Ladbible X Whatsapp
  • iconNews
  • videos
  • entertainment
  • Home
  • News
    • UK News
    • US News
    • Australia
    • Ireland
    • World News
    • Weird News
    • Viral News
    • Sport
    • Technology
    • Science
    • True Crime
    • Travel
  • Entertainment
    • Celebrity
    • TV & Film
    • Netflix
    • Music
    • Gaming
    • TikTok
  • LAD Originals
    • Say Maaate to a Mate
    • Daily Ladness
    • Lad Files
    • UOKM8?
    • FreeToBe
    • Extinct
    • Citizen Reef
  • Advertise
  • Terms
  • Privacy & Cookies
  • LADbible Group
  • UNILAD
  • SPORTbible
  • GAMINGbible
  • Tyla
  • UNILAD Tech
  • FOODbible
  • License Our Content
  • About Us & Contact
  • Jobs
  • Latest
  • Topics A-Z
  • Authors
Facebook
Instagram
X
Threads
Snapchat
TikTok
YouTube

LAD Entertainment

YouTube

LAD Stories

Submit Your Content
Real-life Popeye says people ‘freeze' when they see his huge arms

Home> News

Published 14:16 16 Feb 2023 GMT

Real-life Popeye says people ‘freeze' when they see his huge arms

After getting the nickname in school, he decided to make a living out of his big biceps

The LADbible Team

The LADbible Team

A TikTok sensation owes his Popeye nickname to his colossal arms - something he says leaves strangers gawking when they meet him.

Jeff Dabe, a 59-year-old arm wrestling champion from Minnesota, US, has garnered 1.3 million followers on the platform where he regularly posts updates on his life.

Born with bulky arms, Jeff’s parents brought him to the doctors to test him for gigantism and elephantiasis, but no one could provide a scientific explanation for his huge limbs.

Since then, Jeff earned his nickname in high school and decided to make a living out of his big biceps.

Advert

Speaking with The Daily Star, he explained he’s amused at people’s reactions when they notice his arms.

“A lot of them you just kind of see them freeze up for a minute. They don’t want to talk,” he said.

After being born with bulky arms, Jeff’s parents took him to the doctors to test him for gigantism and elephantiasis as a baby.
Instagram/@jeffdabe

“I will go through a drive-through window and I go to hand them my money and they just kind of freeze up and it takes them a second and they will take the money or say something.

“It’s kind of funny. I know right away when someone notices me, you see it in their face and they can’t quite believe it at first.”

Advert

But Jeff says that he 'doesn't mind it'. However, there's some that are able to speak their mind upon meeting Jeff.

“Little kids are the ones that are the funniest. They are not shy and they come up and ask right away which I like,” he said.

"We can go somewhere and a little kid can say, ‘Oh I follow you on TikTok and this is cool I can’t believe I met you’ and they always want to compare hands and stuff.

He said people 'freeze up' when they see his arms.
Instagram/@jeffdabe

"They are so fun because they are always so bright about it, they don’t see nothing wrong with it whereas certain age people get more weirded out by it.

“Some people are afraid to talk to me at first because of my size then once they meet me… you see on the TikTok comments people say ‘I met him, he’s the nicest guy, he’s cool and doesn’t mind talking and stuff’.”

Advert

Of course, his arms also attract the odd stranger looking for trouble in a bar. Or at least, they used to.

“That used to be back in the day when I hung out in the bars,” Jeff said, adding he could immediately spot the person who would try and start a fight after having a little too much to drink.

But his bar days are behind him, and Jeff is now enjoying his quiet life as a grandpa and social media star, but he also said he has a few more years of arm wrestling competitions left in the tank.

Watch this space.

Words: Stefania Sarrubba

Featured Image Credit: Instagram/@jeffdabe

Topics: TikTok, US News

The LADbible Team
The LADbible Team

Advert

Advert

Advert

  • Twins who played Ross and Rachel's baby share life update as people can't believe what they look like now
  • Husband held his dying wife in arms after horror jet ski crash in Spain
  • People in shock as Tesla owner shares amount they saved on petrol by having electric car
  • Woman has 'real-life 127 Hours' experience after getting wedged stuck in canyon unable to move

Choose your content:

14 hours ago
15 hours ago
  • 14 hours ago

    Doctor shows how much medicine costs in the US compared to the UK and Australia with shocking results

    Not all healthcare systems were created equal

    News
  • 14 hours ago

    Grim searches prosecutors say alleged killer made before he 'poisoned wife's protein shakes'

    Jurors will also be shown a video of the two arguing shortly before her death

    News
  • 15 hours ago

    Police preparing for 'Trump visit to UK' as protesters vow an ‘even bigger’ response than last time he came

    The US president is unlikely to get a warm welcome

    News
  • 15 hours ago

    People raise concerns over worrying 'food noise' after using Mounjaro weight loss jabs

    Experts have revealed how to stop food noise with Mounjaro

    News