“Even Popeye didn’t eat his spinach until he absolutely had to”

“Even Popeye didn’t eat his spinach until he absolutely had to” is a humorous saying that has been printed on gift items, such as T-shirts and bumper stickers. The cartoon character Popeye ate his spinach at the last moment, when he needed strength. The saying has been cited in print since at least 1994 and appears to have been coined by author Cynthia Copeland Lewis in her book, Really Important Stuff My Kids Have Taught Me (1994).
   
 
Wikipedia: Popeye
Popeye the Sailor is a cartoon fictional character created by Elzie Crisler Segar, who has appeared in comic strips and animated cartoons in the cinema as well as on television. He first appeared in the daily King Features comic strip Thimble Theatre on January 17, 1929. Popeye also became the strip’s title in later years.
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Spinach
The popularity of Popeye helped boost spinach sales. Consumption of the leafy vegetable increased 33 percent in the United States between 1931 and 1936 as Popeye gained popularity. Using Popeye as a role model for healthier eating may work; a 2010 study revealed that children increased their vegetable consumption after watching Popeye cartoons. The spinach-growing community of Crystal City, Texas, erected a statue of the character in recognition of Popeye’s positive effects on the spinach industry. There is another Popeye statue in Segar’s hometown, Chester, Illinois, and statues in Springdale, Arkansas and Alma, Arkansas (which claims to be “The Spinach Capital of the World,”) at canning plants of Allen Canning, which markets Popeye-branded canned spinach. In addition to Allen Canning’s Popeye spinach, Popeye Fresh Foods markets bagged, fresh spinach with Popeye characters on the package.
 
OCLC WorldCat record
Really important stuff my kids have taught me
Author: Cynthia Copeland Lewis
Publisher: New York, NY : Workman Pub., ©1994.
Edition/Format:  Book : English
 
5 April 1995, Lexington (KY) Herald-Leader, “Important stuff writer’s children taught her,” Community, pg. 19:
Even Popeye didn’t eat his spinach until he absolutely had to.
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From Really Important Stuff My Kids Have Taught Me, by Cynthia Copeland Lewis
   
D. E. Stevenson Home Page
Really Important Stuff Kids Have Taught Me  1/2/98
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17. Even Popeye didn’t eat his spinach until he absolutely had to.
   
Google Books
52 ELF Activities to Make You the Best Grandparent!:
Easy, low cost, and fun once-a-week activities & ideas to connect with your grandkids
By David Brisco and Naomi Young Brisco
Newport Beach, CA: 52 ELF Press
2006
Pg. 80:
Even Popeye didn’t eat spinach until he absolutely had to.
   
DickieHaHa
Important Things I’ve Learned From Kids
Posted on October 5, 2011
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Even Popeye didn’t eat his spinach until he absolutely had to.