By 2007, a century after Hergé's birth in 1907, Tintin had been published in more than 70 languages with sales of more than 200 million copies, and had been adapted for radio, television, theatre and film. The series first appeared in French on 10 January 1929, in Le Petit Vingtième (The Little Twentieth), a youth supplement to the Belgian newspaper Le Vingtième Siècle (The Twentieth Century).
From July 1926, he had written a strip about a Boy Scout patrol leader titled Les Aventures de Totor C.P.
By 2007, a century after Hergé's birth in 1907, Tintin had been published in more than 70 languages with sales of more than 200 million copies, and had been adapted for radio, television, theatre and film. The series first appeared in French on 10 January 1929, in Le Petit Vingtième (The Little Twentieth), a youth supplement to the Belgian newspaper Le Vingtième Siècle (The Twentieth Century).
Its well-researched plots straddle the action-adventure and mystery genres and draw upon themes of politics, history and technology, offset by moments of slapstick comedy. == History == ===Le Vingtième Siècle: 1929–1939=== Georges Prosper Remi, best known under the pen name Hergé, was employed as an illustrator at Le Vingtième Siècle (The Twentieth Century), a staunchly Roman Catholic, conservative Belgian newspaper based in Hergé's native Brussels.
The result, Tintin in the Land of the Soviets, was serialised in Le Petit Vingtième from January 1929 to May 1930.
The result, Tintin in the Land of the Soviets, was serialised in Le Petit Vingtième from January 1929 to May 1930.
The Adventures of Tintin had been syndicated to a Catholic magazine named Cœurs Vaillants (Brave Hearts) since 1930, and Hergé was soon receiving syndication requests from Swiss and Portuguese newspapers, too. Hergé wrote a string of Adventures of Tintin, sending his character to real locations such as the Belgian Congo, United States, Egypt, India, Tibet, China, and the United Kingdom.
He also sent Tintin to fictional countries of his own devising, such as the Latin American republic of San Theodoros, the East European kingdom of Syldavia, or the fascist state of Borduria—whose leader, Müsstler, was a combination of Nazi German leader Adolf Hitler and Italian Fascist leader Benito Mussolini. ===Le Soir: 1940–1945=== In May 1940, Nazi Germany invaded Belgium as World War II spread further across Europe.
On 17 October 1940, he was made editor of the children's supplement, Le Soir Jeunesse, in which he set about producing new Tintin adventures.
As Harry Thompson noted, Tintin's role as a reporter came to an end, to be replaced by his new role as an explorer. ===Le Journal de Tintin: 1946–1983=== In September 1944, the Allies entered Brussels and Hergé's German employers fled.
In 2007, on Hergé's centenary, Belgium issued its €20 (silver) Hergé/Tintin coin. === Parody and pastiche === During Hergé's lifetime, parodies were produced of the Adventures of Tintin, with one of the earliest appearing in Belgian newspaper La Patrie after the liberation of the country from Nazi German occupation in September 1944.
As Harry Thompson noted, Tintin's role as a reporter came to an end, to be replaced by his new role as an explorer. ===Le Journal de Tintin: 1946–1983=== In September 1944, the Allies entered Brussels and Hergé's German employers fled.
Hergé redrew this in 1946 to show a lesson in mathematics.
In 1950, Hergé created Studios Hergé, which produced the canonical versions of 11 Tintin albums. The series is set during a largely realistic 20th century.
, Egmont publishes Tintin books in the United Kingdom and elsewhere. ===American=== The Tintin books have had relatively limited popularity in the United States. The works were first adapted for the American English market by Golden Books, a branch of the Western Publishing Company in the 1950s.
Mills attributed to an attempt to portray "Incas in awe of a latter-day 'Connecticut Yankee'". == Translation into English == ===British=== Tintin first appeared in English in the weekly British children's comic Eagle in 1951 with the story King Ottokar's Sceptre.
Snowy was called by his French name "Milou". The process of translating Tintin into British English was then commissioned in 1958 by Methuen, Hergé's British publishers.
The resulting album is the dramatically updated and redrawn 1966 version that is the most commonly available today.
