Eugene The Jeep

Eugene The Jeep's History

The Jeep was created by E. C. Segar for Thimble Theatre and first appeared in the storyline that began in the March 16, 1936 strip, "Eugene, the Jeep", where he was given to Olive Oyl by her uncle Ben Zene and nearly stolen by callous millionaire Chizzelflint. Weeks following his debut, Olive would relinquish ownership of Eugene, leading Popeye to subsequently adopt him. Eugene resultantly became a regular character during the late 1930s, occupying prominent roles within storylines such as "A Sock for Susan's Sake" and "Valley of the Goons". Following Segar's death in 1938, however, Eugene's role would gradually diminish; an increasingly minor player as the 1940s advanced, he would ultimately vanish entirely by 1950. A guest appearance in 1954 likewise indicated that Eugene had joined a circus full-time (alongside Toar), confirming him to no longer be a cohabiter of Popeye's. While Eugene would remain absent from the strip for decades afterwards, he would ultimately return in 1972 under Bud Sagendorf's authorship, and sustained a more regular role under Bobby London's tenure in the late 1980s.

After the end of Segar's original Thimble Theatre run, Eugene would also appear as a supporting character in the 1948 comic book series by Segar's former assistant Bud Sagendorf, where he would regularly use his abilities for comedic affect or to aid those around him. His comic book appearances would continue for decades until the title's end in 1984.