The story of Frank "Rocky" Figl - the real sailor Popeye

It's no secret that many cartoon characters had very real prototypes. Among them is the sailor Popeye, whom the world learned about thanks to comics and cartoons from Paramount Pictures. The funny strong man with a pipe, drawing strength from spinach, was copied from a real sailor, whose name was Frank Figl.

Popeye the Sailor first appeared in comics by cartoonist Elzie Crisler Segar in 1929. He was far from the main character and appeared in episodes. But the readers liked this character so much that the artist decided to draw a comic about him. The new work was a success. Gradually, the sailor became a favorite of children, and in 1933 the first cartoon about him was released. No one even guessed that Popeye had a prototype - sailor Frank Figl.

The man who inspired Segar to create the legendary character was born in 1868 in Poland, into a poor family. When Figl was a child, his parents moved to the US in search of a better life. The emigrants settled in the small town of Chester, Illinois, which was a remote and dreary province.

As is often the case, the hopes of Frank's parents were not destined to come true. They never got rich, and their son could not get a good education. As soon as he finished school, the young Figl was forced to look for work. He found her on the British battleship Rodney, where a physically strong American boy was accepted as a fireman. The next 20 years of the hero's life are shrouded in mystery. You can guess that they went on long voyages under the flag of Her Majesty.

Leaving the fleet, Frank Figl returned to his native Chester an experienced, but still poor man. He got a job as a bouncer in the Weibuha tavern and quickly won the respect of the guests of the establishment. Figl was a kind fellow, but if he was pissed off, he knew no mercy. Years of working with a shovel in the stoker had taken their toll, and Frank could boast of steel muscles. Soon he had the corresponding nickname Rocky - "hard".

When the tavern was calm, Frank "Rocky" Figl was not bored. He was a master at telling all sorts of stories from his busy life. At the same time, the former sailor shamelessly lied, but the audience was still delighted with him. The former sea dog never parted with his corncob pipe, which invariably stuck in the corner of his mouth.

It was in the tavern that he was then seen by a very young and unknown artist Elsie Chrysler Segar. Segar remembered the colorful sailor and years later, in 1929, he created his sailor Popeye (pop-eyed). At that time, Figl was still alive and the cartoonist shared his idea with him. The sailor was flattered and immediately agreed to give his appearance to the comic book hero. The artist and the sailor were friends until Figl's death, and Segar consistently gave the old man a percentage of his income from the hero.

As for the faithful friend of the sailor Popeye, Olive Oyl, Segar also spied on her image in Chester. He was inspired by grocery store clerk Dora Pasquel. Unfortunately, her photographs have not been preserved, but the artist claimed that Olive is as similar to a woman as possible, both in appearance and behavior, and in the manner of dressing.

In many comics and in all cartoons, the sailor Popeye eats spinach, which gives him colossal strength. Nothing is known about Figl's attitude to this product. Most likely, Frank preferred a good steak and beer to greens. But in the 20-30s of the last century, the works of Dr. Ivan Wolf, who created a real cult of spinach, were in great demand.

Wolf argued that spinach contains a huge amount of iron, which is vital for a growing body. Later it turned out that the scientist simply put a comma in the wrong place and 100 g of the product contained not 36 mg of iron, but only 0.35 mg. But the delusion of an absent-minded doctor made Americans eat spinach by the kilo, and Popeye the sailor made excellent advertising for manufacturers.

Since the release of the first Popeye cartoon, spinach consumption in the US has grown by 33 percent! Herb farmers and spinach canners simply idolized the hero. They even immortalized the sailor by erecting a monument to him in Crystal City, Texas.