The edited albums later had their blanked areas redrawn by Hergé to be more acceptable, and they currently appear this way in published editions around the world. From 1966 to 1979, Children's Digest included monthly instalments of The Adventures of Tintin.
These serialisations served to increase Tintin's popularity, introducing him to many thousands of new readers in the United States. Atlantic Monthly Press, in cooperation with Little, Brown and Company beginning in the 1970s, republished the albums based on the British translations.
The scripts of the plays are unfortunately lost. In the late 1970s and early 1980s, two Tintin plays were produced at the Arts Theatre in the West End of London, adapted by Geoffrey Case for the Unicorn Theatre Company.
The movie received positive reviews and was a box office success. === Documentaries === I, Tintin (Moi, Tintin) (1976) was produced by Belvision Studios and Pierre Film. Tintin and I (Tintin et moi) (2003), a documentary film directed by Anders Høgsbro Østergaard and co-produced by companies from Denmark, Belgium, France, and Switzerland, was based on a taped interview with Hergé by Numa Sadoul from 1971.
In a number of cases, the actual name "Tintin" is replaced by something similar, like Nitnit, Timtim, or Quinquin, within these books. McCarthy's first group, pornographic parodies, includes 1976's Tintin en Suisse ("Tintin in Switzerland") and Jan Bucquoy's 1992 work La Vie Sexuelle de Tintin ("Tintin's Sex Life"), featuring Tintin and the other characters engaged in sexual acts.
The edited albums later had their blanked areas redrawn by Hergé to be more acceptable, and they currently appear this way in published editions around the world. From 1966 to 1979, Children's Digest included monthly instalments of The Adventures of Tintin.
The scripts of the plays are unfortunately lost. In the late 1970s and early 1980s, two Tintin plays were produced at the Arts Theatre in the West End of London, adapted by Geoffrey Case for the Unicorn Theatre Company.
Written by the pseudonymous Jack Daniels, Breaking Free (1989) is a revolutionary socialist comic set in Britain during the 1980s, with Tintin and his uncle (modelled after Captain Haddock) being working class Englishmen who turn to socialism in order to oppose the capitalist policies of the Conservative Party government of Margaret Thatcher.
In 1983, French author Benoît Peeters released Le Monde d'Hergé, subsequently published in English as Tintin and the World of Hergé in 1988.
After Hergé's death in 1983, the Hergé Foundation and Moulinsart, the foundation's commercial and copyright wing, became responsible for authorising adaptations and exhibitions. === Television and radio === Two animated television adaptations and one radio adaptation have been made. Hergé's Adventures of Tintin (Les aventures de Tintin d'après Hergé) (1957) was the first production of Belvision Studios.
Others have taken a different attitude, considering such parodies and pastiches to be tributes to Hergé, and collecting them has become a "niche specialty". === Exhibitions === After Hergé's death in 1983, his art began to be honoured at exhibitions around the world, keeping Tintin awareness at a high level. The first major Tintin exhibition in London was Tintin: 60 years of Adventure, held in 1989 at the Town Hall in Chelsea.
In 1984, Jean-Marie Apostolidès published his study of the Adventures of Tintin from a more "adult" perspective as Les Métamorphoses de Tintin, published in English as The Metamorphoses of Tintin, or Tintin for Adults in 2010.
The first shop was launched in 1984 in Covent Garden, London.
In 1986, a 24th unfinished album was released, the studios were disbanded, and the assets were transferred to the Hergé Foundation. == Characters == === Tintin and Snowy === Tintin is a young Belgian reporter and adventurer who becomes involved in dangerous cases in which he takes heroic action to save the day.
The Swiss artist Exem created the irreverent comic adventures of Zinzin, what The Guardian calls "the most beautifully produced of the pastiches." Similarly, Canadian cartoonist Yves Rodier has produced a number of Tintin works, none of which have been authorised by the Hergé Foundation, including a 1986 "completion" of the unfinished Tintin and Alph-art, which he drew in Hergé's ligne claire style. The response to these parodies has been mixed in the Tintinological community.
