| Petoetje | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Publication information | |
| Publisher | Standaard Uitgeverij (Belgium) |
| First appearance | The Adventures of Nero : Moea-Papoea (1950) |
| Created by | Marc Sleen |
Petoetje is a Belgian comics character from the comic strip The Adventures of Nero by Marc Sleen. He is a teenage black boy who originates from Papua New Guinea, [1] but was adopted by Madam Pheip and Meneer Pheip, along with another orphan child, Petatje. [2]
Petoetje made his debut in the album Moea-Papoea (1950), where he lives on the island Moea Papoea in the Pacific Ocean. [2] He is the son of local chieftain Papa Papoea. When Nero and his friends visit the island Petoetje is adopted by Madam Pheip. When Petoetje's father wants his son back Nero's magical high hat creates a duplicate of Petoetje who can stay on the island, while Petoetje goes on to live with Madam Pheip. [2]
In the story Het Zevende Spuitje (The Seventh Syringe, 1963) Petoetje temporarily changes into a cannibal after receiving a wrong injection by Adhemar. He returns to his native island, but is later cured and returns to Belgium. In De Daverende Pitteleer (1959) Petoetje meets his aunt Wawa on another isle in the Pacific, while meeting his cousin in Kangoeroe-Eiland (Kangaroo Island, 1961). [2]
In Papa Papoea (1980) Papa Papoea arrives in Belgium to demand that his son returns to his homeland. It's not made clear whatever happened to the duplicate Petoetje. After much discussion it is eventually decided that Petoetje may stay in Belgium to prepare his future role as chieftain. In Doe de Petoe (1994) Papa Papoea returns once again, this time become manager of Petoetje, who has become a pop star. In De Prinses van Wataboeng (The Princess of Wataboeng, 1995) and Kroonprins Petoetje (Crown Prince Petoetje, 2002) - in which Petoetje becomes crown prince of Papa Papoea - Papa Papoea returns a final time. [2]
According to strip 87 of the album De Bronnen van Sing Song Li (The Sources of Sing Song Li, 1951) Petoetje's full name is Abdel Kader Petoetje, which is a nod to the North African cyclist Abdel-Kader Zaaf. Right from his introduction Petoetje is depicted as a very clever boy. In De X-Bom (The X-Bomb, 1955) it turns out he is even a child prodigy, making all kinds of inventions and lecturing at the universities of Oxford, Cambridge and Puyvelde. In that sense he is a predecessor of Nero's later equally genius infant son Adhemar. [2] It is also Petoetje who discovers Adhemar's genius in De Zoon van Nero (Nero's Son, 1959). While Adhemar is genius by birth, Petoetje attributes his intellect to heavy consumption of cichorei. Petoetje is able to speak fluent Russian in De IJzeren Kolonel (The Iron Colonel, 1956–1957), wins a TV quiz in De Granaatslikker (1957) and is able to cite encyclopedic definitions in Het Achtste Wereldwonder (1996). [2]
Petoetje's best friend is Petatje, who is an orphan girl who is also adopted by Madam Pheip in De Ring van Petatje (Petatje's Ring, 1953). [2] Their mutual friendship and the fact that they are both orphans who aren't related to one another makes them similar to the characters Suske and Wiske from Willy Vandersteen's comics series Suske en Wiske . As Adhemar took over as a more central character to the series Petoetje and Petatje were reduced to being mere side characters. In many stories they aren't allowed to go on adventure, because they need to go to school. In De Juweleneter (The Jewelry Eater, 1963) they rebel against this and pull off an elaborate scheme where they act like ghosts to scare off the adults. In other stories like De IJzeren Kolonel (The Iron Colonel, 1957), Het Groene Vuur (The Green Fire, 1965), Patati Patata (1972), De P.P. Safari (The P.P. Safari, 1979–1980), De Bibberballon (The Shiver Balloon, 1990) and Het Achtste Wereldwonder (The Eighth Wonder of the World, 1996) they skip school and either travel along with the adults in secret or go on adventures independently. [2]
Petoetje has had a series of pets over the years. In Moea-Papoea he owns a kangaroo named Sofie, whose pouch he uses to hide and travel in. In Beo de Verschrikkelijke (Beo the Terrible, 1952) he owns a tamed bee, Florenske. In Pol de Pijpegeest (Pol the Pipe Ghost, 1954–1955) Petoetje and Petatje own a dog named Titus.
Petoetje is notable for being one of the first black characters in Belgian comics, along with Cirage from Jijé's earlier comic Blondin et Cirage , who may have been an inspiration for the character. In the early stories he was depicted walking around wearing nothing but a straw skirt, even when living in Belgium. Gradually he started wearing more Western clothes and eventually received his familiar outfit: a red sweater with the letter "P" written on it and black pants. [2] His afro-textured hair wasn't that high in early stories, but grew considerably over the years. Despite having a somewhat stereotypical "tribal" look in the early albums Petoetje was always portrayed as a clever, even genius character who spoke normal language.
