If you are a baby boomer like I, you probably associate Wimpy as a friend of Popeye the Sailor. Yep, that’s J. Wellington Wimpy to we cartoon enthusiasts.
Created by EC Segar for the original Popeye comic strip, the soft-spoken, kind, intelligent Wimpy was Popeye’s friend. When Fleischer Studios animated Popeye, Wimpy took a less prominent role.
Hamburgers are Wimpy’s favorite meal, and we know he can continuously eat them! Wimpy was also cheap, even a moocher, thus known for his famous line, “I’ll gladly pay you Tuesday for a hamburger today.”
Wimpy also inspired the name for a fast food restaurant in London (1954). The chain has been bought and sold several times, but we can find Wimpy’s today in over 20 countries. However, this story centers around Wimpy’s in South Africa.
The chain had an ad campaign promoting that it had Braille menus, but a promotion’s effort took a unique turn – they used sesame seeds to place Braille messages on 15 hamburger buns, and then served the hamburger to 15 blind individuals.
Whether a sincere small gesture or intentionally exploitive, this is a feel-good video. Have a good rest of the weekend.
Now I’ll be wanting a hamburger all day. : )
Alex,
Alright .. the right comment of the post and the day! Me too as it’s been too long since my last, real good hamburger! Thanks for the return visit and commenting.
There’s a great old fashioned hamburger joint here in San Antonio called Danny Boy’s, locally owned, the burgers are incredible, and that’s ALL he sells…hamburgers. The only problem is Danny will talk your ear off… which is really not a problem at all, great guy! : )
Alex,
Oh what a great tip if I ever return to San Antonio. (Only there once on a short trip for business). At one time, I had a mission of searching for the best hamburgers across the Cincinnati area – which was fun. Thanks for sharing!
That was great — thanks for a heartwarming idea. I don’t know what they stuck the sesame seeds on with though, they always flick off!
Elsye,
Probably some sort of school paste since we know it’s edible. http://instantrimshot.com/
Making them must have been tedious and slow. Nonetheless,a great story – thanks for stopping by on the weekend!
I will gladly pay you Tuesday for a Hamburger today
Larry,
That was Wimpy the Moocher. I wonder if anyone has done a remake of the famous Cab Calloway hit. Thanks for stopping by.
What a great marketing idea.
Mobius,
No kidding! … and with YouTube, a worldwide appreciation. Thanks for visiting.
Great videos, Frank! The old cartoon made me instantly nostalgic for the Saturday morning cartoons of my childhood, nothing like that on the airways today.
Lynn,
I had a brief period of actually having a Saturday Morning Cartoon series focusing on old cartoons, but it got lost in the shuffle. Maybe I could bring it back on occasion. Meanwhile, in the Categories on the sidebar, see Entertainment > Classic Cartoons. Meanwhile, I thought this post was fitting for Saturday morning. Thanks for commenting.
Thanks for the suggestion, Frank. I remember talking 3 Stooges with you but not the cartoons; I’m off to explore!
I probably watched every Popeye cartoon ever made as a kid. The early ones are by far better than the latter more recent attempts. Anyway, in Los Angeles we had Tom Hatten who hosted a Popeye only show, and he had “Squiggle Contests” wherein a kid would make a scribble and he’d draw a cartoon out of it. think Olive Oil was my fav…..Hansi
PS…got the Spam/comment thing figured out. Your comments were going into the Spam do-dad.
Hansi,
I too about the 4 o’clock cartoons … Mr. Cartoon in my area … thus I may have seen all or most of the cartoons from that era. Loved ‘em … Thanks for visiting and sharing your love for Popeye. hmmmm … maybe I should do a Popeye post.
Wimpy? How timely, there’s a new Popeye comic coming out soon!
Great post!
Hook,
Thanks for sharing the info about the new Popeye comic on the way – something I didn’t know. Thanks for commenting.
I used to enjoy a Wimpy meal in London now and again. They are still going (just).
Ginger,
Thanks for confirming Wimpy’s existence … and for visiting.
No worries – they are slightly legendary the UK but struggle with the onslaught of McDonalds, Burger King etc etc.
What a heartwarming video! This nearly-vegan’s heart has been melted like vegan cheese.
Thanks for sharing!
Dana,
… Many thanks for visiting and commenting.
Welcome first time visitor. Your “nearly-vegan heart” like made me laugh – but also shows you have a sense of humor.
Hi,
I still love a good cartoon.
OMG, I had forgotten all about Wimpy, boy that does bring back some memories.
I think it was a great idea, even though it was more for marketing than helping people, but if they can combine the 2 why not. When I was watching them putting on the sesame seeds it seemed a long slow process, I bet they don’t do too many of those.
