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How many different decks of Tintin playing cards are there?

Heather
Member
#1 · Posted: 2 Nov 2006 11:32
Can anyone tell me how many different decks of playing cards there are featuring Tintin?
snowybella
Member
#2 · Posted: 29 Oct 2018 05:43
Rather late, but still...

In the Tintin Boutique, they sell three varieties of playing cards (two memory games and one "regular", see my thread about them here), and apparently, at one point, a "Happy Families" set in French. I've also seen a picture of the back of what looks like a playing card with lots of Snowys on it, too, which possibly could be the "Happy Families" set.
jock123
Moderator
#3 · Posted: 30 Oct 2018 00:07
Good work!

I think - just to aid identification and discussion - a little description might be helpful! I've also added a few more card sets.

Orange memory game set [Moulinsart]: a pairs matching game, with pictorial cards on one face, and reddish orange backs, showing a close-up of Tintin's face in orange outline. The box shows two of the cards, face up, and one, face down, and is orange and red.

Blue memory game set [Moulinsart]: a pairs matching game, with pictorial cards on one face, and blue backs, showing a close-up of Tintin's face in turquoise outline. The box shows two of the cards, face up, and one, face down, and is turquoise and blue.

"Tintin Family" playing cards [Moulinsart]: a pack of 52 playing cards in the standard four suits, decorated with pictures of the main characters from the books; with blue backs, showing Haddock and Tintin in turquoise outline.

"Tintin Cars" playing cards [Moulinsart]: a pack of 52 playing cards in the standard four suits, decorated with pictures of cars from the books; with turquoise backs, showing Tintin driving the "transformed" long-haired Thom(p)sons in blue outline.

"Tintin: Jeux de Familles/ Happy Families 1" [Moulinsart]: Card game in which players have to collect the members of different famillies (denoted by a number/ letter code); box is basically blue, with a colour image of Tintin carrying Snowy.

"Tintin: Jeux de Familles/ Happy Families 2" [Moulinsart]: Card game in which players have to collect the members of different famillies (denoted by a number/ letter code); box is basically orange, with a colour image of Tintin, Haddock, Snowy and Abdallah.

"Les Voitures de Tintin" Collection [Atlas]: Given as a gift to subscribers to the Atlas Tintin model car collection, this was a flip-topped boxed set of two packs of regular playing cards of four suits, decorated with series characters; one pack had red backs, one had blue backs, and each show selections from the character vignettes used as the end-papers of albums prior to the picture gallery. The box is blue, with a colour picture of Tintin and Snowy, and the collection's logo.

Rombaldi-Casterman playing cards: Given to subscribers to the Rombaldi collection of bound albums. Similar to the above in that it has character decorations on the face, and a red back using end-paper vignettes; the most obvious difference is that this card back has a white border, and the words "Casterman-Rombaldi" printed along each long edge.

Mille Bornes Tintin [Éditions Dujardin]: The popular card game given a Tintin makeover, to include images of characters from the series. Available in the "Express" version, where the box is orange and red, showing colour pictures of Tintin, and the name Tintin in white on a red band; and the "deluxe" version with gold edged cards in a red souvenir tin, with a dealing shoe to hold them, accompanied by a copy of the Tintin, Hergé et les Autos book.
snowybella
Member
#4 · Posted: 30 Oct 2018 02:24
jock123:
"Tintin Family" playing cards [Moulinsart]: a pack of 52 playing cards in the standard four suits, decorated with pictures of the main characters from the books; with blue backs, showing Haddock and Tintin in turquoise outline.

And I thought that this (the one I have) was the Happy Families edition! By the way, you've got the description right, but for more clarification - the front of the box shows a frame from The Seven Crystal Balls when Calculus bumps into Haddock, and the back shows three frames after that (Tintin leading to way to Calculus' room); this is also on the back of the cards, but in blue.

jock123:
"Tintin: Jeux de Familles/ Happy Families 2" [Moulinsart]: Card game in which players have to collect the members of seven different famillies (denoted by a letter code); box is basically

What happened to the rest of this description?
jock123
Moderator
#5 · Posted: 30 Oct 2018 14:05
snowybella:
What happened to the rest of this description?

Gremlins ate it...! ;-)
I've edited it back in now - thanks for pointing it out! :-)

snowybella:
And I thought that this (the one I have) was the Happy Families edition!

Confusing, isn't it? Happy Families seems to have been a popular choice for Tintin cards games, as there are many different sets, and I am having a bit of a time sorting one from the other as I research them - anyone who has further detail please pitch in! - but this is what I have found so far (in addition to the earlier post)...

7 Familles Tintin/ Happy Families (Willeb-Lombard, 1977): Happy families game, in which the "families" are taken from a different album for each set; a further nice feature is that the background art on each card (adapted from the book in question) is made so that complete families form a whole picture. Perhaps unusually, in addition to the title of the album for each family appearing at the top of the card, the bottom shows the name of the family member you might find in a standard pack (fils/ son, fille/ daughter, père/ father) regardless of the age or gender of the Hergé character shown on the card. Box is white with red edges, and shows Tintin on one side (the "suitcase and macintosh" picture used on the Tintin magazine masthead for many years), and Captain Haddock on the other. The name Willeb, and a blue and red cockerel logo is prominent next to the figures.

7 Familles Tintin/ Happy Families (Hemma-Lombard, 1979?): As above, but the box now shows a "Hemma" logo where it previously said "Willeb"

Jeu de 7 Familles/ Happy Families (Hemma-Lombard, 1984) A new set of images is used from the previous Hemma set, and the cards have nice colour character scenes from the books for the families. The box cover is basically blue, with a picture of Tintin in his climbing gear from Tintin in Tibet, also used on one of the cards.

Jeu des sept familles Tintin (Cheques Tintin, 1962): Happy families game, promoted by the "Cheques Tintin" trading stamps scheme. The "families" are taken from a different album for each set; cards show colour pictures of individual characters on plain white backgrounds; each family of six contains Tintin, Milou (Snowy), Haddock, Tournesol (Calculus), Dupond (Thompson) and Dupont (Thomson), which in addition to the main picture is indicated by a small portrait on the top left corner. Dupond and Dupont are distinguished even further by the letter "D" or "T" under their corner portrait - but they have been misidentified so the "D" is under Dupont/ Thomson. The box is white and orange, with a white oval bearing the name, surrounded by the corner portraits in colour. The back of the box has an advert with the names of companies participating in the scheme, and their products. The back of the cards have at least one which is white, with a pattern of radiating lines, with small images of some "Cheques Tintin" stamps in the middle, in greenish-blue - possibly the rules, or an advert? - and the rest have a red centre with a head and shoulders portrait of Tintin and Snowy in white, surrounded by a white border, with the other characters' corner portraits in red outline.

I have also seen pictures of further sets online, with blue backs, showing a head and shoulders portrait of Tintin and Snowy, and bearing the name of a company, which appear to have been advertising promotions. I have seen packs given away by Chambourcy and Nesquik, and there may be more. Cards faces are dark blue, with the name of an album at the top, a picture of a character in the middle, and the names of four characters (presumably denoting the members of that "family" at the bottom. I've not seen a box for these yet.

I've also seen a Willeb set in a box with a cut out window in it so that you can see the cards inside, but I don't know where this fits in.

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