Popeye Whiffle Hen Hood Ornament (1930 The Whiffle Henners) comic books 1930

Popeye Whiffle Hen Chrome Hood Ornament BOX ONLY; The Whiffle Hen was a character in the first ever Popeye comic strip adventure by E.C. Segar in 1929. The Whiffle Hen Hood Ornament was first pictured in Bud Sagendorf's book Popeye The First 50 Years in 1979. At the time, collectors had no idea who produced this rarity until the original box was auctioned on eBay a few years ago. It's likely that the hood ornament was produced in the early 1930s. According to the box, a fan group calling themselves The Whiffle Henners apparently produced the rare item. The group's mailing address was 129 West Third in Los Angeles which is a parking lot today. A fair guess is that back then it was the location of a business that made hood ornaments or cast items in chrome. Perhaps a Popeye fan who worked there cast the Whiffle Hen in their spare time. The box itself was printed at the Eureka Folding Paper Board Company about 2.5 miles away at 1600 Tarleton Street where a transmission shop stands today. A close examination of the art on the box looks very much like the early cartooning work of a young Forrest (Bud) Sagendorf himself who began working as Segar's assistant as a teenager living in Santa Monica CA during this time. Collectors now theorize that Bud may have ended up with a Whiffle Hen Hood Ornament because he was somehow involved with the Whiffle Henners and production of the collectible. Truth is, we'll never know for sure, but this theory is as good as any!

Popeye Whiffle Hen Chrome Hood Ornament (NO BOX, ORNAMENT ONLY) The Whiffle Hen was a character in the first ever Popeye comic strip adventure by E.C. Segar in 1929. The Whiffle Hen Hood Ornament was first pictured in Bud Sagendorf's book Popeye The First 50 Years in 1979. At the time, collectors had no idea who produced this rarity until the original box was auctioned on eBay a few years ago. It's likely that the hood ornament was produced in the early 1930s. According to the box, a fan group calling themselves The Whiffle Henners apparently produced the rare item. The group's mailing address was 129 West Third in Los Angeles which is a parking lot today. A fair guess is that back then it was the location of a business that made hood ornaments or cast items in chrome. Perhaps a Popeye fan who worked there cast the Whiffle Hen in their spare time. The box itself was printed at the Eureka Folding Paper Board Company about 2.5 miles away at 1600 Tarleton Street where a transmission shop stands today. A close examination of the art on the box looks very much like the early cartooning work of a young Forrest (Bud) Sagendorf himself who began working as Segar's assistant as a teenager living in Santa Monica CA during this time. Collectors now theorize that Bud may have ended up with a Whiffle Hen Hood Ornament because he was somehow involved with the Whiffle Henners and production of the collectible. Truth is, we'll never know for sure, but this theory is as good as any!