Belgian author Philippe Goddin has written Hergé et Tintin reporters: Du Petit Vingtième au Journal Tintin (1986, later republished in English as Hergé and Tintin Reporters: From "Le Petit Vingtième" to "Tintin" Magazine in 1987) and Hergé et les Bigotudos (1993) amongst other books on the series.
In 1983, French author Benoît Peeters released Le Monde d'Hergé, subsequently published in English as Tintin and the World of Hergé in 1988.
Sue Buswell, who was the editor of Tintin at Methuen, summarised the perceived problems with the book in 1988 as "all to do with rubbery lips and heaps of dead animals", although Thompson noted her quote may have been "taken out of context". Drawing on André Maurois' Les Silences du colonel Bramble, Hergé presents Tintin as a big-game hunter, accidentally killing fifteen antelope as opposed to the one needed for the evening meal.
Others have taken a different attitude, considering such parodies and pastiches to be tributes to Hergé, and collecting them has become a "niche specialty". === Exhibitions === After Hergé's death in 1983, his art began to be honoured at exhibitions around the world, keeping Tintin awareness at a high level. The first major Tintin exhibition in London was Tintin: 60 years of Adventure, held in 1989 at the Town Hall in Chelsea.
Following Apostolidès's work, French psychoanalyst Serge Tisseron examined the series in his books Tintin et les Secrets de Famille ("Tintin and the Family Secrets"), which was published in 1990, and Tintin et le Secret d'Hergé ("Tintin and Hergé's Secret"), published in 1993. The first English-language work of literary criticism devoted to the series was Tintin and the Secret of Literature, written by the novelist Tom McCarthy and published in 2006.
However, the Foundation has been criticised by scholars as "trivialising the work of Hergé by concentrating on the more lucrative merchandising" in the wake of a move in the late 1990s to charge them for using relevant images to illustrate their papers on the series. Tintin memorabilia and merchandise has allowed a chain of stores based solely on the character to become viable.
In a number of cases, the actual name "Tintin" is replaced by something similar, like Nitnit, Timtim, or Quinquin, within these books. McCarthy's first group, pornographic parodies, includes 1976's Tintin en Suisse ("Tintin in Switzerland") and Jan Bucquoy's 1992 work La Vie Sexuelle de Tintin ("Tintin's Sex Life"), featuring Tintin and the other characters engaged in sexual acts.
Following Apostolidès's work, French psychoanalyst Serge Tisseron examined the series in his books Tintin et les Secrets de Famille ("Tintin and the Family Secrets"), which was published in 1990, and Tintin et le Secret d'Hergé ("Tintin and Hergé's Secret"), published in 1993. The first English-language work of literary criticism devoted to the series was Tintin and the Secret of Literature, written by the novelist Tom McCarthy and published in 2006.
In 1999 the issue of Tintin's politics was the subject of a debate in the French parliament; this event prompted the British weekly newspaper The Economist to publish an editorial on the matter. Tintin in the Congo has been criticised as presenting the Africans as naïve and primitive.
The book began circulating in December 1999, but in 2001, Belgian police arrested those responsible and confiscated 650 copies for copyright violation. Other parodies have been produced for political reasons: for instance, Tintin in Iraq lampoons the world politics of the early 21st century, with Hergé's character General Alcazar representing President of the United States George W.
In the early 2000s, Tintin's English publishers Egmont discontinued publishing books featuring Hyslop's handwritten lettering, instead publishing books with text created with digital fonts.
In 2001, the Hergé Foundation demanded the recall of the Chinese translation of the work, which had been released with the title Tintin in Chinese Tibet.
These were Tintin's Great American Adventure, based on the comic Tintin in America (1976–1977) and Tintin and the Black Island, based on The Black Island (1980–81); this second play later toured. A musical based on The Seven Crystal Balls and Prisoners of the Sun premièred on 15 September 2001 at the Stadsschouwburg (City Theatre) in Antwerp, Belgium.
The book began circulating in December 1999, but in 2001, Belgian police arrested those responsible and confiscated 650 copies for copyright violation. Other parodies have been produced for political reasons: for instance, Tintin in Iraq lampoons the world politics of the early 21st century, with Hergé's character General Alcazar representing President of the United States George W.
