Poopeye, Peepeye, Pipeye, and Pupeye: Meet Popeye's nephews
Who are these lil' scallywags, anyhow?
We're here to argue about the best cartoon nephews of all time. You show us Clyde Bunny, we'll tell you to hop off. Huey, Dewey and Louie are your favorite? You must be quacking up! Jerry the Mouse's nephew Nibbles may be cute, but only one group of cartoon nephews reign supreme.
Popeye is the best uncle. Look at his muscles. He's got a cool hat, and he spits. He eats vegetables though, which is weird, but he's got a cool tattoo, so we'll give him that. But really, what makes Popeye the best uncle is the fact that he's got four nephews, and they're all named after him. Each has a will as strong as their uncle. And it's no easy feat getting these kids to do what you want.
Popeye has to resort to corporal punishment "I hates to do this, but what has to be, has to be," says Popeye, as he hoists Poopeye, Peepeye, Pipeye, and Pupeye over his knee. Popeye cries as he reprimands his nephews for not eating spinach. His nephews cry as they eat the spinach. Everybody cries as they all learn a new lesson. Popeye just isn't as tough as he likes to let on.
But, hang on, the plot thickens... Poopdeck Pappy, Popeye's tough-as-nails father, has confirmed in a cartoon that Popeye is an only child in the 1938 cartoon Goonland. So, where the heck did these tots come from, anyhow?
Stranger still, there's such a strong family resemblance! Beyond just the looks, too. Poopeye, Peepeye, Pipeye, and Pupeye all sound remarkably similar to their uncle. That's because their voices were provided by the same actor, Jack Mercer, who is famous as the voice of Popeye. His voice is sped up to make it sound younger!
Thank you, Poopeye. We appreciate you, Peepeye. Pipeye? You're great. Pupeye? Keep it up. We owe these 'toons for keeping our man Popeye grounded, whether they're blood relatives or not.