10 Bizarre Origins Of Your Favourite Cartoon Characters

5. Popeye Was A Real Smoking, Fighting Legend

All these years, and we never knew Popeye was a real guy. The creator of the spinach-loving sailor man, Elzie Crisler Segar, was born and raised in Chester, Illinois, where a well-known local named Frank Fiegel (known as Rocky) lived. He was born in 1868 and lived as a bachelor until he died in 1947; and he was extremely handy with his fists. It's said that Fiegel was the inspiration behind Popeye: he smoked a pipe, was toothless and loved fighting. This is pretty much validated by the fact Segar used to send Frank regular checks until his death in 1938.