Well blow me down – Popeye has his very own gallery museum exhibit! On display from Nov. 13, 2004 to Jan. 30, 2005, The Museum of Television & Radio in New York City is hosting a retrospective gallery exhibit titled "Well, Blow Me Down!: 75 Years of Popeye." This is the first exhibit to honor the veteran sailor and combine the history of Popeye in all media—from newspaper, radio, theatrical shorts and television to vintage collectibles, rare comic books and theatrical poster art.
Assembling rare material from private collections across the country, the Popeye exhibit captivates the evolution of one of America's oldest pop-culture icons. From a single frame in the comic strip "Thimble Theatre" to the all-new, 3-D enhanced CGI Popeye, the retrospective features original '30s and '40s storyboards, drawings and cels from Fleischer and Famous Studios, including an original 1933 black-and-white cel from what is widely considered the first animated short. The exhibit also includes cels and artwork from King Features Syndicate and Hanna-Barbera from the '60s to the '80s, vintage toys, rare collectibles, comic books and poster art of Popeye's theatrical shorts.
The Museum kicked off the opening of the exhibit with a "Popeye Family Day" work-shop, featuring a premiere screening of "Popeye's Voyage: The Quest for Pappy." Prior to the screening, attendees learned about the art of Popeye animation, took photographs with Popeye, Olive Oyl, Bluto and Wimpy and participated in art activities.
