Alice the Goon

Alice the Goon

Alice the Goon is a fictional character in E.C. Segar's comic strip "Thimble Theatre" and in the "Popeye" cartoon series derived from it.

History

Alice made her debut in the Sunday, December 10th, 1933 "Thimble Theatre" strip, part of the "Plunder Island" storyline. As yet unnamed (and her gender unspecified), she worked as a guard for the Sea Hag, a vicious piratess and the last sorceress on earth. She is portrayed as an Amazonian giantess (her height is eight feet) with a large proboscis and prominent, hairy forearms and calves. Her name and gender were given in the January 14, 1934 strip, after she had captured Wimpy.

Alice first appeared when the Sea Hag returned to Sweethaven searching for a former slave of hers named Cringly, as he is the only one who knows the location of Plunder Island, the Sea Hag's lair. At this time Alice was nameless and genderless, but when Wimpy is captured and locked in the deck of the Black Barnacle, the Hag's ship, the Sea Hag orders, "Keep an eye on him, Alice!". And from this moment on, the characters and the readers realise Alice is a female. Upon arriving at Plunder Island, Popeye and Alice fought violently and Popeye threatened to throw Alice off a cliff, until Alice's own child (its gender also unspecified) appeared and shouted "Mama!". Realising that he is fighting a woman, which goes against Popeye's principles, Popeye released Alice and discovered that Alice was an unwilling slave to the Sea Hag, who had threatened Alice's own baby if Alice did not become her servant, and the sailor helped Alice gain her freedom. In fact, Alice was just one of a race of goons (though apparently their leader) enslaved by the Sea Hag; and Popeye and Alice together raised them up in a successful Spartacus-like slave rebellion.

Alice caused controversy with protective mothers at the time, who claimed that her "frightening" appearance alarmed their children. Alice was therefore toned down to becoming a more gentler and motherly apparition.

In later appearances, Alice appeared wearing a skirt and flowered hat. Her tribe live on Goon Island and the Goons are indistinguishable from each other. When Alice spoke, her words would 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 came and lived with Olive Oyl, and became a nursemaid to baby Swee'Pea.

Trivia

Spike Milligan was a fan of the Popeye cartoons and took the name of the Goon Show from Alice and her tribe.

Robert Crumb featured in his later Mr. Natural comics a character named The Mega Baby, a giantess dressed as a baby, closely resembling Alice.

External links

* [http://www.popeyespoopdeck.com/alice.htm Short history of Alice the Goon]
* [http://www.toonopedia.com/popeye.htm Don Markstein's Toonopedia "Popeye" page]


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