Google’s latest logo creation featuring the legendary Popeye has people asking why that theme? Well, we’ve got the answer for you … It was on this day, 115 years ago that E.C. Segar was born. And in 1929, Segar, a cartoonist, introduced his spinach-loving hero to the world.
1932 Thimble Theatre Starring Popeye
Popeye first appeared in Segar’s newspaper comic strip, Thimble Theatre published in the New York Journal. The first line ever “heard” from Popeye was, upon being asked if he was a sailor, was “‘Ja think I’m a cowboy?”
Segar also created The Five-Fifteen for King Features in 1920 which was retitled as Sappo six years later.
Here at AbeBooks we’re also getting into the spirit of things with our list of Spinach Books.
Top Ten Spinach Books
- Fashion is Spinach by Elizabeth Hawes (1938)
Cartoon from Fashion is Spinach
Elizabeth Hawes was an American clothing designer and an outspoken critic of the fashion industry. She championed practical, ready-to-wear garments that people actually wanted and not the garments dictated to be fashionable. This book is her story of the women’s clothing industry, her struggle for recognition and her role in shifting the fashion industry’s focus from Paris to New York.
- Sand in My Spinach by Garry Marsh (1958)
Garry Marsh, a television and radio celebrity gives a humorous account of his experiences in World War II. - Eat Your Spinach: Spend Less & Invest More (And How to Do It) by John Gordon & Richard Howard
- Spinach and Beyond: Loving Life and Dark Green Leafy Vegetables by Linda Diane Feldt
This cookbook describes more than 35 dark green leafy vegetables, and over 100 recipes to serve them. The recipes include quick and easy preparations as well as more elaborate main dishes. The recipes are for those new to dark green leafy vegetables, cooks who need more ideas and inspiration, and anyone who wants to learn more about how to enjoy these nutritious foods. 
Stronger Than Spinach: The Secret Appeal of The Famous Studios Popeye Cartoons by Steve R. Bierly
A fan’s celebration of the films a lot of us grew up watching on TV. But because the cartoons were originally produced for adult movie-going audiences, they contained jokes, situations, and innuendos that went right over children’s heads. The book explores these, along with the ways the characters changed over the years, how the films were products of their times, the romance of some of the story lines, the extreme violence on screen, the suspense and tension in many of the cartoons, and the delightful dilemma the viewers face as they try to determine who to root for.- Yukiko’s Spinach by Frederic Boilet
Narrator or character? Reality or fiction? In this tender work of cinema, Boilet recounts an intimate love story in today’s Tokyo between an everyday Japanese girl, Yukiko, and her occidental lover. Passionate, gentle, fresh and vibrant. A love so strong it hurts as the story unfolds in a host of innovative techniques both narrative and visual. - Quick Children’s Sermons 4: Did Samson Eat Spinach?
Answer some of the biggest questions kids ask, like “Who made God ” with these 50 quick-prep, fun and easy-to-do children’s messages. Perfect for use in intergenerational services, Sunday school or kid’s church! Kids interact through creative games, experiments, discussions and other ways they’ll love! Sermons are ordered by Bible story, with a theme index included to help you find the right sermon fast! - My Life in Spinach Green by Edith Nemeth
A true story about a Hungarian family who undergo the suffering of war, poverty and homelessness. - Spinach Green and Mutton-fat White: Chinese Jades of the Qing Dynasty by Charles Q. Mason
Features dramatic jades of various colors and uses made during the Qing Dynasty, one of the great ages of Chinese jade carving. The catalogue includes entries focusing on the raw materials of jade, the evaluation and dating of objects, and carvings in other hardstones similar to jade. The catalogue accompanied Spinach Green and Mutton-fat White: Chinese Jades of the Qing Dynasty (1644 1911), an exhibition organized by the Harn Museum of Art and displayed September 5, 2006 to January 28, 2007. - Rabbit Pirates: A Tale of the Spinach Main by Judy Cox
Monsieur Lapin and Monsieur Blanc own the Spinach Main, a restaurant in the south of France famous for its fresh vegetables and excellent cuisine. Business is good until the day Monsieur Reynard, the fox, walks in. “Such tasty patrons — I mean portions, ” he says.”l plan to eat here often.” The restaurant empties. What can Monsieur Lapin and Monsieur Blanc do? They have given up their pirate ways and are now rabbits of peace, but the fox is not easily discouraged. Then, one dark night, when the rabbits are sitting outside on their terrace admiring the moon…