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Smurf Play
''The Smurfs'' (; ) is a 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''. ''The Smurfs'' franchise began as a comic ... [...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'', in the latter of which the Smurfs made their first appearance. Early life Culliford was born in 1928 in the Belgian municipality Schaerbeek, Belgium. He was the son of an English father and a Belgian mother.De Weyer, Geert (2005). "Peyo". In België gestript, pp. 148–149. Tielt: Lannoo. 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 1950s, he brought his character Johan to the magazine '' Spirou'', w ... [...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 (comics), 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 World War II, 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 (comics), Morris, creator of ''Lucky Luke''), Pierre Culliford (Peyo, creator of the ''Smurfs''), and Eddy Paape. Three of t ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
The Smurfs And The Magic Flute
''The Smurfs and the Magic Flute'' (, lit. ''The Flute of Six Smurfs'') is a 1975 Belgian fantasy comedy animated film, starring the Smurfs. The film was directed by their creator, Peyo. Although the film premiered in 1975 in Belgium and Switzerland, 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. The film is based on the 1958 comic book of the same name, originally a part of the Johan and Peewit series (created by Peyo in 1952), and notable as the first appearance of the Smurfs in media. Accordingly, although the Smurfs play a major part, they do not appear until 35 minutes into the film. 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 members had p ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
The China Post
''The China Post'' () was an English-language newspaper published in Taiwan Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia. The main geography of Taiwan, island of Taiwan, also known as ''Formosa'', lies between the East China Sea, East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocea ... (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 on 15 May 2017, 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, remained a member of Asia News Network. It translated articles from Chinese into English and continued to produce bilingual content. Digging back to its roots, it had also begun to ... [...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. With 2,400 employees of 100 nationalities, AFP has an editorial presence in 260 cities across 150 countries. Its main regional headquarters are based in Nicosia, Montevideo, Hong Kong and Washington, D.C. AFP publishes stories, videos, photos and graphics in French, English, Arabic, Portuguese, Spanish, and German. Two-thirds of its turnover comes from its own commercial activities, with the remaining one-third being provided by the French government (amounting to 113.3 million euros in 2022) as compensation for carrying out its mission of general interest. In December 2024, AFP was ranked as the 27th most visited news site in the world, with over 105 million monthly readers. 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 ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Spirou (magazine)
''Spirou'' () is a weekly Belgian comics magazine published by the Dupuis company since April 21, 1938. It is 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 a sixteen-page weekly comics magazine composed of a mixture of short stories and gags, serial com ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sidekick
A sidekick is a close companion or colleague who is, or is generally regarded as, subordinate to those whom they accompany. 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 examples of a sidekick may be Enkidu, who played a sidekick role to Gilgamesh after they became allies in the ''Epic of Gilgamesh''. Other early examples are Achilles and Patroclus in the ''Iliad'' and Moses and Aaron in the Old Testament.Hay, Noelle"Evolution of a sidekick," SFFWorld.com (2002). In fiction Sidekicks can fulfill one or multiple functions in fiction, such as a counterpoint to the hero,McNamera, Mary"Critic's Notebook: Sidekicks are second bananas no more,"''Lo ... [...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 terminology, medical term like ''dwarf'' (for a person with dwarfism, a medical condition with a number of causes, most often achondroplasia), ''midget'' long described anyone, or indeed any animal, exhibiting proportionate dwarfism. The word has a history of association with the Performance art, performance arts, as dwarfism, 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 Mid ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Monarch
A monarch () is a head of stateWebster's II New College Dictionary. "Monarch". 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 oneself 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 requisi ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Sword-and-sorcery
Sword and sorcery (S&S), or heroic fantasy, 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. The genre originated from the early-1930s works of Robert E. Howard. While there is a chance example from 1953, Fritz Leiber re-coined the term "sword and sorcery" in the 6 April 1961 issue of the fantasy fanzine ''Ancalagon'', to describe Howard and the stories that were influenced by his works. In parallel with "sword and sorcery", the term "heroic fantasy" is used, although it is a more loosely defined genre. Sword and sorcery tales eschew overarching themes of "good vs evil" in favor of situational conflicts that often pit morally gray characters against one another to enrich themselves, or to defy tyranny. Sword and sorcery i ... [...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 5th to the late 15th centuries, similarly 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 centralised 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—once part of the Byzantine Empire� ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
