Tante Sidonia is a Flemish comics character from the Belgian comics series Suske en Wiske. In the franchise she is the aunt of Wiske and the adoptive aunt of Suske, of whom she both takes care.
In the original Flemish publications her name was Sidonie, while the translations in the Netherlands named her Sidonia. After the series changed to Algemeen Beschaafd Nederlands in 1964 the character was changed to her definitive name Sidonia. She even announces this to the readers at the start of the album "De Nerveuze Nerviërs" ("The Nervous Nervii") (1964).[1] In English translations of the series, she has been called Aunt Agatha, Aunt Sidonia, and Aunt Sybil.
Character
Tante Sidonia is Suske and Wiske's guardian. Willy Vandersteen created her because, according to him, "a real mother would never allow her children to go on adventure like Suske and Wiske do".[2] Despite that Sidonia still protects and defends them at all cost.
Sidonia is an older, bespectacled woman who is thin and tall. (about 5'11") She has a large chin, big nose, a huge quiff and big feet. Because of her unattractive physical features she is frequently mocked by other characters, especially Lambik. One of the most frequently uttered insults are comparisons between her and a coat stand. One of the running gags is that she often throws her shoe against the back of Lambik's head after he insulted her. Understandably, Sidonia feels very insecure about her appearance. During trips she often takes large trunks full with beauty measures along with her. In "De Jolige Joffer" ("The Jolly Joffer" (1986) she changes her face with a magical spell to become more attractive. In "Het Babbelende Bad" ("The Talking Bath") (2008) she visits a plastic surgeon.
Sidonia is a spinster. She often tries to seduce other men, especially Lambik whom she secretly loves. In "De Lachende Wolf" ("The Laughing Wolf") (1952) she says she wouldn't go to Canada if Lambik asked her hand in marriage, a plea he ignores. In "Sjeik el Rojenbiet" ("Sheik Rojenbiet") (1963) Lambik imitates Ramon Novarro and tells Sidonia "I love you", which she takes seriously until he tells her he was only joking. In "De Poenschepper" ("The Money Shoveler") (1963) it is revealed that she built a secret shrine for Lambik, who has been missing for several months. While her love for Lambik remains unrequited - as stipulated in Vandersteen's testament [2]- her search for a partner has sometimes been fruitful, but either the men turn out to be villains or her love for Suske, Wiske and her friends gets the upper hand.
Sidonia is very bright. In several stories she comes up with ingenious plans to solve complicated problems and uses her slender body to good use. In "De Straatridder" ("The Street Knight") (1955) she hides herself completely behind a street light, while she startles a burglar in "De Lachende Wolf" ("The Laughing Wolf") (1952) by crawling up the stairs in snake-like fashion. She is also a master of disguise, as demonstrated in "De Stierentemmer" ("The Bull Tamer") (1950), "De Sissende Sampan" ("The Hissing Sampan") (1963) and "De Apekermis" ("The Monkey Fair") (1965).
Still there are times when Sidonia's emotions get the better of her. When she takes her glasses off this is usually a sign that she is about to get incredibly angry. She also has frequent nervous breakdowns where she starts screaming and jumps backward. Usually her entire body paralyzes or curves in the shape of a bow. In some stories she has to be calmed down with a mustard foot bath, smelling salts or a quick hospital visit.
History
Tante Sidonia debuted in the first unofficial Suske en Wiske story, "Rikki en Wiske in Chocowakije" (1945), where she is already shown as Wiske's guardian. She adopts Suske in the next story Het Eiland Amoras ("The Isle of Amoras") (1946).
In some older stories she is notably absent, but in other stories, such as "De Botte Botaknol" (1980-1981), "De Kattige Kat" (1984-1985), "De Flierende Fluiter" (2004-2005), "De Hippe Heksen" (1983) and "De Europummel" (2001-2002) she plays a central role. She is also a main character in the spin-off series Jerom and Amoras.
While normally being a housewife Sidonia sometimes performs jobs. In "De Zwarte Zwaan" ("The Black Swan") (1958) she is a guide during the Brussels World's Fair in 1958. In "Beminde Barabas" ("Beloved Barabas") (1974-1975) she works as a plumber.