He is included along with other The Adventures of Nero characters on a bas-relief in Sint-Niklaas, made by sculptor Paul Dekker in 1988 to commemorate Marc Sleen's induction as an honor citizen of the city. [3] A wall on the Place Saint-Géry/Sint-Goriksplein was dedicated to Nero in 1995 and can be visited during the Brussels' Comic Book Route. Petoetje and Petatje are also depicted on this wall. [4] A similar wall was also revealed in the Kloosterstraat in Antwerp in 2014 [5] depicting Nero, Petoetje and Petatje. [5] [6]
The Adventures of Nero or Nero was a Belgian comic strip drawn by Marc Sleen and the name of its main character. The original title ranged from De Avonturen van Detectief Van Zwam in 1947 to De Avonturen van Nero en zijn Hoed in 1950, and finally De Avonturen van Nero & Co from 1951. It ran in continuous syndication until 2002. From 1947 until 1993 it was all drawn by Sleen himself. From 1992 until 2002 Dirk Stallaert took over the drawing while Sleen kept inventing the stories.
Spike and Suzy, Willy and Wanda or Luke and Lucy is a Belgian comics series created by the comics author Willy Vandersteen.
Marcel Honoree Nestor (ridder) Neels, known as Marc Sleen, was a Belgian cartoonist. He was mostly known for his comic The Adventures of Nero and Co., but also created gag comics like Piet Fluwijn en Bolleke, De Lustige Kapoentjes, Doris Dobbel, Oktaaf Keunink and De Ronde van Frankrijk.
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Willy Vandersteen was a Belgian creator of comic books. In a career spanning 50 years, he created a large studio and published more than 1,000 comic albums in over 25 series, selling more than 200 million copies worldwide.
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Adhemar is a Flemish comic book character. He is the son of Nero in the eponymous Belgian comic strip series The Adventures of Nero by Marc Sleen and one of the main protagonists. He is a child prodigy who is both a professor as well as an inventor. His full title is doctor professor Adhemar. He is easily recognizable due to his mortarboard and tuxedo.
Nero is a Flemish comic book character and the main protagonist in Marc Sleen's long running comic book strip series The Adventures of Nero (1947–2002). He is one of the most recognizable comic book characters in Belgium and comparable to Lambik from the Suske en Wiske series by Willy Vandersteen.
Ricardo is a Flemish comic book character and the main antagonist in The Adventures of Nero series by Marc Sleen. He is a ruthless maffiosi who hates Nero with a passion. Together with Geeraard de Duivel and Matsuoka Ricardo is Nero's most frequent opponent, appearing in at least 24 albums, even surviving several seemingly deaths.
Abraham Tuizentfloot, in full Oscar Abraham Tuizentfloot, is a Flemish comic book character from the Belgian comic book series The Adventures of Nero by Marc Sleen. He is a crazy little man who dresses up as a pirate and has a tendency to attack people. In the series he is one of Nero's personal friends.
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De Lustige Kapoentjes was a long-running Flemish comic book series, which existed under different titles and was drawn by different artists, among whom Marc Sleen and Willy Vandersteen are the most well known. The series was published in 't Kapoentje, the youth supplement of Het Volk, and in Ons Volkske, the youth supplement of De Standaard. They were the mascots of 't Kapoentje from 1947 until the magazine's demise in 1985.
Madam Pheip is a character from the Flemish comic strip The Adventures of Nero by Marc Sleen. In the series she is one of Nero 's personal friends and married to Meneer Pheip, with whom she has one child, Clo-Clo. Madam Pheip also adopted two children, Petoetje, and Petatje.
Meneer Pheip is a Flemish comic book character from the Belgian comic strip The Adventures of Nero by Marc Sleen. In the series he is part of Nero's personal circle of friends, despite often being up in arms with him. He is the husband of Madam Pheip, father of Clo-Clo and adoptive father of Petoetje and Petatje.
Suske en Wiske Weekblad was a Belgian comics magazine which debuted in September 15, 1993 and ran in weekly syndication until December 24, 2003. It was based on the popularity of Suske en Wiske and notable for being the last attempt in Flanders to release a new comic book magazine.
Het Rattenkasteel was a 1984 opera adaptation of the comic book album Het Rattenkasteel from The Adventures of Nero series by Marc Sleen. It was directed by Arne Sierens, composed by Johan De Smet and under musical direction of Vincent D'Hondt.
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Petatje is a Belgian comics character from the comic strip The Adventures of Nero by Marc Sleen. She is a teenage girl who was adopted by Madam Pheip and Meneer Pheip, along with another orphan child, Petoetje.
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