The Popeye Capital of the World Is Hiding In Small Town Illinois And It's As Weirdly Wonderful As You'd Expect
By Melissa Mahoney|Published July 25, 2021
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Melissa Mahoney
Author
I'm an east coast girl living in a west coast world. I grew up in New England before moving to SoCal for several years. I then lived in NYC or a year before moving to AZ in 2009. I worked in the entertainment industry for many years of my adult life and have a deep love for photography, writing, and traveling around the U.S. as well as to far-flung locations around the world. Travel is my life and writing about it is a dream!
For many of us, Popeye the Sailor Man was a part of childhood. Whether you read the classic comic strip or comic books back in the day, enjoyed watching the old animated series or one of the films, or played a Popeye video game, there’s no doubt that Popeye is an iconic character. And the Popeye capital of the world happens to be in the small city of Chester, Illinois.
Welcome to Chester, home of Popeye the Sailor Man. Around town you will find many nods to the classic cartoon. After all, its creator was born here!
Elzie Crisler Segar, a.k.a. E.C. Segar, was born in 1894 and raised in Chester. At 18, he decided to become a cartoonist, publishing his first works in the Chicago Herald in 1916 soon after moving to the city.
A few years later, Segar moved to New York City to work at King Features Syndicate where he developed the comic "Thimble Theatre" for the New York Journal in 1919. During the early days, Olive Oyl, Castor Oyl, and Ham Gravy were the main characters. When Popeye was introduced about a decade later, he became the most popular character and the comic's name was then changed to "Popeye."
As the hometown of Popeye's creator, visitors will find several granite statues of characters from the beloved cartoon around Chester. More statues are added around town each year and are unveiled at the Popeye Picnic held in September each year.
With numerous Popeye characters sprinkled throughout town, there is a Popeye & Friends Character Trail Brochure that can be downloaded from the Chester website. If you go, download the brochure, follow along, and see how many statues you can find!
In town, you will also find a bronze Popeye statue outside the Chester Welcome Center at Segar Memorial Park, named in honor of the cartoon's creator. You will also find the Spinach Can Collectibles museum and gift shop, the only one of its kind in the world.
Visitors will enjoy seeing nostalgic Popeye and friends memorabilia at this museum and will be able to buy a reminder of their visit from the gift shop.
If you’re a fan of Popeye and other beloved characters from the cartoon, you must visit Chester! There’s no other place as weirdly wonderful as this. If you’ve been, please let us know your thoughts in the comments. For more information on Chester and all things Popeye, visit the city’s website.
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