Olive Oyl

Color illustration of the head and shoulders of the cartoon character Olive Oyl: a woman wearing a red shirt with a white collar; she has a distinctive nose and black hair pulled back into a horizontal ponytail

Olive Oyl is a classic cartoon character who first appeared in Elzie Crisler Segar’s Thimble Theatre comic strip in 1919. Although Olive Oyl was the main character for nearly a decade, Popeye the Sailor was introduced later, on January 17, 1929, and soon became the main focus. Over time, Olive shifted from being Ham Gravy’s girlfriend to becoming Popeye’s. She later became best known as the quirky, tall, and outspoken love interest often caught in a love triangle with Popeye and his rival, Bluto. She is portrayed as independent and temperamental, yet frequently finds herself in a damsel-in-distress situation. Recognizable by her slender build, bun hairstyle, and distinctive voice, Olive Oyl remains a cultural icon in American cartoons, appearing in comics, animated shorts, TV shows, and movies. 

Kellogg’s Pep cereal, introduced in 1923, included 13/16” lithographed paper-pinback buttons of a popular comic character as in-box prizes from 1945 to 1947. These collectible “Pep pins” came in five series of 18 comic-character buttons each, totaling 86 unique buttons. Authentic pins will have Kellogg’s Pep stamped on the back. Olive Oyl’s Pep pin was created in the 1940s, at the height of the character’s popularity.