November 2017 | A Thought Experiment
Popeye was one of my childhood heroes – kind-hearted, determined, and always ready to save his fragile Olive.
One day I asked myself: what if Popeye were a woman? A sailor, a fighter, a believer. Would she still need spinach to be strong?
December 2017 | The First Appearance
I created the first Popeyit almost by accident – connecting Olive’s head to Popeye’s body.
It was playful, not serious at all. I didn’t even notice I had misspelled her name – Popeyit instead of Popeyeit.
I printed a postcard and moved on, unaware of the journey that had just begun.
July 2018 | Toyism Exhibition
Among dozens of toy assemblages exhibited under “The Heroine Wall,” a small postcard of Popeyit appeared.
She was barely visible, yet quietly waiting for her story to unfold.
December 2019 | A Century Apart
Olive Oyl was born in 1919 – a century before Popeyit – as a fragile, spineless woman in an American comic strip.
A decade later came Popeye, who stole the spotlight.
When I created Popeyit, I realized that through her, something in the story was being rewritten – not by chance, but as part of a personal and collective evolution.
March 2020 | The Birth of Popeyit
On International Women’s Day, during the first COVID lockdown, I posted an image of Popeyit – a playful post that quickly turned meaningful.
A friend commented: “You have to do something with this!”
The next morning, I started painting.
March 2020 | The First Paintings
With each canvas, she became stronger.
At first, I thought she needed spinach and anchors on her arms – but by the second painting, I knew she was powerful on her own.
“Oh boy, she CAN!” became her first slogan.
By the fifth painting, I understood she was my story.
Painting her over an old canvas revealed a hidden figure beneath – a woman trying to stand again.
That was the moment I realized Popeyit is both my healing and my mirror.
March 2020 | From Toys to Wholeness
I began dismantling and reassembling old toy sculptures, recognizing Popeyit’s essence in all of them.
She had been there all along – in every fragment, every attempt to turn brokenness into a new whole.
It became clear: creativity, like healing, begins by reusing what already exists and giving it new meaning.
April 2020 | Standing Tall
I felt her strength within me – strong, grounded, ready.
So much that I decided to mark it permanently, tattooing her essence onto my body: I stand tall.
June 2020 | First Silk Prints
As women online began asking for Popeyit prints, I turned to silkscreen – the technique once used by Andy Warhol.
Through it, I could multiply her image while keeping each print unique – personal, handmade, and alive.
July 2020 | You Got My Bless
When I was invited to paint a Popeyit mural in Tel Aviv, I wanted to do it right.
I reached out to King Features, the American company owning the rights to Popeye and Olive.
After a few emails and a Zoom call, Carla, their legal rep, smiled and said:
“You’re incredible. You got my bless.”
August 2020 | The First Mural
The mural was painted on the front wall of Kuchinate – a women’s collective of African asylum seekers who rebuild their lives through art.
Together, we painted Popeyit as a symbol of resilience and the power to rise again.
The message was simple: together, destruction can become hope.
February 2021 | Lecture for King Features, New York
My first lecture ever – in English – for the owners of Popeye and Olive.
At the end, they suggested the perfect slogan: Let’s Popeyeit!
August 2021 | I Love You ❤️ MeToo
While working on Popeyit, I wondered: what about Olive?
After years of feeling fragile myself, I realized the women who helped me rise were each a Popeyit in my life.
This insight led to new works celebrating sisterhood, empathy, and mutual strength.
October 2021 | Popeyit in New York
Popeyit arrived in New York and was warmly welcomed at King Features headquarters.
Standing by the window of the 15th floor, I remembered how, just three years earlier, I had been collecting bottles and broken toys with nothing left but hope.
In that moment, I understood that success is not what you achieve – it’s the courage to keep believing.
April 2022 | Making History
Popeyit became officially recognized on the global Popeye & Olive platform – a surreal, full-circle moment.
Dream and reality merged into one.
December 2022 | Rising from the Bottom
Four years earlier, I was at my lowest point – financially and emotionally broken.
Through art, I found a new meaning: the ability to rebuild myself just as I had rebuilt the toys.
From that realization grew an entire world – one of environmental awareness, creativity, and hope.
October 2023 | The Phoenix
The first prototype of a Popeyit sculpture was born – made from crushed toys and ocean waste.
It stood tall, just like she does.
Popeyit is a sustainable heroine, a symbol of our ability to rise from the ashes and turn what’s discarded into new life.
September 2024 | Popeyit – Solo Exhibition
Presented at HaHava Gallery, Holon, curated by Nurit Tal-Tenne and produced by the Holon Municipality’s Culture Department.
The exhibition marked a full circle – from fracture to wholeness, from personal recovery to universal empowerment.