Poopdeck Pappy     O n July 30, 1936, Popeye comments to Wimpy "Sometimes I gets a feeling that me father ain't dead. I wisht I knew." Wimpy suggests that he ask the Jeep. On August 3, Popeye asks Eugene if his "poppa" is still living. The Jeep signals yes.

    Popeye is understandably excited and decides to use Eugene's powers to help find his father whom he hasn't seen in approximately 40 years. He places the jeep on the hood of an automobile and asks him to keep pointing to the location of his father. Popeye then drives the car in the direction indicated. The Jeep leads him straight to the seashore and Popeye is forced to stop at the water's edge. He says "I shoulda know'd me poppa would be a sailor." He then goes in search of a ship so he can continue his quest.

    In Roughhouse's Cafe Delux Popeye hears that a Captain Keel has just arrived in port and may be interested in parting with his ship. Popeye speaks to the Captain who, instead of selling his ship, offers it to him for free. Popeye argues with him and insists on paying but Captain Keel is adamant and refuses to accept any money. Finally Popeye gives in. After signing the ownership papers the captain seems so relieved to be rid of the ship that Popeye suspects a trick. He wonders why Captain Keel would give his only ship to a total stranger. He asks, "Is they a myskery connected with the `Lilly Mae'?" The captain repiles that there's no mystery at all, the Lilly Mae is simply haunted.

    Popeye is crushed. The only things on Earth he fears are ghosts and he now owns a ship full of them. "He gived me a ship for nothin' an' I still got cheated. I am disgustipated." he says.

    There's nothing he can do about it, though. He needs the ship to find his father. So despite his misgivings, Popeye hires a crew and loads all his friends including Oscar and Toar aboard ship. On August 21, 1936 he places Eugene near the ship's wheel and again asks him to point to the location of his father. The Jeep does so and Popeye weighs anchor.

     It doesn't take long for the haunted ship to start living up to its reputation. On their first night at sea, Popeye, Wimpy and Olive are discussing the situation. Wimpy says "we've seen no ghosts on this ship." Popeye replies, "She's ha'nted. Cap'n Keel said so." Olive Oyl says, "I don't believe it. And I'll not let my imagination get the best of my common sense." As she speaks she happens to be standing by a porthole and glances out. She spots a shapeless figure on deck, standing eight or nine feet tall, shrouded completely in white and gliding silently about the ship. Common sense notwithstanding, Olive immediately faints.

    Popeye goes on deck and is informed by a crewman that the ghost has forced him to alter course. Popeye goes to the ship's wheel where a second sailor is now steering. He sees by the compass that the ship is indeed on the wrong course and asks why? The crewman replies "Orders, sir." Popeye asks "whose orders?" The crewman answers "The ghost's orders, sir." Popeye commands him to put the ship back on the original course then goes below to consult the Jeep. As soon as he is gone the ghost appears next to the helmsman and says, "Change back." The crewman meekly complies.

    Popeye asks Eugene if there is a ghost aboard the ship and the Jeep shakes his head to indicate no. Thus fortified with this information Popeye goes back on deck. He says "I never seen no ghosk an' the Jeep sez they ain't none an' the Jeep never lies." In the very next panel he comes face to face with the nonexistant spectre. Unlike the ghost Olive and the crew had seen, Popeye sees a figure, still nine feet tall and still dressed in a white shroud. This apparition differs though in that it is topped by a head, wearing a commodore's cap and a long, thick, white beard. Popeye is relieved. He says "I see, it's jus' a tall swab with a sheet around him." When he next looks at the figure he is astonished to see that it has apparently removed its head and is holding it in its hands.

    As Popeye continues to watch, the head begins to dance around the deck while the rest of the ghost remains motionless. Popeye goes his cabin and confronts Eugene. "Why'd ya lie to me? Ya said they wasn't no ghosk aboard. I'll bet ya was lying about me poppa being alive too." Eugene doesn't respond. Popeye tells Olive "I kin not stan' it no longer. I yam goin' out an' take a sock at that ghosk." As he comes back on deck he says "It takes a brave man to fight a ghosk but all it kin do is kill me."

    The ghost is waiting for him, apparently without its bearded head. But when Popeye punches the ghost the head appears from under the hem of the shroud and says "Avast, ya swab." then disappears again. Popeye says "I yam mad now an' I yam go'ner crawl under that sheet an' see what yer made of. He then proceeds to do just that.

    Olive sees through a porthole what he's doing and runs on deck to stop him but it's too late. Popeye disappears under the sheet saying "I yam go'ner see what makes you tick."

    The shroud conceals the action taking place but from the sounds being made it's obvious that a terrific struggle is taking place. Suddenly the bearded head appears from under the sheet and flees the scene. Olive says, "Popeye, you're winning. The head, look! It's running away." From under the shroud Popeye replies "I ain't interested in the head. They's a thousing hairy arms squeezing the life outta me!"

