Popeye Classics, a new toy line by Boss Fight Studio featuring lovingly crafted figures of the spinach-guzzling sailor and his friends, is now available for pre-order.
The figures, which stand between four and six inches depending on the character, include Popeye, his beloved Olive Oyl, arch nemesis Bluto and Olive Oyl's brother Castor Oyl.
All of the figures have add-ons, with Popeye sporting a spinach can and Olive Oyl carrying Popeye's adopted baby Swee'Pea. Bluto comes complete with a removable hat and alternate hands, while Castor Oyl comes packaged with Eugene the Jeep and Bernice the Whiffle Hen, Popeye's two animal companions.
The Popeye Classics figures were designed by sculptor Paul Harding and made to closely resemble the original appearance of each character, as drawn by Popeye creator Elzie Crisler Segar, who went by the pen name E.C. Segar.
Segar created Popeye in 1929 as a minor character for his comic strip Thimble Theatre. Defying expectations, the grumpy sailor exploded in popularity to become Segar's most famous creation, especially after the first Popeye cartoons debuted in 1933.
In a February interview with The Pop Insider, Boss Fight Studio art director Andrew Franks said converting Segar's 2D drawings to 3D sculptures presented unusual hurdles, especially since the artist always drew Popeye and his friends from the side, and never from a frontal view.
"It’s sort of equivalent to the way Mickey Mouse’s ears work,” Franks told The Pop Insider. "Where, if you watch the way the character turns his head, the ears sort of magically migrate. They don’t actually turn in three dimensions."
Despite the challenge of translating Popeye from the printed page to three dimensions, Franks called the figures the "best, most authentic versions of these characters that have ever been done in toy form." He said he was proud that Popeye Classics drew inspiration from the sailor man's comic strip rather than the cartoons, which have served as the blueprint for most Popeye toys.
Figures based on characters from Popeye's animated appearances will be developed for future releases, however.
"I think the goal is to sort of go at this deep with Popeye and to do as much as we can,” Franks said. “We want to hit everybody’s favorite characters from the animation or from the comic strip. So, you’re definitely going to see characters like Wimpy and the Sea Hag — all of those other great characters."
The initial lineup of Popeye Classics figures, each priced at $34.99, can be pre-ordered on the Boss Fight Studio website.
Source: Boss Fight Studio