Please note Hergé spelled the name as Tintin, not Tin Tin.
This is not a history of Tintin, nor a timeline, bibliography, or a biography of Hergé, just my HTML appreciation of a character I have known and loved since I was 5 years old, and all of his attendant characters, places and adventures. Tintin, for those of you who don’t know him, is a reporter who did live at 26, Labrador Road, Marlinspike, Marlinshire, land-lorded by Mrs Finch. He moved into Marlinspike Hall with Captain Haddock at the end of The Secret of the Unicorn and has dwelt there ever since. Chances are, if you visit Marlinspike one day, I’m sure Cutts the Butcher will point you in the direction of the Hall.
I don’t know Tintin’s age. Like all great characters, he is timeless, as are the people he knows and the settings he chooses his adventures in…some are prosaic in their setting such as The Castafiore Emerald where he never leaves home at all, to the moon itself in Explorers on the Moon. Yet, as most people would agree, words like anacoluthon or cercopithecus have entered more common use due to his ever-present whisky-swilling companion, Captain Archibald Haddock of the Merchant Navy.
I don’t know Capt. Haddock’s age either, who does? He’s immortal…sempiternal and destined to remain in our hearts forever, watching Professor Calculus’ Super Calcu-Colour television or pitting his wits against insurance salesman Jolyon Wagg, he with his anecdotes of Uncle Anatole. Tintin possibly has his ear to the ground, wondering what Dawson is doing, or what devilish schemes Rastapopoulos is devising, or perhaps Chang is in town and the two are off to the movies. Professor Calculus? Well, to hazard a guess, maybe his “Bianca” breed of rose is now world famous and he’s a celebrity at the Chelsea Flower Show…
Sprodj!
…or Syldavia has contacted him to do research on a Mars rocket this time! Ah! Who’s that in their fabric topped Citroen 2CV? Oh, no, it’s Thomson and Thompson…detectives at large to be sure! What skullduggery have they unearthed? Another fragment of a crab tin? The Syldavian underworld acting suspicious down at the “Klow”? Or has Rostov or Dr. MĂĽller escaped from prison? Maybe there is more opium is those rotten cigars…chances are they have just collided with the car parked in front of them…dear oh dear! Who’s just put explosive powder in Capt. Haddock’s pipe? Abdullah! No, does this mean his father is in trouble in Khemed again? Is that vile sheik Bab El Ehr up to his tricks? There could be trouble at Wadesdah airport again sometime soon. Let’s hope poor Nestor doesn’t lose his wits with Abdullah…
Colonel Sponsz …yes, that’s General Alcazar on the phone to Tintin. Seems like Carnaval is on again and the Jolly Follies have been invited to perform in San Theodoros. Snowy! Leave that cat alone! You never win! Another call…Ranko the gorilla is doing fine in London Zoo, he’s happy and he’s a big attraction with the children…a telegram? Nestor, who is it from? Loch Lomond is a superb whisky, I must say, even Snowy likes it…the telegram, Nestor! Ten thousand thundering typhoons! Castafiore! Catastrafiore! Bianca is coming to stay again with Irma and Wagner in tow…more scales on the piano…hope that magpie isn’t in his tree again! Who’s at the door now? Ah Mik Kanrokitoff, author of Space Week, calling on in on a break in his lecture tour…Capt. Haddock is packing in bags to leave! Good thing that step has been fixed…
…Piotr Skut has written to Tintin from Estonia 🇪🇪. Everything is fine over there; he has a job with a charter plane company and will call in on the Hall soon, he mentioned he saw Socrates Sarcophagus in India a little while ago…Tintin laughs as he remembers that distinguished Egyptologist…Kih-Oskh was such an elusive Pharaoh, wasn’t he? Tintin got a letter in the mail today from Lisbon…ah, Senhor Oliveira de Figueira, what a lovely fellow…no, things aren’t so great in Khemed after all, so the dear Senhor gave it up and went home…shame that. Where’s Capt. Haddock off to? Ah, to the docks, perhaps Capt. Chester has a sea voyage in mind for the two of them…great, he hasn’t fallen on the steps…but Bianca will miss him so much! She knows he adores the “Jewel Song” and Iago the parrot…so goes life in Marlinspike! Never a dull moment!
In short, seek Tintin out at your local library or find out more about him online! Buy his books! I adore Tintin, and I hope if you have never heard of him, you learn and then you will fall under the marvellous spell Hergé has woven over the course of 50 plus years with this character, his friends and their adventures…
You infernal impersonations of abominable snowmen!