    On September 25th Popeye resorts to his twister punch to end the fight and emerges with his clothes in tatters. The ghost, or at least part of it, runs off. In its place stands a large ape. Popeye says, "My gorsh! The ghosk was ridin' on a g'rilla. I licked the beask but the ghosk is getting' away."

    The next morning Popeye again accuses Eugene of lying. He tells Olive, "He said they ain't no ghosk aboard an' didn't we see one ridin' on the back of a g'rilla?" Olive suggests Popeye test the Jeep's veracity by asking a question to which he already knows the answer. Popeye knows just the question and asks Eugene, "Is me poppa aboard this ship?" Eugene immediately bows down to signal yas. Popeye says' "Now I know he's a liar!"

    On September 29th the scene shifts to the cargo hold of the ship where the `ghost' and its `head' are talking. The head says "The cap'n of this ship is a terror. He licked our gorilla." The ghost replies, "I hopes they won't be lookin' for the we of us." He begins to remove the sheet he has been using as a disguise.

    Back on deck Oscar decides to go ghost hunting reasoning that he isn't afraid of any ghost he can successfully outrun. On September 30th, 1936 he goes into the foreward cargo hold and spots who he thinks is Popeye holding a white sheet in front of the lower part of his face. "Why, Popeye! What are you doing down here?" The figure doesn't reply. Oscar goes back on deck where Popeye is still standing. "Say," He says, "I just saw you down in the hold! How'd you get up here so quick?" Popeye tells Oscar he hasn't been in the hold.

    Of course we all know exactly who Oscar saw. The September 30th strip would be the first appearance, albeit only from the nose up, of Poopdeck Pappy. He and Pooky Jones, the bearded `head' of their ghost had been stowing away on Captain Keel's ship and frightening the crew into taking them clear around the world. Pooky's resemblence to a disembodied head is due to the fact that he is only a few feet tall and his thick beard hides the rest of his body. Now, by coercing a cowed crew into the change of course, Pappy was nearing Barnacle Island, his home and hideout. He planned to wait until dark, steal a lifeboat and escape the ship with Pooky and their pet gorilla, Clarence.

    As darkness falls, Olive is on deck and hears strange voices in the forward hold. She decides to investigate. At the same time Poopdeck decides to look out to see if the coast is clear. They come face to face as one peeks out of a hatch and the other peers in. Without hesitation Pappy socks Olive, saying, "That's what ye gets for sneakin' up on Poopdeck Pappy, ya dern shemale." Pooky asks, "You didn't hit a woman, did you?" Pappy replies, "Skirts an' pants is all the same to Poopdeck Pappy!"

    Olive runs to Popeye and indignantly announces that his father is no gentleman. Popeye insists that there aren't any stowaways on board, just gorilla riding ghosts. But he sends the crew to search anyway.

    Pappy and his friends are just climbing into the rowboat as the crewmen close in. Poopdeck turns to hold them off while Pooky and Clarence get in the lifeboat. He challenges the crew, saying, "Come get me!" then promptly knocks one of them out cold with a single punch. As the rest of the crew hesitate Pappy sticks out his chest and says, "Step right up, ye blarsted lubbers! Step right up an' lay right down! Yer dealin' with Poopdeck Pappy now!" He then climbs into the rowboat and escapes to his island.

    When Popeye is informed of what has happened he finally realizes that Olive and Eugene were right and that the ghost/stowaway on the ship was indeed his father. He is despondent to think that he may have lost him again without ever really having actually found him.

    The next morning Popeye sees an island and asks Eugene if his father is on it. Eugene signals yes and Popeye wastes no time in launching a boat to go ashore. From behind a rock Poopdeck and Pooky watch them. Not knowing that it's his own son Poopdeck determines to be rid of the intruders. He first sends Clarence the gorilla and is shocked to see Popeye knock him out with a single twister punch. Pappy next sends the "Guard" of the island, a large octopus, to do away with Popeye. But with the help of a quickly ingested meal of spinach the guard is also disposed of. Pappy is out of options and sits on a rock cursing the world. On October 24th, 1936, Popeye approaches him from behind and says "Hello, Poppa. Poopdeck turns and stares not saying anything so Popeye repeats himself twice, still with no response. Pappy is apparently shocked to be confronted by the son he hasn't seen in 40 years. He looks into the distance and dredges up a memory from 1895 in the form of a decidedly ugly baby. But still he doesn't speak.

    Popeye says, "It's me! I yam yer son, an' yer me poppa! I yam yer orfspring, savvy? I yam yer child, what do ya think of me?" Pappy once again turns to look at Popeye. He looks him over for several seconds studying him from head to toe and back then says, "Ye looks like sumpin' the dogs digged up!"

    It's interesting to note that from Poopdeck's debut in 1936 until Segar's death in 1938 Popeye would refer to him as his father, his dad and his poppa but not once did he ever refer to him as `Pappy'. The sole Exception is on August 29th, 1938 in a strip ghosted by Doc Winner. .

     This essay is reprinted from the official Popeye Fan Club News magazine. To learn more about the club click on the LINK.