Swee'Pea

Swee'Pea is the infant foundling adopted by the sailor Popeye after the baby mysteriously arrived on his doorstep. Originally created by E.C. Segar for the Popeye comic strip, this Dell edition reprinted those classic adventures.

Few characters can claim roots stretching all the way back to the Platinum Age, but Swee'Pea is one of them — debuting in Feature Book #3 in 1937 and somehow still turning up in comics as recently as 2023, an extraordinary run of 86 years that speaks to an enduring place in readers' hearts. This little one has called the world of Popeye home across 160 catalogued appearances, sharing those beloved Dell pages with an iconic cast including Wimpy, Brutus, Poopdeck Pappy, and the wonderfully named O. G. Wotasnozzle and Sappo. Four of those appearances carry key-issue status, making Swee'Pea a genuine collector's quarry hiding in plain sight within one of comics' most cheerful and long-lived universes. If you love the warm, scrappy charm of classic American funny-page comics, following Swee'Pea's trail through the Popeye series is a deeply rewarding journey through the full sweep of the art form.