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The Smurfs
''The Smurfs'' (french: Les Schtroumpfs; nl, De Smurfen) is a Belgium, Belgian comic franchise centered on a fictional colony of small, blue, humanoid creatures who live in mushroom-shaped houses in the forest. ''The Smurfs'' was created and introduced as a series of comic characters by the Belgian comics artist Peyo (the pen name of Pierre Culliford) in 1958, wherein they were known as ''Les Schtroumpfs''. There are more than 100 Smurf characters, and their names are based on adjectives that emphasise their characteristics, such as "Jokey Smurf", who likes to play practical jokes on his fellow Smurfs. "Smurfette" was the first female Smurf to be introduced in the series. The Smurfs wear Phrygian caps, which came to represent freedom during the modern era. The word "smurf" is the original Dutch translation of the French "schtroumpf", which, according to Peyo, is a word he invented during a meal with fellow cartoonist André Franquin when he could not remember the word ''salt'' ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Peyo
Pierre Culliford (; 25 June 1928 – 24 December 1992) was a Belgian comics writer and artist who worked under the pseudonym Peyo (). His best-known works are the comic book series ''The Smurfs'' and '' Johan and Peewit'', the latter in which the Smurfs first appeared. Biography Culliford was born in 1928 in the Belgian municipality Schaerbeek, and was the son of an English father and a Belgian mother.De Weyer, Geert (2005). "Peyo". In België gestript, pp. 148–149. Tielt: Lannoo. In 1952, Culliford married Nine Culliford. They have two children: Véronique and Thierry. Career Culliford took on the name "Peyo" early in his professional career, based on an English cousin's mispronunciation of Pierrot (a diminutive form of Pierre). After working briefly at the Compagnie Belge d'Actualités (CBA), a small and short-lived Belgian animation studio, Peyo began making comic strips for daily newspapers such as ''Le Soir'' shortly after World War II. At the beginning of the ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
André Franquin
André Franquin (; 3 January 1924 – 5 January 1997) was an influential Belgian comics artist, whose best-known creations are '' Gaston'' and ''Marsupilami''. He also produced the ''Spirou et Fantasio'' comic strip from 1946 to 1968, a period seen by many as the series' golden age. Biography Franquin's beginnings Franquin was born in Etterbeek in 1924.De Weyer, Geert (2005). "André Franquin". In België gestript, pp. 113-115. Tielt: Lannoo. Although he started drawing at an early age, Franquin got his first actual drawing lessons at '' École Saint-Luc'' in 1943. A year later however, the school was forced to close down because of the war and Franquin was then hired by Compagnie belge d'actualités (CBA), a short-lived animation studio in Brussels. It is there he met some of his future colleagues: Maurice de Bevere (Morris, creator of ''Lucky Luke''), Pierre Culliford (Peyo, creator of the ''Smurfs''), and Eddy Paape. Three of them (minus Peyo) were hired by Dupuis in 1945, ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
The Smurfs And The Magic Flute
''The Smurfs and the Magic Flute'' (french: La Flûte à six schtroumpfs, lit. ''The Flute of Six Smurfs'') is a 1976 Belgian animated film starring the Smurfs, directed by their creator, Peyo. Although the film premiered in 1976 in Belgium, it was not released in the United Kingdom until 1979, and in the United States until 1983, in the wake of the characters' newfound popularity. Although the Smurfs play a major part, they do not appear until 35 minutes into the film. It is set in the Middle Ages and mainly concerns Johan and Peewit, a young squire and his jester sidekick. Johan and Peewit were created by Peyo in 1952 and it was in their adventures that the Smurfs were first introduced in 1958. The film was not produced by Hanna-Barbera, the creators of ''The Smurfs'' television series, but by Brussels' Belvision Studios and Éditions Dupuis. The voice talent from that show was not present in either English version. Instead, the work was handled by a non-union crew whose me ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
The China Post
''The China Post'' () was an English-language newspapers published in Taiwan (officially the Republic of China), alongside the ''Taipei Times'' and the ''Taiwan News''. ''The China Post'' was established by Mr. and Mrs. Y. P. Huang in 1952. In April 2017, ''The China Post'' announced that the print edition of the publication would end, though the website and mobile application would remain active. In October 2017, the original China Post website was discontinued and merged with news agency NOWnews. The China Post, however, is still a member of Asia News Network. Now, it often translates articles from Chinese into English and continues to produce bilingual content. Digging back to its roots, it has also begun to write more original articles. These include opinion articles and analysis articles on a variety of local and international topics. In 2021, the China Post website was discontinued. ''The Sunday Post'' ''The Sunday Post'' was the Sunday edition of ''The China Post'' ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Agence France-Presse
Agence France-Presse (AFP) is a French international news agency headquartered in Paris, France. Founded in 1835 as Havas, it is the world's oldest news agency. AFP has regional headquarters in Nicosia, Montevideo, Hong Kong and Washington, D.C., and news bureaus in 151 countries in 201 locations. AFP transmits stories, videos, photos and graphics in French, English, Arabic, Portuguese, Spanish, and German. History Agence France-Presse has its origins in the Agence Havas, founded in 1835 in Paris by Charles-Louis Havas, making it the world's oldest news service. The agency pioneered the collection and dissemination of news as a commodity, and had established itself as a fully global concern by the late 19th century. Two Havas employees, Paul Julius Reuter and Bernhard Wolff, set up their own news agencies in London and Berlin respectively. In 1940, when German forces occupied France during World War II, the news agency was taken over by the authorities and renamed "Office fr ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Spirou (magazine)
