This Day In Arf History: Thimble Theater Strip Debuts
On this day in 1919, E.C. Segar’s Thimble Theater daily made its first appearance in newspapers. When Popeye debuted in 1929, in his introductory strip below, Thimble Theater became vastly popular in the 1930s. The one-eyed sailor soon became the main focus of the strip, of course! And the rest ain’t spinach. Arf! Arf!
— C. Yoe (in the funny papers)
I bought the first Popeye collection book. Thimble Theater was one strange comic strip — weeks of Castor Oyl trying to kill a friendly Whiffle Bird just to win a bet, for example. But it had a certain energy that can’t be denied. I’m glad I checked it out.