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Tintin: Kuifje Kwestion - why is Tintin not "Tintin" in Dutch?

#1 · Posted: 7 Oct 2004 16:59

Does anybody know why/ how Tintin - a name which is neither Dickensian nor linguistic in the manner of Calculus or Haddock - became Kuifje in Dutch?

Most of the other universal variants (Tim, Tin Tin, Tim tin, etc.) make an odd sort of sense, but I find Kuifje bewildering.

Cute, but bewildering.

Harrock n roll
Moderator

#2 · Posted: 7 Oct 2004 18:07

I think the name has to do with his gravity-defying hairdo - his quiff - but why Kuifje was chosen in favour of Tintin, I've no idea.

chevet
Belgium Correspondent

#3 · Posted: 7 Oct 2004 22:07

It has to do with his quiff, indeed. Kuifje means "small quiff".
I think Dutch was the first translation. After Kuifje, they probably found it better to keep his original name for other translations.

Mikael Uhlin
Member

#4 · Posted: 5 Jan 2005 15:44

Another exception is Germany, where Tintin is known as "Tim" (and Milou is "Struppi").

edcharlesadams
Trivia Challenge Score Keeper

#5 · Posted: 5 Jan 2005 17:05

According to volume 5 of Hergé: Chronologie d'une Œuvre, p.48, the name "Kuifje" was originally considered unsuitable because, despite it portraying the idea of a quiff, it had "more directly sexual connotations, particularly feminine, and not in keeping with a young readership".

I shall bear this in mind so as to avoid an embarrassing faux pas in Holland!

Ed

jock123
Moderator

#6 · Posted: 6 Jan 2005 20:17

I'd never heard that fact, Ed - I've got a Dutch friend who has never mentioned it to me: I must take it up with her!
I wonder if it is more of a Flemish thing than pure Dutch?

edcharlesadams
Trivia Challenge Score Keeper

#7 · Posted: 6 Jan 2005 22:32

Quite possibly jock123 - or it could have only been a dubious term in the 1940s, in the way quite innocent words today would have been much more suggestive then (and vice versa).

Ed

Sonya vS
Member

#8 · Posted: 21 Apr 2006 01:12

"Tintin" is a decidedly French-sounding diminutive for Valentin. In view of the language tensions often felt between Dutch- and French-speaking Belgians, it was understandable that the Flemish readers wouldn't want their hero to a have a too French-sounding name. The Dutch "Kuifje" was also kept in Afrikaans (Kuifie), where by the way Cpt Haddock has a fun name that rhymes: Kaptein Sardyn ("Captain Sardine").

bluetick
Member

#9 · Posted: 23 Jun 2015 02:04

Why is Snowy called Bobbie in dutch? Dat is die werklike geheim!

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