Religious Friends Object to Violent Oatmeal Campaign

PHILADELPHIA (AP) _ Popeye the Sailor Man, who gave up spinach to tout Instant Quaker Oatmeal in ads, has offended religious Quakers with his brawling ways, a spokeswoman for the peace-loving religious group said Monday.

Furthermore, Olive Oyl is far too submissive, say members of the Religious Society of Friends, the religious organization best known as the Quakers, a longtime champion of women’s rights.

Quaker Oats Co. - which has no connection with the religious group - last year began using the feisty thick-forearmed cartoon character in animated television commercials and includes Popeye comics in its instant oatmeal packages.

″I eats me oatmeal and I’m stronger than steel, I’m Popeye the Quaker Man,″ he sang to an adoring Olive Oyl.

That was not the right thing to do, said Elizabeth Foley, spokeswoman for the Philadelphia Yearly Meeting, the largest Quaker group in the East.

″They had Popeye resolving dispute and conflict through violence. This is completely obnoxious and offensive,″ Foley said.

″We are an organization of pacifists. We have a peace testimony that is more than 300 years old. ... To portray us as a church that beats up on other people is not OK.″

Quaker Oats apologized and said it deleted references to ″Popeye the Quaker Man″ in animated television commercials, which continued through the ″oatmeal season,″ September through March.

The comics are already in the oatmeal packages, the Chicago-based company said, so the reference to Popeye the Quaker Man will be taken out in future printings.

″Obviously, we looked at it as a humorous way in which to promote the product and certainly never intended to create any controversy,″ said company spokesman Ron Bottrell. ″We certainly don’t want to offend anyone with our advertising.″

Whether Popeye himself will be back next winter, Bottrell said, ″I really don’t know. All I can say is that we’re going to be sensitive to their concerns.″

Paul Enyart, presiding clerk of the Friends United Meeting, headquartered in Richmond, Ind., said in a letter to the company that the ads ″associate the Quaker name with violence and demeaning images of women. Such images are repugnant to foundational Quaker testimonies of peace and equality.″

Quaker children even took up the argument.

In January, 26 young people in the Durham (N.C.) Friends Meeting wrote to Quaker Oats chairman William D. Smithburg, saying, ″We suggest that Popeye display his strength in a more Quakerly manner. ... Courage and strength can be shown in peaceful and helpful ways.″

In Chester County, near Philadelphia, children at the Willistown Monthly Meeting First Day School came up with an alternative plot.

Foley’s synopsis: ″They have Popeye and Bluto coming together and saying, ‘Our fights have never resolved anything. Let’s try something new - let’s work together for the betterment of all.’ And they build a homeless shelter.″

Bottrell said he didn’t know if the ideas would be used.

But Paul Hendricks, who edits the Popeye strip for King Features Syndicate, said the concept of Bluto and Popeye working together isn’t totally out of character.

″I think it’d fly. As long it’s not saccharine sweet, it’d be OK,″ Hendricks said. Basically Popeye’s a nice guy. He just beats up on bad guys,″ Hendricks said.

Coincidentally, the current strip has Popeye acting as spokesman for Wimpy’s new venture, selling oat bran - which he doesn’t like.

Popeye was not available for comment on the controversy, but Hendricks said his response would be: ″I yam what I yam, and that’s all that I yam.″