Popeye!

A letter from July 10, 2005

"Sunday Nite"

Today I will set forth another lesson in history.

Back when I was younger than you now are there was a comic strip names “Popeye”. It was about a sailor and his friends. Popeye wore a sailor suit and was very strong. He ate a lot of spinach. His forearms were huge. His biceps were skinny like a broomstick. He was very popular. There was even a song –

            I am Popeye the sailor man

I am what I am

And that’s all I am

I am Popeye the sailor man

Heh, Heh.

In the comic strip was a rotund man with a derby and droopy pants. His name was wimpy and he loved hamburgers. Most of the comic in which he appeared was built around his love for hamburgers. He had a pet – an animal – about as big as a cat but heavier. Four feet. No tail. He named it “JEEP”. Everyone who read the comics knew “JEEP”. He seemed to be always underfoot.

And then in the late 1940 and early 1941 it was apparent that there was a war coming on and the U.S. Government started letting out contracts for the construction of tanks, guns and automotive vehicles. One such contract was for a four wheeled, open, rugged four wheel drive, multi-purpose vehicle. The contract called for a GENERAL PURPOSE VEHICLE #12345. As time went on the words GENERAL PURPOSE was abbreviated to GP. Now – take those two letters and say them quickly. Yes, GP sounds like JEEP. Now you know how the name JEEP was applied to the wartime vehicle. It was manufactured by Ford and Willys-Overland. Today the civilian version is manufactured by Chrysler. But the name “JEEP” lives on.

There endeth your History lesson for today. Heh, heh.