, 1936)
- Popeye meets Sinbad the Sailor (Fleischer, 1936)
- I Never Changes My Altitude (Fleischer, 1937)
- The Paneless Window Washer (Fleischer, 1937)
- Popeye the Sailor Meets Ali Baba's Forty Thieves (Fleischer, 1937)
- A Date to Skate (Fleischer, 1938)
- Aladdin and His Wonderful Lamp (Fleischer, 1939)
- Big Bad Sindbad (Famous, 1952) (archived footage)
- Ancient Fistory (Famous, 1953)
- Bride and Gloom (Famous, 1954)
- Floor Flusher (Famous, 1954)
- Fright to the Finish (Famous, 1954)
- Private Eye Popeye (Famous, 1954)
- Popeye's 20th Anniversary (Famous, 1954)
- Taxi-Turvy (Famous, 1954)
- Cookin' with Gags (Famous, 1955)
- Assault and Flattery (Famous, 1956) (archived footage)
- A Haul in One (Famous, 1956)
- I Don't Scare (Famous, 1956)
- Out to Punch (Famous, 1956)
- Parlez Vous Woo (Famous, 1956)
- Popeye for President (Famous, 1956)
- The Crystal Brawl (Famous, 1957)
- Nearlyweds (Famous, 1957)
- Spooky Swabs (Paramount, 1957)
- Barbecue for Two (TV pilot, 1960)
- Matinee Idol Popeye (TV episode, 1960)
- Weight for Me (TV episode, 1960)
Notes[]
- King Features Syndicate own the trademark for the name Olive Oyl, so her name can only appear in the interior of any story.
- In the early days, Thimble Theatre would have a description at the top indicating what role Ham Gravy, Olive Oyl, and others would be playing. For example, in the January 2, 1920 comic, Ham and Olive portrayed a married couple while in the December 31, 1919 comic, they were cast as siblings. Once the concept of the characters playing different roles was dropped, Ham was just simply Olive's boyfriend.