Religious Friends Object to Ad Campaign: Popeye...

Religious Friends Object to Ad Campaign: Popeye the Sailor Man, who gave up spinach to tout Instant Quaker Oatmeal in ads, has offended religious Quakers with his brawling ways, a spokeswoman for the peace-loving religious group said. Furthermore, Olive Oyl is far too submissive, say members of the Religious Society of Friends, the religious organization best known as the Quakers, a longtime champion of women’s rights. Quaker Oats Co.--which has no connection with the religious group--last year began using the feisty thick-forearmed cartoon character in animated television commercials and includes Popeye comics in its instant oatmeal packages. That was not the right thing to do, said Elizabeth Foley, spokeswoman for the Philadelphia Yearly Meeting, the largest Quaker group in the East.