A photo from June 1979 has resurfaced, showing the construction of Popeye Village in Mellieħa, from this same month 45 years ago. A construction crew of 165 worked for four months to build the village, which consists of nineteen wooden buildings.

The village was built in Anchor Bay to act as backdrop to Robert Altman’s film ‘Popeye’, based on E. C. Segar's Popeye comics character and the well-known animated series that goes by the same name. The film stars Robin Williams as Popeye the Sailor Man and Shelley Duvall as Olive Oyl.

In addition to the village itself, a 60–75 m breakwater was built around Anchor Bay's mouth to protect the set from high seas during the filming.

However, the breakwater couldn’t protect Popeye Village from Cyclone Helios in February 2023, during which a large boulder was dislodged from a cliff overlooking the village, causing significant damage to certain parts of the film set structures, however luckily leaving no casualties as the attraction had been closed due to the storm. The village was closed while the extent of the damage was assessed and repairs were carried out to prevent further danger. The location reopened on June 3, 2023.

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A visit to Popeye Village provides a slice of fictional life from Popeye’s world, and can still be enjoyed today.

Have you ever visited Popeye Village?