Tintin Forums

Hi Guys,

I am fairly new to the world of Tintin, although it has surrounded me my whole life. I am a family friend of Leslie Lonsdale-Cooper, and she is currently helping me with a little project about Tintin.

And we would like to know WHO is the BIGGEST Tintin fan... ARE YOU that fan?

Is your house littered with Tintin posters and memorabilia? Have you named your dog Snowy or your first child Milou? Can you recite each book from heart? Do you look like Tintin, dress like him?

If you fit any of these criteria, and think that you are the biggest fan, then I am genuinely looking to hear from you, and the more unusual or interesting your collection or activities the better.

It’s top secret why I am looking for the biggest fan but I can assure you that this is not a hoax and I would love to hear from you.

I would like to know who you are, where you live and I would love to see photos of your Tintin adoration to prove you are the biggest fan. This is open to all nationalities, in all countries in any language.

Update: In case you are in any way concerned I am looking to make a mockery of this subject matter, this is not the case! The research is all above board, and Moulinsart are fully aware of this project; in fact I am going to Brussels in a few weeks to discuss it with them.

I’m looking forward to your responses and finding out what constitutes a ‘true fan’.

I would now like to open up the discussion - what do you think? I look forward to your responses!

Regards,
Verity

Moderator Note: Hello and welcome, Verity! Thank you for looking to Tintinologist to help you with the research - quite a compliment!
Well, everybody - time to get your thinking caps on! What makes you the world’s most outstanding Tintin fan?

The Inquisitive Tintinologist Team

No takers so far…? I do realize it’s a big subject, so maybe we could start with some sort of break-down into areas.
There was a discussion a while back, for example, about who might have the biggest collection; that might offer a starting point for the type of thing being looked for. I know some people have collections of the albums in different languages
Then there’s memorabilia - the Leblon statues, the Atlas cars, the soft toys, and even things like the cake tins, Nutella glasses and suchlike: who has those.
Unfortunately for me, where I live is unfortunately too small to accommodate anything more than the albums and a few of the reference books on a shelf - but does anyone have their own “Maritime Gallery”, showcasing the cream of their collection?

The “biggest fan” might also include the youngest fan - anybody have to read The Shooting Star nightly to their child, or sit through The Red Sea Sharks DVD on repeat to assuage their own budding junior reporter?
Or our oldest fan - did anybody read Le Petit XXeme back in 1929, and go “WOW! That’s for me!” If that wasn’t the case, did anybody start collecting the books a long time ago, or have tales of an Uncle or Aunt who would bring them albums as presents, or even have aunties or uncles or parents who are themselves fans - perhaps the “biggest fans” are just those who span the generations?

We’ve also got the You Know You’re a Tintin Fan When… thread, which shows what some members get up to, or how they react as fans in certain situations: perhaps you could use this as an opportunity to express what makes you a fan…

I hope this sets the ball rolling, and that some interesting results ensue!

Tell me how these actually matter in comparison to knowledge for the books?

I think that more needs to be revealed about the nature of this research project before anyone "dips their toe in the water"...

I think they all matter - each person will be a fan in their own way; we have people on here who haven’t had the opportunity to read all the books, for whatever reason, but I wouldn’t want to say that they aren’t truly dedicated big fans. There’s quality as well as quantity.

As a hypothetical - imagine someone who had only ever read The Calculus Affair, but had loved it so much that they had tracked down the exact models of cars shown and had their picture taken with one of each, then visited all the locations: they’d be a big fan to me.


Fair enough - what more would you like Verity to tell you? Why not ask her? I’m sure if she is able, she will answer your questions - although there may be limits to what she can say.

I’d kick things off myself, but really, apart from the books I don’t collect anything; I’ve a few reference books, a few foreign editions, some exhibition posters bought as souvenirs, a 10cm rocket, and a plaster copy of fetish from the museum in Brussels. Not very exciting, I’m afraid. I know the books fairly well, but still have to go and look things up, and as has often been demonstrated here, I often mis-remember things! Oh, and I’ve never dressed up as Tintin!

Hi Guys,

Thank-you for contributing to this discussion, you are all raising very interesting points! I am discovering that ‘fans’ can be all sorts of people, from those who collect the books to others that collect memorabilia. I love the forum 'You Know You’re a Tintin Fan When'.. it is very revealing.

Perhaps I am actually searching for the person with the biggest collection. That would certainly be worth looking at!

Many Thanks
Verity

The most extensive collections will be found in Belgium and France and I expect that the collectors, in spite of their pride, may be reticent when it comes to disclosing specifics.

The largest collection ever - and it would be impossible to equal it given the number of "one-off" items it contained - belonged to Stephane Steeman. A glimpse is provided in the book/exhibition catalogue "Tout Herge" published by Casterman (you should be able to locate a copy on e-bay).

However, the greater part of his collection was sold off some time ago and his relationship with the world of Tintin has become somewhat tense of late. Still, it might be worth trying to get in touch with him.

I think that probably a lot of people (including myself) are kind of afraid to speak up and claim that they are the biggest fans. I do indeed have all of the books, several facsimile editions,informational books and all the episodes on DVD, but I don't think that I am the biggest fan.

I certainly wouldn’t claim to be the biggest fan, but if it is of interest I have albums in 55 languages (23 of those are European minority languages and dialects such as Wallon, Twents, Picard, Provencal etc). I have 125 albums in total.

I have all Michael Farr’s books and all are signed by him, various posters from Tintin events, various dvds including Oranges Bleu, Toisin d’Or and Tintin et Moi in French plus numerous nicnacs ranging from T-shirts to biscuit tins picked up over the years.

I don't think you really have to have all the books to be the biggest fan, maybe read them all. I know I've probably read almost all of them, need to get my hands on a copy of the very first [Land of the Soviets] and an english version of Congo [think I have it in French or Spanish can't remember off hand].

I'm trying to get hold of all the books, but funds are tight. I also wish I could have all the merchandise, but again do not have the funds.

I do however have some books, including Micheal Farrs' ones. And always have to have my 'I love Tintin' mug to drink my tea from. I came close to stealing a Tintin biscuit tin from a holiday home once too, sad to say, heh.

I too have al the episodes on DVD and both live action films [Golden Fleece and Blue Oranges] on DVD and various postcards, a bag with Tintin in a kilt from Black Island and a baseball cap that I've had for a while.