Poopdeck Pappy made his first animated appearance in the "Popeye the Sailor" short "Goonland" (1938). In this cartoon, it is revealed that Popeye has a long-lost father, not seen since infancy, who is being held captive in the bizarre realm of Goon Island. When he goes to rescue the "ol' goat" in the Goon prison, his father refuses to acknowledge Popeye as his son, but when Popeye is himself captured by the Goons, Pappy eats Popeye's mislaid can of spinach to rescue his only child. In the mêlée that ensues, the filmstrip is supposedly broken and the projectionist must safety pin it back together to finish the cartoon.