Ripley's Believe It or Not by Ripley’s Believe It or Not! for February 16, 2016

And to think Japan has the most interesting items in vending machines (there’s a “Begin Japanology” or “Japanology Plus” episode on YouTube about those things).

Popeye was actually created in 1929 by Elzie C Segar in Santa Monica, CA. Popeye’s image is based upon an actual retired naval sailor named Olaf Olsen. If you go to the Santa Monica Pier, you can see the photos and story of Popeye. It’s located next to the Mexican Restaurant at the end of the pier.

Well, that probably explains why ostriches often swallow inedible objects.

You can buy live worms and minnows from vending machines in the US. Located at bait shops.

33%, eh? I guess that proves that cartoon readers aren’t complete half-wits, after all…

Ostrich: Curiously, that also describes Ben Carson…

The spinach industry was so grateful (or so the story goes) to EC Segar that it shipped him rather large quantities of spinach, on a regular basis, as a way of saying thank you. Eventually he had to write a tactful letter asking them to stop.

Popeye became popular because W.R. Hearst told the cartoonist of “Thimble Theater”, “Feature the sailor”.

BTW, in 1929, right after WR read a book that amazed even him, he told King Features Syndicate, “SIGN RIPLEY”!!