It was entitled Kuifje – De Zonnetempel (De Musical) ("Tintin – Temple of the Sun (The Musical)") and was broadcast on Canal Plus, before moving on to Charleroi in 2002 as Tintin – Le Temple du Soleil – Le Spectacle Musical. The Young Vic theatre company in London ran Hergé's Adventures of Tintin, a musical version of Tintin in Tibet, at the Barbican Arts Centre (2005–2006); the production was directed by Rufus Norris and was adapted by Norris and David Greig.
Speaking in 2002, Peter Horemans, the then director general at Moulinsart, noted this control: "We have to be very protective of the property.
It quickly sold out. In 2004, Belgium minted a limited edition commemorative euro coin featuring Tintin and Snowy celebrating the 75th anniversary of Tintin's first adventure in January 2004.
This change was instigated by publisher Casterman and Hergé's estate managers Moulinsart, who decided to replace localised hand-lettering with a single computerised font for all Tintin titles worldwide. == Reception == === Awards === On 1 June 2006, the Dalai Lama bestowed the International Campaign for Tibet's Light of Truth Award upon the Hergé Foundation, along with South African Archbishop Desmond Tutu.
Following Apostolidès's work, French psychoanalyst Serge Tisseron examined the series in his books Tintin et les Secrets de Famille ("Tintin and the Family Secrets"), which was published in 1990, and Tintin et le Secret d'Hergé ("Tintin and Hergé's Secret"), published in 1993. The first English-language work of literary criticism devoted to the series was Tintin and the Secret of Literature, written by the novelist Tom McCarthy and published in 2006.
It was broadcast in the United States on the PBS network on 11 July 2006. Sur les traces de Tintin (On the trail of Tintin) (2010) was a five-part documentary television series which recaps several albums of the book series by combining comic panels (motionless or otherwise) with live-action imagery, with commentary provided. === Theatre === Hergé himself helped to create two stage plays, collaborating with humourist Jacques Van Melkebeke.
The exhibition, which ran from 20 December 2006 until 19 February 2007, featured some 300 of Hergé's boards and original drawings, including all 124 original plates of The Blue Lotus. Laurent le Bon, organiser of the exhibit said: "It was important for the Centre to show the work of Hergé next to that of Matisse or Picasso".
By 2007, a century after Hergé's birth in 1907, Tintin had been published in more than 70 languages with sales of more than 200 million copies, and had been adapted for radio, television, theatre and film. The series first appeared in French on 10 January 1929, in Le Petit Vingtième (The Little Twentieth), a youth supplement to the Belgian newspaper Le Vingtième Siècle (The Twentieth Century).
In 2007, the UK's Commission for Racial Equality called for the book to be pulled from shelves after a complaint, stating: "It beggars belief that in this day and age that any shop would think it acceptable to sell and display Tintin in the Congo".
In August 2007, a Congolese student filed a complaint in Brussels that the book was an insult to the Congolese people.
In 2007, on Hergé's centenary, Belgium issued its €20 (silver) Hergé/Tintin coin. === Parody and pastiche === During Hergé's lifetime, parodies were produced of the Adventures of Tintin, with one of the earliest appearing in Belgian newspaper La Patrie after the liberation of the country from Nazi German occupation in September 1944.
The exhibition, which ran from 20 December 2006 until 19 February 2007, featured some 300 of Hergé's boards and original drawings, including all 124 original plates of The Blue Lotus. Laurent le Bon, organiser of the exhibit said: "It was important for the Centre to show the work of Hergé next to that of Matisse or Picasso".
In 1984, Jean-Marie Apostolidès published his study of the Adventures of Tintin from a more "adult" perspective as Les Métamorphoses de Tintin, published in English as The Metamorphoses of Tintin, or Tintin for Adults in 2010.
In 2014, a Tintin shop opened in Taguig, the Philippines, only the second of its kind in Southeast Asia.
In 2020 a match-3 mobile game called Tintin Match, was released by 5th planet games. === Memorabilia and merchandise === Images from the series have long been licensed for use on merchandise, the success of Tintin magazine helping to create a market for such items.
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