''Spike and Suzy'' (British title), ''Willy and Wanda'' (American title) or ''Luke and Lucy'' (in a 2009 film and video game) (, ) is a Belgian
comics
a Media (communication), medium used to express ideas with images, often combined with text or other visual information. It typically the form of a sequence of Panel (comics), panels of images. Textual devices such as speech balloons, Glo ...
series created by the
comics author
a medium used to express ideas with images, often combined with text or other visual information. It typically the form of a sequence of panels of images. Textual devices such as speech balloons, captions, and onomatopoeia can indicat ...
Willy Vandersteen
Willebrord Jan Frans Maria "Willy" Vandersteen (15 February 1913 – 28 August 1990) 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, sel ...
.
It was first published in ''
De Nieuwe Standaard'' in 1945 and soon became popular. Although not in its earliest form, the strip soon adapted the
Ligne claire
''Ligne claire'' (; ; both meaning "clear line") is a style of drawing created and pioneered by Hergé, the Belgian cartoonist and creator of ''The Adventures of Tintin''. It uses clear strong lines sometimes of varied width and no hatching, w ...
style, pioneered by
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 comic strip artist. He is best known for creating ''The Adventures of T ...
. This change took place when the strip became serialised in Hergé's magazine ''
Tintin
Tintin usually refers to:
* ''The Adventures of Tintin'', the comics series by Belgian cartoonist Hergé
** Tintin (character), the protagonist and titular character of the series
Tintin or Tin Tin may also refer to:
Material related to ''The A ...
'' from 1948 to 1959.
The books revolve around the adventures of the eponymous
Spike and
Suzy, two children (pre-adolescent or adolescent depending on the album), along with their friends and family. The stories combine elements of
comedy
Comedy is a genre of dramatic works intended to be humorous or amusing by inducing laughter, especially in theatre, film, stand-up comedy, television, radio, books, or any other entertainment medium.
Origins
Comedy originated in ancient Greec ...
,
fantasy
Fantasy is a genre of speculative fiction that involves supernatural or Magic (supernatural), magical elements, often including Fictional universe, imaginary places and Legendary creature, creatures.
The genre's roots lie in oral traditions, ...
, and
science fiction
Science fiction (often shortened to sci-fi or abbreviated SF) is a genre of speculative fiction that deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts. These concepts may include information technology and robotics, biological manipulations, space ...
, such as talking animals, time travel and ghosts. The strip still runs daily in the Belgian newspaper ''De Standaard'', and new books continue to be published; as of May 2020, 382 albums have been published.
Main characters
The main characters are a group of friends, living familywise though the only blood-relation is Sidonia being an aunt of Suzy. In the first regular comic, Suzy and her aunt Sidonia meet the orphan Spike and unrelated Professor Barabas. In the next album ''De Sprietatoom'', they also meet
Ambrose
Ambrose of Milan (; 4 April 397), venerated as Saint Ambrose, was a theologian and statesman who served as Bishop of Milan from 374 to 397. He expressed himself prominently as a public figure, fiercely promoting Roman Christianity against Ari ...
. Later, in ''De dolle musketiers'' (book #18, 1953),
Jerom
Jerom is a Flemish comic book character and one of the main cast members in the Belgian comic strip, ''Spike and Suzy, Suske en Wiske'' by Willy Vandersteen. He is the series' strongman (strength athlete), strongman and well known for his physical ...
(called Jethro in the UK version), the "strongest man in the western hemisphere", was introduced.
Apart from Suzy and Aunt Sidonia, none of them are related, and other family is only introduced occasionally to drive a particular story.
* Spike: originally
Suske (Flemish
diminutive
A diminutive is a word obtained by modifying a root word to convey a slighter degree of its root meaning, either to convey the smallness of the object or quality named, or to convey a sense of intimacy or endearment, and sometimes to belittle s ...
of François/Franciscus), also known as Willy or Bob (in French), is a young orphan who becomes friends with Suzy and Aunt Sidonia. This happens only in the second album, ''Het Eiland Amoras'' from 1946, which would become the first in the regular series. For the first album, the publisher had pushed Vandersteen to go with the name and character "Rikki", but the author soon worked around this and found a way to introduce "Suske", in part because he thought Rikki resembled
Tintin
Tintin usually refers to:
* ''The Adventures of Tintin'', the comics series by Belgian cartoonist Hergé
** Tintin (character), the protagonist and titular character of the series
Tintin or Tin Tin may also refer to:
Material related to ''The A ...
too much.
