Popeye's Spinach. A True Story.

POPEY'S SPINACH.

This text will take you up to ten minutes to read.

Most of you probably know that at the turn of the 1920s and 1930s, the United States authorities waged a fierce and highly hypocritical battle against marijuana. This was for many reasons, which deserve a completely separate post, but above all, it was about money. Hemp was rapidly conquering new industries, and the production of cotton, paper, fuel, and textiles from hemp became a real threat to traditional businessmen. To protect their pockets, they began to exert increasing pressure on the authorities, arguing that hemp was a dangerous, brain-damaging drug and that it was in the public interest to eliminate all hemp plantations as quickly as possible.

It was then, thanks to a certain Harry Anslinger, that most of the myths and nonsense about marijuana arose, unfortunately still repeated today. Thanks to his connections and connections in the press, this hypocritical government official fed the nation various stories, including murders committed by stoned youth. They added to this the myth that weed grants superhuman strength and even bulletproofing! The horror-movie scenes presented in television commercials and other media outlets had the intended impact on a large portion of society.

It's worth noting how unreliable all studies are of cannabis users who smoke street marijuana, often laced with substances that absolutely shouldn't be found in marijuana. Or people who also consume alcohol or real drugs—how can such individuals be studied and any conclusions drawn? Real research will begin when people who don't use any other stimulants, preferably never, participate and are provided with organic marijuana. Only then will we begin real research and obtain true results and conclusions.

Fortunately, not everyone fell for this propaganda, and many passionate people secretly spread the truth about marijuana. Marijuana acquired numerous slang terms at the time, especially among African-American jazz musicians. One such term was "spinach," and this is where we return to Popeye.

The introduction was important, because it was during this era of the government's unfair war on cannabis that the cartoon, which I will now discuss in greater detail, was created.

It all began with "Thimble Theatre"—the comic adventures of Olivia Oil and her brother Castor, created by Elzie Segar. Ten years after the premiere of the first installment of the anorexic hero's adventures, the famous spinach-eater appeared in the comic. In one of the stories, Castor and Olivia's fiancé, Ham Gravy, decide to embark on a deep-sea voyage. To this end, they go to a port to hire a sailor to help them on their journey. There, they meet Popeye.

Popeye is a sailor with a hot temper, a tough guy and a brawler, but he also has a good heart and a lighter side. He gains particular strength after eating spinach. According to many people who have meticulously researched the cartoon episode by episode, it can be clearly stated that spinach is an analogy for marijuana. The official story was that Popeye was meant to popularize the usually disliked food spinach among children.

Internet author and artist Michaelm offers the following analysis:

"Popeye is characterized by a natural cycle dating back to ancient times and ancient sailors. Books, Bibles, journals, maps, pennants, sails, ropes, paints, varnishes, lamp oil, and sealants are all derived from hemp. Bluto represents greedy, toxic corporations, dependent industries, and landowners."

"Both heroes attempt to charm the main source of oil, Olive Oyl. Bluto begins to realize that Popeye is too competitive, so he decides to eliminate him. He chains Popeye, captures Olive Oyl, and approaches the point of rape. But in the end, Popeye manages to suck the "spinach" through his pipe, grows stronger with hemp, frees himself, and defeats the evil corporations, saving her from industrial pollution and oppression."

"With relief and joy, he returns to the natural cycle, and then Popeye smiles, winks, and puffs on his pipe." – What more can I say?

The sailor's character resonated so well with readers that creator Elzie decided to make him the main character of his comic book and also promote him to the role of Olivia's fiancé.

Segar's stories were full of nuances aimed at an adult audience, and the author himself wasn't afraid to sneak in even the sharpest nuances.

In one episode, Popeye tells his nephews the story of his great ancestor, Hercules. This Greek demigod owed his immense strength to a certain stimulant. Namely, he inhaled garlic fumes! Only at the end of the story did the mythological hero switch to spinach, deciding that this stimulant would serve him better. Many saw this as a blatant message of marijuana's superiority over cocaine!

To make matters even more interesting, in another episode, Popeye the sailor discovers that workers toiling in a certain mine are being fed berries laced with a dangerous drug. The substance causes the workers to become aggressive and prone to crime. Popeye substitutes the drug for another substance, which causes the berries' consumers to fall into a state of profound bliss and joy. What's the moral of this? Popeye himself said, "When a man is happy, he simply can do no wrong!"

In the 1980s, Bobby London became the cartoonist responsible for Popeye's adventures. Our favorite sailor couldn't have fallen into better hands. Bobby was a highly controversial artist. As the creator of comics such as "Dirty Duck" and "Air Pirates," he became known for his notorious quarrel with the Walt Disney studio. This was mainly because London not only brazenly parodied copyrighted characters but also suggested they were using drugs, smuggling contraband, and engaging in promiscuous sex. His work was published in magazines such as Playboy.

Despite his poor reputation, Bobby continued writing Popeye stories for six years. Then, he was sacked after slipping a rather amusing (as it turned out, not for the publishers) reference to... abortion into one of his comics.

In any case, during Bobby's time, fans of the mad adventurer learned that he was sourcing first-class "stuff" smuggled into the United States from Bolivia itself!

It's worth emphasizing that sailors always had access to exotic herbs, and it was members of this profession who were the first to smoke weed smuggled from India and South America.

Additional, powerful arguments supporting the "spinach herb" include Popeye's dog, named Birdseed (birdseed, or hemp seeds, which were the main source of food for birds until they were banned), and Popeye's growing skills. He had all the equipment to grow his spinach, but no farmer in the world had ever seen spinach grown this way. Rooting the cuttings is particularly noteworthy, as Popeye walks us through step-by-step, just like rooting hemp.

Well, some will insist it's all nonsense... Others will be sure it's true. Whatever the case, everyone will be convinced they're the ones who are wrong...?

So, finally, a Spinach Song for everyone!

The Spinach Song:

“Spinach has vitamins A, B, and D, but spinach never appealed to me.

But one day while having dinner with a guy, I decided to give it a try.

I didn’t like it the first time, it was so new to me.

I didn’t like it the first time, I was so young, you see.

I used to run away from the stuff, but now somehow I can’t get enough.

I didn’t like it the first time, oh, how it grew on me!”

Translation:

"Spinach has vitamins A, B, and D, but I've never liked spinach.

But one day, over dinner with a guy, I decided to try it.

I didn't like it the first time, it was so new to me.

I didn't like it the first time, I was so young, you see.

I used to run away from things, but now I can't seem to get enough.

I didn't like it the first time, oh, how it's grown on me!"

Ahoy Hemp!