Wednesday, December 27, 2023

Toonfomercial: Popeye shills for Popeye's Restaurants (1975)

 Today, Popeye's restaurants are known for their Louisiana Cajun recipes for chicken. The chain, which launched in 1972, acquired a license three years later to use the image of its more famous namesake, Popeye The Sailor (Jack Mercer), who starred in a series of ads with his lady fair, Olive Oyl.

From what we can discern, while Mercer was brought in to reprise as Popeye, Mae Questel, who would soon begin doing ads for Scott Towels, was not. Not sure if it's Marilyn Schreffler, who was hired by Hanna-Barbera three years later, or another actress, as Olive, who sings along with the cashiers in this spot.


Bluto would make his final appearance as Brutus in another spot.

3 comments:

Silverstar said...

Funnily enough, Popeyes restaurants aren't named after the famous spinach-eating sailor, they're named after Popeye Doyle, fictional detective from the Big Easy.

Scoobyfan1 said...

I've actually had Popeyes Chicken several times in my life; they have a couple locations locally...

After the hubbub about them died down several years back, I had one of their chicken sandwiches as well... it's actually a pretty good sandwich.

hobbyfan said...

@Silverstar: In one of the other ads from 1975, Popeye does claim that the chain was named for him, but, as you say, there was the more recent at the time French Connection movies that made Popeye Doyle as much an icon as the sailor himself.

@Scoobyfan1: I've never had Popeye's chicken. Maybe someday.