TOONS

Popeye the sailor man, that pipe-smoking, spinach-chewing fighter of bullies, is undergoing an image change at the ripe old age of 60. King Features Syndicate Inc., the New York-based entertainment firm owning the rights to the character, is concerned about some aspects of the character that could be considered brutal or sexist--such as the frequent fist fights and his rather proprietary attitude to women. “There are things we do want to change,” Cathy Titus, director of international licensing at King Features, told Reuters. “We see him becoming a more ‘liberated’ man.” Still, Popeye has not lost his fiery spark. “He represents the little man. He may not always be right but he fights for what he believes in,” said long-time Popeye cartoonist Bud Sagendorf, summing up the sailor’s appeal.