Family
Sidonia's father is a moustached man, which explains his nickname "De Snor" ("The Moustache"). In "De Snorrende Snor" ("The Purring Moustache") (1957) he lives in with Sidonia.[3] In "De Tijdbobijn" ("The Time Bobbin") (2009) he moves in the castle of the Van Zwollem family. In "De Lachende Wolf" ("The Laughing Wolf") (1952) we learn that her nephew, John, became a fur trapper in Alaska and is married with a Native American woman, Big Snowbell. Sidonia's niece, Carmencita Falasol, is a Spanish operasinger who is married with inventor Don José del Rondello, with whom she has a toddler son, Sprotje.[4]
Sidonia is of ancient noble ancestry. In "De Koning Drinkt" ("The King Drinks") (1947) we learn that a medieval woman who shares a physical resemblance to her was a royal warrant holder. At the end of the story she marries the king. In "De Stierentemmer" ("The Bull Tamer") (1952) the mayor of the fictional Spanish town Servela tells Sidonia that she is related to the Duke of Medina Sidonia, who was a real 16th century Spanish duke. Even in the 19th century Sidonia still has nobility in her family. In "De Tuf-Tuf Club" (1951) we get to know baron van Stiefrijke, another great-grandfather of her. Her grand aunt Eulalie van Stiefrijke, however, had serious debts, according to "Het Lijdende Leiden" ("The Suffering Leiden") (2011).
In popular culture
On June 15, 1995, an illustrated wall was dedicated to Suske and Wiske in the Laekenstraat in Brussels, Belgium. Sidonia is also seen on this wall.[5][6]
In the 1975-1976 Dutch TV puppet series Suske en Wiske Sidonia's voice was done by Trudy Libosan. In the 2004 live-action film "Luke and Lucy: The Texas Rangers" she was voiced by Sien Eggers.
In live-action films and plays Sidonia is often portrayed by male actors rather than female. In the 1994 theatrical musical "De Stralende Sterren" ("The Blinking Stars") she was portrayed by Aimé Anthoni,[7] in the 2002 musical "De Spokenjagers" ("The Ghost Hunters") (2002) by Jeroen Maes [8] and in the live-action film De duistere diamant[nl] ("The Dark Diamond") (2004) by Peter Van Den Begin. The only female actor to play the part so far was Wanda Joosten.[9]
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.
Suske is one of the main characters in the popular Belgian comic strip Suske en Wiske by Willy Vandersteen. He is the boy of the duo.
Wiske is one of the main characters in the popular Belgian comic strip Suske en Wiske by Willy Vandersteen. She is the girl of the duo. Together with Lambik she is one of the most popular characters in the franchise.
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.
The Red Series of Suske en Wiske are popular series of Dutch comics.
Paul Geerts is a Flemish comics artist who succeeded Willy Vandersteen as the main artist of the Spike and Suzy series.
The Blue Series is the name of one of the series' of the Suske en Wiske books, written by Willy Vandersteen. The Blue Series is shorter than the other two series - The Red Series and the "specials" - but is possibly the most popular. The Blue series is so called because the covers of the books were blue.
Notable events of 1945 in comics.
Luke and Lucy: The Texas Rangers is a 2009 Belgian-Luxembourgish-Dutch CGI animated western comedy adventure film released on 21 July 2009 as the first of it kind to be created in Belgium in a projected 13 animated films, at a rate of one per year. The film is based on the Belgian comic book characters Luke and Lucy. The film is directed by Mark Mertens and Wim Bien, and produced by Skyline Entertainment, in partnership with CoToon, LuxAnimation, BosBros, and WAT Productions. The film was first announced in a 1 July 2005 press release. The Flanders Audiovisual Fund announced on 20 April 2006 that it would provide €12,500 for script development, and a further €237,500 was announced in September 2007 for production of the film. The total budget of the film is €9 million, making it the most expensive Flemish-Belgian film to date.
Ludovica "Louisa" Ghijs was a Belgian stage actress. She was married to Dutch-German actor Johannes Heesters.
Krimson is a Flemish comic book character and the main antagonist in the Belgian comic strip series Suske en Wiske. He is a doctor, billionaire and supervillain who wants to take over the world.
Professor Barabas is a Flemish comic book character from the Suske en Wiske series by Willy Vandersteen. He is the absent-minded professor/scientist archetype in the franchise.
Lambik is a Flemish comic book character from the Belgian comic strip series Spike and Suzy by Willy Vandersteen. In the English translations he is known as Orville or Ambrose. Lambik is the breakout character of the franchise and one of the most popular and recognizable comic book characters in Belgium and the Netherlands.
Jerom is a Flemish comic book character and one of the main cast members in the Belgian comic strip, Suske en Wiske by Willy Vandersteen. He is the series' strongman and well known for his physically impossible powers that often make him the deus ex machina who solves every problem. Jerom's popularity with readers is so huge that he inspired at least two spin-off series: Jerom de Gouden Stuntman (1962–1991) and J. ROM - Force of Gold (2014).
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.
Schanulleke is a Flemish comic book character, originally named 'Schalulleke' and then 'Schabolleke', who originated in the Belgian comics series Suske en Wiske. In the series she is Wiske's beloved rag doll. Between 1986 and 1993 Schanulleke received her own spin-off series. The character's name in English is Molly, Sawdust or Muffin.
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.
Detective Van Zwam is a Flemish comics character in the Belgian comics series The Adventures of Nero by Marc Sleen. He is a brilliant detective and able to find clues from even the tiniest of evidence.
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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