Olive Oyl is a cartoon character created by E. C. Segar in 1919 for his comic strip Thimble Theatre. The strip was later renamed Popeye after the sailor character who became the most popular member of the cast; however, Olive Oyl was a main character for 10 years before Popeye's 1929 appearance.

Castor Oyl is Olive Oyl's older brother, debuting in Thimble Theatre on January 14, 1920. He was the protagonist of the strip for years before the first appearance of the Popeye character in January 1929. A quick-witted yet diminutive adventurer, Castor Oyl continued to be an important character in Segar's Popeye strip, but played virtually no role in the Popeye theatrical cartoons produced first by Fleischer Studios and then by Famous Studios. His most prominent appearance in the series is as a member of Popeye's orchestra in the 1935 short "The Spinach Overture".

Castor Oyl is named after castor oil, a medicine often given to children for various ailments until the mid 20th century. His mother Nana's name derives from "banana oil," an epithet similar to "baloney." His father Cole's name derives from "coal oil," a now arcane term for kerosene.

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