''Spirou'' (french: Le Journal de Spirou) is a weekly Franco-Belgian comics magazine published by the Dupuis company since April 21, 1938. It's an anthology magazine with new features appearing regularly, containing a mix of short humor strips and serialized features, of which the most popular series would be collected as albums by Dupuis afterwards. History Creation With the success of the weekly magazine ''Le Journal de Mickey'' in France, and the popularity of the weekly ''Adventures of Tintin'' in ''Le Petit Vingtième'', many new comic magazines or youth magazines with comics appeared in France and Belgium in the second half of the 1930s. In 1936, the experienced publisher Jean Dupuis put his sons Paul and the 19-year-old Charles in charge of a new magazine aimed at the juvenile market. First appearing 21 April 1938, it was a large format magazine, available only in French and only in Wallonia. It was an eight-page weekly comics magazine composed of a mixture of short ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sidekick
A sidekick is a slang expression for a close companion or colleague (not necessarily in fiction) who is, or is generally regarded as, subordinate to the one they accompany. Some well-known fictional sidekicks are Don Quixote's Sancho Panza, Sherlock Holmes' Doctor Watson, The Lone Ranger's Tonto, The Green Hornet's Kato, Shrek's Donkey and Puss in Boots, Mickey Mouse's Donald Duck and Goofy, Mario's Luigi and Yoshi, Sonic's Tails and Knuckles, Donkey Kong's Diddy Kong, Daffy Duck's Porky Pig, Captain America's Bucky and Batman's Robin. Origins The first recorded use of the term dates from 1896. It is believed to have originated in pickpocket slang of the late 19th century. The "kick" was the front pocket of a pair of trousers, believed to be the pocket safest from theft. Thus, by analogy, a "side-kick" was a person's closest companion.Morris, EvanWord Detective(December 20, 1999). One of the earliest recorded sidekicks may be Enkidu, who adopted a sidekick rol ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Midget
Midget (from ''midge'', a tiny biting insect) is a term for a person of unusually short stature that is considered by some to be pejorative due to its etymology. While not a medical term like "dwarfism", a medical condition with a number of causes including achondroplasia, there is overlap, particularly in proportionate dwarfism. The word has a history of association with the performance arts as little people were often employed by acts in the circus, professional wrestling and vaudeville. The term may also refer to anything of much smaller than normal size, as a synonym for "miniature" or "mini", such as midget cell, midget crabapple, midget flowerpecker, midget submarine, MG Midget, Daihatsu Midget, and the Midget Mustang airplane; or to anything that regularly uses anything that is smaller than normal (other than a person), such as midget car racing and quarter midget racing. "Midget" may also reference a smaller version of play or participation, such as midget golf; or t ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Monarch
A monarch is a head of stateWebster's II New College DictionarMonarch Houghton Mifflin. Boston. 2001. p. 707. Life tenure, for life or until abdication, and therefore the head of state of a monarchy. A monarch may exercise the highest authority and power in the Sovereign state, state, or others may wield that power on behalf of the monarch. Usually a monarch either personally inheritance, inherits the lawful right to exercise the state's sovereign rights (often referred to as ''the throne'' or ''the Crown, the crown'') or is elective monarchy, selected by an established process from a family or cohort eligible to provide the nation's monarch. Alternatively, an individual may self-proclaimed monarchy, proclaim themself monarch, which may be backed and Legitimacy (political), legitimated through acclamation, right of conquest or a combination of means. If a young child is crowned the monarch, then a regent is often appointed to govern until the monarch reaches the requisite adult a ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sword-and-sorcery
Sword and sorcery (S&S) is a subgenre of fantasy characterized by sword-wielding heroes engaged in exciting and violent adventures. Elements of romance, magic, and the supernatural are also often present. Unlike works of high fantasy, the tales, though dramatic, focus on personal battles rather than world-endangering matters. Sword and sorcery commonly overlaps with heroic fantasy. Origin American author Fritz Leiber coined the term "sword and sorcery" in 1961 in response to a letter from British author Michael Moorcock in the fanzine ''Amra'', demanding a name for the sort of fantasy-adventure story written by Robert E. Howard. Moorcock had initially proposed the term "epic fantasy". Leiber replied in the journal ''Ancalagon'' (6 April 1961), suggesting "sword-and-sorcery as a good popular catchphrase for the field". He expanded on this in the July 1961 issue of ''Amra'', commenting: Since its inception, many attempts have been made to provide a precise definition of "swo ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Middle Ages
In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire and transitioned into the Renaissance and the Age of Discovery. The Middle Ages is the middle period of the three traditional divisions of Western history: classical antiquity, the medieval period, and the modern period. The medieval period is itself subdivided into the Early, High, and Late Middle Ages. Population decline, counterurbanisation, the collapse of centralized authority, invasions, and mass migrations of tribes, which had begun in late antiquity, continued into the Early Middle Ages. The large-scale movements of the Migration Period, including various Germanic peoples, formed new kingdoms in what remained of the Western Roman Empire. In the 7th century, North Africa and the Middle East—most recently part of the Eastern Ro ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
