| Castor Oyl | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Publication information | |
| Publisher | King Features Syndicate |
| First appearance | Thimble Theatre (1920) |
| Created by | E. C. Segar |
| In-story information | |
| Partnerships | Lizzie Oyl (née Goozenwoozit) (1924) Cylinda Oyl (née Lotts) (1926 - 1928; 2022-present) |
| Supporting character of | Olive Oyl[1] (sister) Cole Oyl (father) Nana Oyl (mother) Deezil (daughter) |
Castor Oyl is a fictional character, created in 1920 bycartoonistElzie Crisler Segar for hiscomic stripThimble Theatre, now known asPopeye.[2][3][4]
Castor Oyl isOlive Oyl's older brother, debuting inThimble Theatre on January 14, 1920. While initially a minor character defined chiefly by his bizarre, paradoxical antics (often alleged by other characters to be a product ofinsanity), Segar progressively adapted Castor into more of an ambitious, enterprisingeveryman figure as the strip evolved into a serialized comedy-adventure style. By 1924, Castor had arguably displacedHarold Hamgravy as theprotagonist of the strip, a role he occupied until the first appearance of the Popeye character in January 1929.[5]
In response to Castor's increasing prominence, Segar introduced a number of secondary characters acting asfoils to his antics, most notably his wife Cylinda Oyl, to whom he was married from August 1926 to June 1928, hisfighting cockerel Blizzard, a major character from August 1923 to January 1925, and Cylinda's father, the elderly, moneyedmiser I. Canniford Lotts.
A quick-witted diminutive adventurer, Castor Oyl initially continued to be an important character inThimble Theatre following Popeye's introduction, yet had largely exited the regular cast by the end of 1931 and played virtually no role in thePopeye theatricalcartoons produced first byFleischer Studios and then byFamous Studios. His most prominent appearance in the series is as a member of Popeye'sorchestra in the 1935 shortThe Spinach Overture.
SinceRandy Milholland took over the strip in 2022, Castor, his wife Cylinda—with whom he has reconciled—and their daughter Deezil have started appearing in the strip again.
In the1980 film directed byRobert Altman, Castor is a key character, and is played by actorDonovan Scott. In the film, however, he is made Olive's younger brother and is considerably less sophisticated than his comic strip counterpart.[6]
Castor Oyl is named aftercastor oil, amedicine often given to children for various ailments until the mid 20th century. His mother Nana's name derives from "banana oil", an epithet similar to "baloney". His father Cole's name derives from "coal oil", a now arcane term forkerosene. His daughter Deezil's name derives from "diesel oil."
Castor Oyl popeye.
Harold Hamgravy.
Castor Oyl popeye.
Castor Oyl popeye.
