Fleischer Studios (1933)

I Yam What I Yam is the second Popeye theatrical cartoon short, starring William “Billy” Costello as Popeye, Bonnie Poe as Olive Oyl, and Charles Lawrence as Wimpy. The source of the quote is the comic strip, Thimble Theatre by E. C. Segar, in which the character Popeye first appeared.

I Yam What I Yam is the second Popeye cartoon and the first cartoon in Popeye’s own cartoon series; the first entry, Popeye the Sailor, was released as a Betty Boop cartoon. This is the first cartoon in which Bonnie Poe voices Olive Oyl. This was the first screen appearance of J. Wellington Wimpy.

Full cartoon

Popeye the Sailor Man is a cartoon fictional character, created by Elzie Crisler Segar, who has appeared in comic strips and theatrical and television animated cartoons. He first appeared in the daily King Features comic strip Thimble Theatre on January 17, 1929; Popeye became the strips title in later years. Although Segars Thimble Theatre strip was in its tenth year when Popeye made his debut, the sailor quickly became the main focus of the strip and Thimble Theatre soon became one of King Features most popular properties during the 1930s. Thimble Theatre was continued after Segars death in 1938 by several writers and artists, most notably Segars assistant Bud Sagendorf. The strip continues to appear in first-run installments in its Sunday edition, written and drawn by Hy Eisman. The daily strips are reprints of old Sagendorf stories. In 1933, Max Fleischer adapted the Thimble Theatre characters into a series of Popeye the Sailor theatrical cartoon shorts for Paramount Pictures. These cartoons proved to be among the most popular of the 1930s, and Fleischer—and later Paramount’s own Famous Studios—continued production through 1957.

Animated by Seymour Kneitel and William Henning

Fleischer Studios (1933)

Popeye the Sailor with Betty Boop is a 1933 animated short produced by Fleischer Studios and distributed by Paramount Pictures. While billed as a Betty Boop cartoon, it was produced as a vehicle for Popeye the Sailor in his debut animated appearance.

In 1933, Max and Dave Fleischer’s Fleischer Studios adapted the Thimble Theater characters into a series of Popeye the Sailor theatrical cartoon shorts for Paramount Pictures. These cartoons proved to be among the most popular of the 1930s, and Popeye at one time rivaled Mickey Mouse for popularity among audiences. It was for this short that Sammy Lerner’s famous “I’m Popeye the Sailor Man” song was written. I Yam What I Yam became the first entry in the regular Popeye the Sailor series.

Though originally billed as a Betty Boop cartoon, Popeye the Sailor were the first screen appearances of Popeye, Olive Oyl, and Bluto. William “Billy” Costello was the voice of Popeye. Animated by Seymour Kneitel and Roland Crandall.