Blow me down! Popeye turns 75

King Features Syndicate, which owns the rights to Popeye, is planning a yearlong series of events to relaunch interest in the pipe-tooting mariner with the outsized forearms, including a new 3-D animated TV special written by Mad About You comedian Paul Reiser. That special is set for broadcast next holiday season.

Meanwhile, this weekend in New York City, the Empire State Building plans to shine its tower lights green from sundown to midnight 'in honor of Popeye's enormous love of spinach,' according to King Features.

Popeye began life in 1929 in Elzie Segar's popular Thimble Theatre comic strip as a limited story line guest. Within a year he'd replaced one of Thimble Theatre's original characters, Ham Gravy, and become central to the strip. He graduated to movie shorts, many by the renowned animator Max Fleischer.

Popeye battled everything from sassy goats to the bloated bad-guy Bluto while pursuing the affection of girlfriend Olive Oyl. He even appeared in a video game in the 1980s, collecting falling hearts from his rail-shaped love.

Robin Williams played the bulging-armed character in Robert Altman's 1980 musical movie Popeye.