Popeye in Thimble Theater

In honor of the new DVD release of the the 1933- 1938  Popeye cartoons
(GET IT !)  here's a rarity that was literally pulled out of the trash.

This Thimble Theater "film strip" was in a pile of old stuff that was put out on the curb by the family of one of our elderly neighbors .  They were cleaning out her home and throwing out loads of interesting old stuff (we found some other treasures there too, not animation or cartooning related) .   These look like the original E.C. Segar versions of the characters so I believe this was made some time prior to Segar's death in 1938 .  (The Fleischer's animated version of the characters were somewhat different from Segar's comic strip version and the subsequent comic strip version done by Segar's former assistant Bud Sagendorf.)

(click HERE to see the image larger)

Comments

[Michael Sporn]

I love it when a real gem can be saved from destruction. These have to be Segar's art. Excellent, gritty watercolors. Thanks for posting it.

[will]

Dave

this does indeed come from the comic during seegar's reign. there is a big book of smithsonian comics that reproduces either this exact gizmo or one incredibly like it on a sunday comics page. i will look it up when i get home.

[web tasarimi]

very nice drawings.. perfect...