“$125 for that Popeye Toy?!! Well, Blow Me Down!”

Categories: The Spotlight|Published On: April 11, 2003|Views: 4|

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This week, we’re putting collector Gary Greenberg in the spotlight as our
Main Event. Here’s his story on how he got started in collecting, and the
fantastic Popeye adventures he’s had along the way…

My attraction
to Popeye dates back to my childhood. Photos of birthday parties always showed
me leaning over a Popeye cake clutching my newest Popeye toy. It wasn’t until 20
years later I realized, while walking around my first antique show, that I would
once again rekindle my relationship with the one-eyed sailor.

Every
collector should be lucky enough to enter the world of collecting like I was
able to. My job at the time was with a small advertising agency. One of the
partners in the firm was a collector of antiques, and the agency helped a friend
of his by producing some small cards to promote his sizeable antique show. It
was my job to design the cards. After the job was done, I was given a free pass
to the show, but as far as I was concerned, antiques shows were for old ladies –
filled with the breakable stuff my grandmother had on her coffee table and in
her china cabinet. Still, I figured, “What the hell, it’s for free.”

What
I discovered was something totally unexpected: Old juke boxes, comic books,
Coca-Cola signs, and something absolutely wonderful – comic toys. I saw my first
Popeye toy at that show (Popeye carrying the parrot cages), and I couldn’t
believe my eyes. I decided I just had to have it and, at that moment, I decided
I was going to collect comic toys, specifically Popeye toys.

It took me
several weeks to save up enough to buy that toy; after all, $125 wasn’t peanuts
(or spinach, I should say). I reacted to the toy the way everyone should react
to any toy they buy. Because of a feeling, something inside that draws you to
the piece. In collecting, you should be knowledgeable about what you’re buying.
But, most of all, buy it because you love it. Buy it because it makes you feel
good.

Today, what I look for in what I buy is the essence of the
character. When Elzie Segar created Popeye, I believe he had a vision, a look,
an attitude, a personality that he believed was right for that character. When I
buy Popeye toys, I think to myself, “Would Segar approve of this image? Does
this capture what he was trying to say?”

There were many toys that I
believe captured the essence of the character, my favorite being Popeye in the
Rowboat, manufactured by Hoge in 1935. To me, if Elzie Segar made toys, he would
have made this one. The look is pure Segar: long face, mean, and ugly (which is
interesting, considering that this toy was made when Popeye’s face had already
taken on a much rounder look). Plus, it’s the only tin toy from the 1930s
depicting Popeye being what he was created to be: a sailor.

I’ve been
collecting Popeye for 22 years. My collection, which is constantly evolving,
ranges from tin wind-ups in their original boxes to books, games, and
advertising pieces, such as another favorite of mine: the Popeye Kazoo Pipe
Display Card. (It holds 12 kazoo pipes and has beautiful artwork, with a large
die-cut Popeye on top.) I have also been lucky enough to acquire a Segar Sunday
page – with two handwritten letters from Segar to a fan and two autographed
Popeye photos!

I consider myself fortunate because I didn’t know anything
about collecting when I started. Nothing. Zippo. Nada. I’d never read an article
or a book about it, nor overheard a conversation on comic toys. I walked in,
fresh and open-minded, with no preconceived ideas, opinions, or suggestions on
how or what I should collect. I look forward to uncovering my next “find” with
the same enthusiasm and excitement I experienced at that show 14 years
ago.

Happy Hunting!


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