Popeye the sailor could soon be flexing his spinach-fuelled muscles in new adventures when the copyright on the iconic cartoon character expires on New Year’s Day.
He is set to be joined by ace reporter Tintin and his faithful dog Snowy whose 95-year intellectual properties run out on January 1, and they legally enter the public domain. A raft of Hollywood studios are reported to be looking to relaunch the characters.
Popeye, who also inspired a hit 1980 live action musical comedy film starring the late Robin Williams in the title role, first turned up in a US newspaper comic strip called Thimble Theatre in January 1929.
He proved so popular he was snapped up by Paramount Pictures in 1933 for his first series of short films for the cinema. Since then, he has appeared thousands of times in comic books, TV cartoons, commercials and even video games.
Tintin, created by Belgian cartoonist Hergé – who modelled the character’s trademark quiff hairstyle on that of his own younger brother – has appeared in two major TV series as well as eight movies, the last of which was the 2011 animated film The Adventures of Tintin, which was directed by Oscar winner Steven Spielberg.
But as with Winnie the Pooh in 2022 and Disney icon Mickey Mouse last year, only the earliest versions of Popeye and Tintin will be allowed to be used for free.
Later images are due to also fall out of copyright in coming years. A fresh raft of original Mickey material will also enter the public domain at the beginning of 2025.
Jennifer Jenkins, director of America’s Centre for the Study of the Public Domain, said of the copyright lapse: “It’s a trove. There are a dozen Mickey cartoons in which he speaks for the first time and dons white gloves.”
As well as some of the world’s most enduring cartoon characters, a raft of other artistic creations will also see their intellectual properties expire.
Jennifer added: “There are masterpieces from Faulkner and Hemingway, the first sound films from Alfred Hitchcock, Cecil B DeMille and John Ford, and amazing music from Fats Waller, Cole Porter and George Gershwin. It’s pretty exciting!”