:Spike has black hair with a small trademark spike. He started out as a hyperactive and headlong fighter, not unlike many a young male adolescent in the "Seefhoek", the
Antwerp
Antwerp (; ; ) is a City status in Belgium, city and a Municipalities of Belgium, municipality in the Flemish Region of Belgium. It is the capital and largest city of Antwerp Province, and the third-largest city in Belgium by area at , after ...
neighbourhood where Vandersteen grew up. Only in the first album, Spike would get totally out of control when he heard the battle cry "''Seefhoek vooruit!''" ("Seefhoek Forward!"), replaced by "''Antigoon vooruit''" in later reprints. But as soon as his outfit evolved from mere duds towards a more tidy red polo shirt and black trousers, he became a well-behaved and obedient boy. He is smart, brave, idealistic and mostly rational, making him an emotional opposite to Suzy. Where she gets in trouble with Sidonia or Ambrose, he acts as go-between to restore peace.

* Suzy: originally
Wiske (Flemish
diminutive
A diminutive is a word obtained by modifying a root word to convey a slighter degree of its root meaning, either to convey the smallness of the object or quality named, or to convey a sense of intimacy or endearment, and sometimes to belittle s ...
of Louise/Louisa), also known as Wanda or Bobette (in French), is the young heroine. She first appeared in the very first out-of-series prequel ''Rikki en Wiske in Chocowakije'' from 1945, where she has an older brother Rikki, but he disappears after that story to be replaced by Spike.
:Suzy lives together with him and her aunt Sidonia, and is typically (certainly in the older stories) dressed in a white dress with a red stripe just above the hem, and a red ribbon in her fair hair. In the first stories, she looks like a preschooler of about 6 years old, but soon afterwards she evolves into a young teenager of about 12-13. Vandersteen seems to have modelled her after his oldest daughter Leen, of similar age at the time.
:She is strong-headed, impulsive, curious and slightly foolish. Aspects of her character that come naturally with a young teenager who enters puberty, and a great plot device since her repeated stubbornness and disobedience is the source of many an adventure. Since her emotions and human shortcomings often overpower her rationality, she is sensitive to paranormal and mystical happenings that are routinely dismissed by the others. Her relationship with Spike (both are considered orphans) is mostly one between siblings, although at times it looks like there are more feelings under the surface, as she can get quite jealous and querulous when Spike gets female attention. Suzy is also a brave girl, especially when it comes to defending her doll Muffin, for whom she shows unconditional motherly love. Despite her difficult character at times, she appears contrite and righteous. She carries her heart in the right place and won't hesitate to battle injustice. Suzy ends most of the albums by winking to the reader from within the very last panel.
* Muffin, originally Schalulleke, later renamed to
Schanulleke (sometimes Schabolleke), also known as Molly or Sawdust, is Suzy's doll. A small female figure, she is inanimate. She has a major role in a few stories when she gets stolen (album 6, "Prinses Zagemeel"), brought to life, or is turned into a mindless giant.
*
Aunt Sidonia, originally called tante Sidonie, later renamed to tante Sidonia, and also once known as Agatha, appears as Suzy's aunt, right from the first album. Sidonia was Vandersteen's way of providing a caring authority figure for Spike and Suzy without introducing actual parents, who would constrain their adventurous tendencies too much.
:Sidonia is portrayed as a (1950s) housewife (cooking and cleaning, doing the dishes, complaining when Spike and Suzy don’t show proper respect for her household work). Nevertheless she also often joins the heroes on their adventures, and occasionally shows unexpected qualities as pilot of the Gyronef.
:Long and extremely thin with gigantic feet (routinely referred to as "ferries"), with a large protruding chin and fair hair, she’s hardly blessed with physical beauty. As such, her looks are often the target of offensive remarks, in particular by a less than subtle Ambrose. On the other hand, her thinness enables her to pull off tricks like hiding herself in a split second from the bad guys behind nearby streetlights and telephone poles.
:Sidonia is also known for her hysterical nervous breakdowns, where she can often no longer utter words while her body ends up as stiff as a wooden plank, and for her
(unrequited) crush on Ambrose.
*
Professor Barabas, is a long-time friend of Suzy and Aunt Sidonia, first met in ''Het Eiland Amoras'' (''An Island called Hoboken''). He starts off as a jungle explorer with a
topee, but later becomes the archetypical comics professor: glasses, a
white laboratory coat, often absent-minded because he is thinking deeply about some scientific question. Although he is not a
mad scientist
The mad scientist (also mad doctor or mad professor) is a stock character of a scientist who is perceived as "mad, bad and dangerous to know" or "insanity, insane" owing to a combination of unusual or unsettling personality traits and the unabas ...
