By MOOK Scenic Spots Family Travel Network Editorial Team
 

Do you remember the once hugely popular cartoon “Popeye the Sailor”? Popeye’s adventures accompanied many people through their childhoods. Every time he fought his rival Bluto, as long as he gulped down a big mouthful of spinach, he’d always manage to turn danger into safety and win Olive Oyl’s heart once again. In the real world, there really is a village in Southern Europe themed around Popeye, allowing all who visit to step into the cartoon world and relive those childhood memories.

Popeye Village is located on the northwest coast of Malta, an island nation in Southern Europe. It was originally built in 1979 as a film set for the live-action movie version of “Popeye.” The construction took seven months and involved building 19 wooden houses. Since there were no forests locally, all the materials had to be imported from the Netherlands. The small village includes a barber shop, bakery, sawmill, post office, and even a cemetery. All the houses are painted in bright, vibrant colors, aiming to fully recreate the sweet and charming port village from the cartoon.