The Hergé Foundation is the official organisation that looks after the world and works of

Hergé Georges Prosper Remi (; 22 May 1907 – 3 March 1983), known by the pen name Hergé (; ), from the French pronunciation of his reversed initials ''RG'', was a Belgian cartoonist. He is best known for creating ''The Adventures of Tintin'', ...

and his creation ''

The Adventures of Tintin ''The Adventures of Tintin'' (french: Les Aventures de Tintin ) is a series of 24 ''bande dessinée'' albums created by Belgian cartoonist Georges Remi, who wrote under the pen name Hergé. The series was one of the most popular European comi ...

'', along with his other comics like '' Quick & Flupke'' and '' Jo, Zette and Jocko''. Created from Studios Hergé in 1987 by Fanny Rodwell, Hergé's widow, the Hergé Foundation is a not-for-profit organisation based in

Brussels Brussels (french: Bruxelles or ; nl, Brussel ), officially the Brussels-Capital Region (All text and all but one graphic show the English name as Brussels-Capital Region.) (french: link=no, Région de Bruxelles-Capitale; nl, link=no, Bruss ...

, the birthplace of the creator of Tintin. It runs Hergé's estate, the official ''Tintin'' website, and the Hergé museum.

Editions Moulinsart

The foundation has released many books on the subject of Tintin in French under the publishing name .

Awards

On 1 June 2006, the

Dalai Lama Dalai Lama (, ; ) is a title given by the Tibetan people to the foremost spiritual leader of the Gelug or "Yellow Hat" school of Tibetan Buddhism, the newest and most dominant of the four major schools of Tibetan Buddhism. The 14th and current D ...

bestowed the

International Campaign for Tibet The International Campaign for Tibet (ICT) is a non-profit advocacy group working to promote democratic freedoms for Tibetans, ensure their human rights, and protect Tibetan culture and the environment. Founded in 1988, ICT is the world's larges ...

Light of Truth Award The Light of Truth Award is a human rights award which is presented nearly annually by the International Campaign for Tibet (ICT), an NGO aiming for the promotion of democracy and human rights for the Tibetan people. The award is presented since 1 ...

upon the Hergé Foundation, along with South African Archbishop Desmond Tutu. The award was the Dalai Lama's recognition of ''

Tintin in Tibet ''Tintin in Tibet'' (french: Tintin au Tibet, link=no) is the twentieth volume of '' The Adventures of Tintin'', the comics series by Belgian cartoonist Hergé. It was serialised weekly from September 1958 to November 1959 in ''Tintin'' magaz ...

'', Hergé's most personal adventure. Accepting on behalf of the Hergé Foundation, Hergé's widow Fanny Rodwell stated, "We never thought that this story of friendship would have a resonance more than 40 years later."

Rights issue

The Hergé Foundation has frequently litigated against other entities that attempted to use Tintin images. However, after Moulinsart sued Dutch fanzine '' Hergé Genootschap'' (Hergé Society) in 2012 for one million euros for publishing Tintin images without a license, a contract was unearthed whereby Hergé had assigned all the rights of his works to his original publisher

Casterman Casterman is a publisher of Franco-Belgian comics, specializing in comic books and children's literature. The company is based in Brussels, Belgium. History The company was founded in 1780 by Donat-Joseph Casterman, an editor and bookseller ...

in 1942. At no time has Fanny Rodwell, the widow and sole heir to the foundation, nor her husband Nick Rodwell, who manages the ''Tintin'' empire, ever challenged the agreement in the past. The court's decision means Moulinsart never owned the rights they have been asserting. "It appears, from a 1942 document ... that Hergé gave publishing rights for the books of ''The Adventures of Tintin'' to publisher Casterman, so Moulinsart is not the one to decide who can use material from the books." said the Hague court's ruling. The document came from a Hergé expert who wishes to remain anonymous.

TintinImaginatio

The name was chosen as the name for the foundation's commercial and copyright wing, set up to actively work to protect and promote the work of Hergé. It is named after Moulinsart, the

château A château (; plural: châteaux) is a manor house or residence of the lord of the manor, or a fine country house of nobility or gentry, with or without fortifications, originally, and still most frequently, in French-speaking regions. Now ...

where

Captain Haddock Captain Archibald Haddock (french: Capitaine Archibald Haddock, link=no, ) is a fictional character in ''The Adventures of Tintin'', the comics series by Belgian cartoonist Hergé. He is one of Tintin's best friends, a seafaring pipe-smoking ...

lives in the books (in the English translations, is known as "Marlinspike Hall"). On 20 September 2022, Moulinsart announced that its name was changed to TintinImaginatio. The organization stated the reason of the change is because it wants to bring the word Tintin back into name of the operational management and marketing activities, as well that the name is more recognizable internationally. Furthermore, the new name also reflects the new perspectives of opening up to the virtual world, the imaginary world, and the imagination.

References

External links

Studios Hergé, at the official ''Tintin'' website

TintinImaginatio, at the official ''Tintin'' website
Tintin Organisations based in Brussels Hergé Organizations established in 1987 1987 establishments in Belgium {{Tintin-stub