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| Alice the Goon | |
|---|---|
| Publication information | |
| Publisher | King Features Syndicate |
| First appearance | Thimble Theatre (December 10, 1933) |
| Created by | E. C. Segar[1] |
| Voiced by | Marilyn Schreffler |
| In-story information | |
| Species | Goon |
Alice the Goon is a fictional character inE. C. Segar'scomic stripThimble Theatre and in thePopeye cartoon series derived from it.[2] Alice is anAmazoniangiantess.
The character is introduced as theslave andbodyguard of thesorceressSea Hag. The Sea Hag hasblackmailed Alice into service in exchange for the safety of Alice's child.Popeye helps Alice become the leader of aslave rebellion. Alice's role is loosely based on that of the rebel leaderSpartacus.
Alice made her debut in the Sunday, December 10, 1933,Thimble Theatre strip, part of the "Plunder Island" storyline. Initially unnamed and of unspecified sex, she works as abodyguard for theSea Hag, a viciouspirate and the lastsorceress onEarth. Alice is portrayed as anAmazoniangiantess (8 ft 0 in (2.44 m) tall), bald, with a large nose (reminiscent of aproboscis monkey, or ofRastapopoulos fromThe Adventures of Tintin), no visible mouth, and extremely hairy forearms and legs. Her name and sex are given in the January 14, 1934, strip, after she capturesWimpy.
Alice first appears when the Sea Hag returns to Sweethaven searching for a former slave named Cringly, the only one who knows the location of her lair, Plunder Island. After capturing Wimpy and locking him in the deck of her ship, theBlack Barnacle, the Sea Hag orders the goon, "Keep an eye on him, Alice!" The characters and readers now realize Alice is female. Upon arriving at Plunder Island, Popeye and Alice fight violently and Popeye threatens to throw Alice off a cliff, until her child (also of unspecified sex) appears and shouts, "Mama!" Realizing that he is fighting a woman, which goes against his principles, Popeye releases Alice and discovers that she became the Sea Hag's slave only because the Hag had threatened her baby. Alice is the leader of a race of goons enslaved by the Sea Hag; Popeye and Alice lead them in a successfulSpartacus-likeslave rebellion.
At the time, Alice caused controversy with protective parents, who claimed that her frightening appearance alarmed their children. Alice was therefore toned down to become a gentler and more motherly apparition.
In later appearances, Alice starts wearing a skirt and flowered hat. Her tribe live on Goon Island and the Goons are indistinguishable from each other. When Alice speaks, her words appear as a series of meaningless squiggles. Wimpy is the only one who can understand her language. After being liberated from the Sea Hag, Alice comes to live withOlive Oyl and becomes anursemaid to babySwee'Pea.
Alice was a main character in the laterPrivate Olive Oyl shorts, where she and Olive join theArmy with humorous results; seeThe All-New Popeye Hour.[3][4]