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From Cartoon Brew

POPEYE’S PIPE

March 30, 2005 9:16 am

Not to prolong any debate about Popeye’s politics, but we just received this missive from Dana Larsen, editor of Cannabis Culture Magazine, who offers some fresh evidence in making the case for the sailor man’s spinach high:

Hi there,
I am Dana Larsen, the author of the article you linked to reply you posted from Bobby London, denying that there was any connection between spinach and cannabis. Of course, he is not the creator of Popeye and there’s no reason he would have any more insight into the thought processes of Popeye creator Segar than anyone else. I thought your readers might like to see this Popeye cover (at right) from October 1939, drawn by Joseph Musial. I only came across this cover recently, after I had written the original article posted on Alternet. The comic cover shows Popeye lounging among pillows in an Arabian sort of tent, smoking out of a hookah labeled “Spinach.” This cover illustration shows that, to at least some people involved in the early formation of the Popeye comics, the spinach/marijuana connection was obvious, and not something they were ashamed of, as King Comics put it prominently on the cover. Thank you for your attention.