Popeye: You're a Sap, Mr. Jap

In 1943, Paramount Pictures released this cartoon short featuring the pop culture icon, Popeye the Sailor. It was released during the time of World War II to depict the attitude of the Americans towards the Japanese at the time. The cartoon also represents Japanese in an offensive manner using caricatures drawn from offensive stereotypes. In this cartoon, Popeye is sailing his ship when he spots a Japanese battleship through his telescope. He parks his boat right next to them, and before he can act out of anger, the Japanese present him with a peace treaty. Popeye, skeptical at first, finally attempts to sign it, but the Japanese repeatedly bother and provoke him while he's not looking ultimately signifying their "backstabbing nature" and inability to keep their treaty of peace. The multiple hits while Popeye is not looking, again, depict the Japanese as a sneaky people, making references to the bombing at Pearl Harbor.


This war propaganda cartoon was never aired and banned because of its racist portrayal of the Japanese. One noticeable depiction is that they all looked the same. All Japanese characters donned the same round pair of glasses, Japanese kimono, wooden sandals, and buck teeth speaking in what sounds like Japanese. Racism against the Japanese was very strong around this time. These stereotypes were based on actual racist stereotypes of the Japanese. At the time of this cartoon, Japanese Americans experienced a surge of racism. Some believe the internment of Japanese Americans into camps were racially motivated, not for military purposes as publicly stated. Lots of mediums of pop culture such as music, literature, and propaganda dehumanized the Japanese, calling them names like "dirty Japs" or different types of animals. Any Japanese American at the time was vulnerable to this racism.

Having had enough of the Japanese's antics, Popeye decides to teach them a lesson but eventually finds himself battling the entire naval battleship of the Japanese. As it appears that Popeye is about to lose, he eats a can of spinach and proceeds to beat up the entire Japanese navy. As he rests, the ship begins to fall apart. He holds a sign that reads: MADE IN JAPAN which he easily crumbles into pieces implying that Japanese products are substandard or incompetent to American products. The general of the ship consumes a tank of gasoline and kills himself while Popeye watches the ship die. The cartoon ends with the Japanese flag being submersed and Popeye celebrating a victory.

This cartoon is one of many racist forms of propaganda that circulated at the time of World War II. It portrayed the Japanese in a very offensive and stereotypical manner that was reflective of the racism that was popular during the time. The Japanese are portrayed to be backstabbers, people unable to be trusted. Lots of these racist sentiments toward the Japanese were fueled by anger from the Pearl Harbor attacks, causing many citizens to act violently. A 1942 comic strip published ways to distinguish a Japanese phenotypically.


They are also portrayed to be fanatic as shown in the climactic sequence of the cartoon when the general decides to "save face" and commit suicide rather than lose. This is evident by the desperate kamikaze tactics the Japanese used during the war in which fighter pilots would crash into naval ships sacrificing their lives to kill American soldiers. The cartoon ends with the Japanese ship sinking and Popeye, the representation of America, watching their foreshadowed defeat.


Lawrence Dalusung