TOONS

Popeye the sailor man, that pipe-smoking, spinach-chewing fighter of bullies, is undergoing an image change at the ripe old age of 60. King Features Syndicate Inc., the New York-based entertainment firm owning the rights to the character, is concerned about some aspects of the character that could be considered brutal or sexist--such as the frequent fist fights and his rather proprietary attitude to women. “There are things we do want to change,� Cathy Titus, director of international licensing at King Features, told Reuters. “We see him becoming a more ‘liberated’ man.� Still, Popeye has not lost his fiery spark. “He represents the little man. He may not always be right but he fights for what he believes in,� said long-time Popeye cartoonist Bud Sagendorf, summing up the sailor’s appeal.