Mags,
No kidding the process was slow – and probably the reason why they only did 15 buns. None the less a great story … and I’m glad you appreciated the cartoon reference. Thanks for commenting.
A clever way to develop a new market segment.
I myself am looking forward to a trip to All American Burger once the weather warms up.
It’s a killer Drive Up burger stand.
Guapo,
Hopefully you don’t have to drive all the way to Philly for a burger! (I couldn’t resist that one). Thanks for commenting.
Nope. This one’s only miles away.
Sigh…I think there must be something fundamentally wrong with me…
Eh, what can you do?
Then drive to New Haven for a burger at Louis’ Lunch – well, if you haven’t already done that!
I cant believe they would do this… what a laugh. Do you think the blind people felt used and abused or amused?
A lovely video and a great post. I actually wasn’t aware of the connection between Wimpy from Popeye and the chain. It seems like a good day to get a hamburger, doesn’t it?
Otto,
It’s always a good day for a hamburger … well, at least a good one. I don’t know if the chain’s name is tied to the cartoon character or not (although I say the odds are high for it) – the connection I used in the post is mine. Glad you enjoyed it … and thanks for visiting.
I’m curious as to what brought this story to your attention. Or did you seek it?
RMV,
Now there is a question I hadn’t anticipated, so brace yourself for this answer …. I saw the video somewhere, thought was interesting and touching, tagged it for later use, used the cartoon character as the launching pad to the video, and then post. Thanks for visiting.
glad to visit. when i was a kid, there were popeye cartoons on regularly, introduced by a character name “officer joe bolton.” he kind of looked like yogi berra, had a night stick, and seemed like just a cop walking down the street introducing each cartoon. of course he was in a studio, not really on a street, but it was fun. i always loved the older, black and white popeye episodes, not the newer color ones. i especially like listening to the little side comments he’d mumble as he was tangling with bluto or interacting with olive oyl. at times, his little side comments were rather sarcastic.
thanks for the memory.
RMV,
Ha ha … I like all of us at that age had a local show for afternoon cartoons with a local host. Here’s mine … but many years after I watched.
Heya, I finally checked my spam comments. I fixed that problem and I’m looking forward to your comments
Braille Burgers
Kim,
Thanks for letting me know … and yes, a tip of the cap to the good deeds in this video.
That’s a lovely post! I really enjoyed seeing the slow paced cartoon and made me nostalgic about times when TV was a delight to relax to and not the frantic rhythm of today’s programming
Oh yes, and it makes you want a burger!
Mimo,
Welcome first-time commenter. In my mind, “The frantic rhythm of today’s programming” is a very accurate assessment. Meanwhile, the story is good while stimulating the desire for a burger! Thanks for taking the time to stop by and comment – hope you return.
I remember Popeye. I always knew I’d nickname my child as “sweetpea” and I still call him that, even tho he’s 10 now. I love vintage cartoons and even wrote a blog with an ancient Mickey Mouse cartoon. Great post!
Java,
Meanwhile, I love vintage cartoons! Thanks for commenting.
Ahhh … how nice you nicknamed your child sweetpea … and he’ll love it in a few more years!
Thanks for some old time smiles and chuckles. As a kid I loved my Saturday morning TV cartoons shows, with Popeye, Bluto, Olive Oil, and Wimpy being my favorite characters. Also thanks for the Wimpy’s video from South Africa. I traveled in that country a number of years ago and liked both the food and the friendly atmosphere at Wimpy’s restaurants.
Tim,
And you are the winner of the first person here who has been to a Wimpy’s in South Africa! Thanks for sharing this hidden treasure from your life.
fantastic marketing! love it brillant!
Kellie,
Definitely …. and a good story about humanity too! Thanks for stopping by and commenting.
Humph! And here I thought you were going to have a physics-related post. But no, I don’t get any Weakly-Interacting Massive Particle talk, I get cartoons!
Now this is one cartoon that doesn’t seem to show up on Cartoon Network or any of the others. Pity.
John,
Hope all is well … and thanks for commenting.
I actually have a quantum physics post coming up (but not sure when). Very basic – well, just to introduce a video. However, I will be counting on you to enlighten us!
I’m glad I had a hamburger yesterday! Nice to see the wimpy cartoon after all these years. It was also nice to see all the smile in the second video, that was great.
Starla,
And I’m craving one … but currently delaying satisfying my urge. But yes … the reactions in the video were great! BTW – I commented on your site, but my comment may be sitting in your blog’s spam folder. Please check … and thanks for visiting and commenting.