Famed cartoon character Tintin turns 75

Evergreen Tintin (C) with his all-time companion dog Snowy and comical Captain Haddock

Reflecting his appeal in both countries, two papers in Belgium was fully illustrated with Tintin cartoons yesterday and in France, Le Figaro is to publish a special 114-page paper with 250 illustrations.

'Don't forget Tintin was a journalist,' said Ivo Vandekerckhove, chief editor of Het Belang van Limburg. 'He was born in a newspaper, so he is made for the paper.'

Tintin first appeared in the Brussels Le XXme Siecle newspaper on January 10, 1929. His 23 adventures have sold over 200 million of copies worldwide and have been translated into 55 languages. It's not surprising that anniversary celebrations will spill beyond Belgium, with exhibitions planned in countries including the Netherlands, Britain and Spain.

In Brussels, an exhibition and tour will visit some of the Tintin scenery and the home where cartoon artist Herge was born as Georges Remi in 1907. He died in 1983, meaning Tintin will get older than his creator this year.

From Belgium, Tintin first went to 'the Land of the Soviets' to put the dastardly Communists in their place. Then he helped spread colonialism in the Belgian-Congo before trekking to the capital of crime, Chicago. Before World War II, he added Egypt, India and China, where the classic The Blue Lotus is set.

'Tintin is a very important person for Belgium,' said Finance Minister Didier Reynders, 'not only in Belgium, but across the world.'

The books also have a political quality beyond the endless debate about Herge's relations with German occupiers during World War II.

No new adventures have been published since Herge's death 20 years, but Tintin hardly disappeared. His face now appears on everything from watches to mugs to T-shirts.