Spirou (, ; ; Walloon for "squirrel", "mischievous"; nl, Robbedoes, link=no) is a Belgian comic strip character and protagonist in the comic strip series ''

Spirou & Fantasio ''Spirou & Fantasio'' (french: Spirou et Fantasio, wa, Spirou eyet Fantasio) is one of the most popular classic Franco-Belgian comics. The series, which has been running since 1938, shares many characteristics with other European comics, European ...

'' and ''

Le Petit Spirou ''Le Petit Spirou'' ( nl, De Kleine Robbe, link=no; ''"Young Spirou"'') is a popular Belgian comic strip created by Tome and Janry in 1987. The series developed from '' La jeunesse de Spirou'' (1987), a ''Spirou & Fantasio'' album in which Tom ...

'', and the

eponym An eponym is a person, a place, or a thing after whom or which someone or something is, or is believed to be, named. The adjectives which are derived from the word eponym include ''eponymous'' and ''eponymic''. Usage of the word The term ''epon ...

ous character of the Belgian comic strip magazine '' Spirou''.

History

The character was originally created by

Robert Velter François Robert Velter (; 9 February 1909 – 27 April 1991), known by his pen-name Rob-Vel (), was a French cartoonist. He is best known for creating the character '' Spirou'' in 1938. Biography Like ''Spirou'', Velter began his career as ...

(Rob-Vel) for the launch of ' ('' Spirou'' magazine) in 1938. ''Spirou'' was originally an

elevator operator An elevator operator (North American English), liftman (in Commonwealth English, usually lift attendant), or lift girl (in British English), is a person specifically employed to operate a manually operated elevator. Description Being an effec ...

and bell-boy at the fictional Moustique Hotel. At some point he became a reporter for the eponymous magazine, though he remained dressed in his trademark red uniform. Spirou's design was changed through the years by the various writers and artists who created his adventures but he has kept his spiky red-hair and clothes of the same colour even after ditching his hotel uniform.

Character

Charleroi_-_gare_du_Sud_-_Spirou_et_Spip_-_01

In contrast to

Tintin Tintin or Tin Tin may refer to: ''The Adventures of Tintin'' * ''The Adventures of Tintin'', a comics series by Belgian cartoonist Hergé ** Tintin (character), a fictional character in the series ** ''The Adventures of Tintin'' (film), 2011, ...

, Spirou is more frequently shown doing some reporting in several of his adventures. While he and reporter colleague Fantasio occasionally pursue stories, in most cases they simply find themselves in the centre of adventures. An honest and brave young man of indeterminate age, he tries to fight injustice around him and help people. He is usually more level-headed than Fantasio, who always accompanies him, along with the pet squirrel

Spip SPIP (''Système de Publication pour l'Internet'') is a free software content management system designed for web site publishing, oriented towards online collaborative editing. The software is designed for easy setup, use and maintenance, and is ...

, and during the period of Franquin authorship, the

Marsupilami ''Marsupilami'' is a comic book character and fictional animal species created by André Franquin. Its first appearance was in the 31 January 1952 issue of the Franco-Belgian comics magazine '' Spirou''. Since then it appeared regularly in th ...

Spin-off

A six-year-old version of Spirou is the star of the spin-off series ''

'', which is concerned with his tribulations at school and the anatomy of girls. This later series and its star are generally acknowledged to have little in common with the old one. In 2018 a theme park in

Monteux Monteux (; oc, Monteus) is a commune in the Vaucluse department in the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region in southeastern France. Geography Monteux is near Carpentras, in middle of Comtat Venaissin, and around 20 km from Avignon, in the ...

, , inspired by this character, was opened.

In popular culture

Spirou is part of the Comic Book Route and can be found at Place Sainctelette in Brussels.Spirou at Place Sainctelette

References

Belgian comics characters Spirou et Fantasio Fictional characters from Wallonia Fictional servants Comics characters introduced in 1938 Magazine mascots Male characters in comics Mascots introduced in 1938 {{FrancoBelgian-comics-stub de:Spirou und Fantasio#Spirou