, and entirely benevolent, his inventions regularly cause trouble when they end up in the wrong hands. This happens more than once because of his lack of streetwiseness in dealing with criminals. His main inventions are the Teletime machine (which enables them to travel through time and space), the Gyronef (a helicopter well ahead of its time), the Terranef (a subterranean vehicle), and the Klankentapper, which enables one to talk with plants and inanimate objects. Contrary to most other main characters, he does not appear in all comics.
* Ambrose, originally called
Lambik and once known as Orville, is a bald man (apart from six hairs, three on either side) of about fifty. The original
Flemish name was inspired by a
Belgian beer
Lambic
Lambic ( , ; ) is a type of beer brewed in the Pajottenland region of Belgium southwest of Brussels since the 13th century. Types of lambic beer include gueuze, kriek lambic, and framboise. Lambic differs from most other beers in that it is Bre ...
that is brewed in the Belgian region of
Pajottenland, where Vandersteen lived for a short time. He is first encountered in album 3, ''The Zincshrinker'', as a rather stupid plumber, although Vandersteen already created the standalone personage the year before (1945) as "Pukkel" ("pimple" in English).
:In the beginning, Ambrose was presented as a typical working class member: rough and rather simple and uneducated. Prone to alcoholism and other scourges, he also had a somewhat tragic side. This largely came to an end when Vandersteen started to work for
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 comic strip artist. He is best known for creating ''The Adventures of T ...
, who didn't like the folksy component. In particular in the period of
The Blue Series, Ambrose suddenly becomes sophisticated, bright and brave, even aristocratic (for example he teaches
fencing
Fencing is a combat sport that features sword fighting. It consists of three primary disciplines: Foil (fencing), foil, épée, and Sabre (fencing), sabre (also spelled ''saber''), each with its own blade and set of rules. Most competitive fe ...
) and is arguably truly the main character of the story in those albums. Later, the personage gets its definitive outfit (black trousers, white starched shirt and a black bow tie) and settles as a middle class part-time father figure for Spike and Suzy, who lives together with Jethro.
:Ambrose is intended as the comic relief of the series. His baldness and pronounced nose inspire ridicule throughout the whole series. Another running gag is that he brings up his World War I military gear (sandbags, barbed wire, helmet, rifle...) when a situation becomes critical. Generally presumptuous, vain and impulsive, he confronts the reader with his own shortcomings. Typically, he considers himself the main hero, and in particular the "brains", since he can't possibly over trump Jethro when it comes to physical power (and as it frequently turns out, not in the intellectual department either!). His friends then usually play along, just to keep him happy. The relationship between Suzy and Ambrose, one even more stubborn than the other, makes for a great generation conflict that spices up many stories. In the end, Ambrose does have a noble nature, as illustrated by the many occasions that he sacrifices himself for the greater good. But it helps a great deal when he is first assured of recognition...
*
Jethro, originally known as
Jerom
Jerom is a Flemish comic book character and one of the main cast members in the Belgian comic strip, ''Spike and Suzy, Suske en Wiske'' by Willy Vandersteen. He is the series' strongman (strength athlete), strongman and well known for his physical ...
or ''Jerommeke'' and also known as Wilbur, is an extremely strong man, brought from
prehistory
Prehistory, also called pre-literary history, is the period of human history between the first known use of stone tools by hominins million years ago and the beginning of recorded history with the invention of writing systems. The use ...
to the
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 ...
by an
alchemist
Alchemy (from the Arabic word , ) is an ancient branch of natural philosophy, a philosophical and protoscientific tradition that was historically practised in China, India, the Muslim world, and Europe. In its Western form, alchemy is first ...
in album 18, ''The merry musketeers'', as a mindless weapon.
:Although he is introduced into the series as an opponent, he quickly turns around as he falls in love with Muffin and becomes a caring man instead of a wild beast. Initially he is dressed in a loincloth only (with an occasional cravat added in an amusing attempt to appear more civilized) and speaks in grunts and monosyllables. His prehistoric background causes him to observe the modern world and customs with the naivete (and often unimpeded insight) of a child. But soon afterwards he becomes a smart, sophisticated man, although he still speaks in a peculiar shorthand. He lives together with Ambrose, and his level-headedness is used to contrast with the latter’s foolishness.
:Apart from superhuman strength (used for exploits like squeezing water from rocks in the desert), his special powers include "flashlight eyes" and X-ray vision (at any other time his eyelids remain closed), running faster than sound and stopping bullets with his muscular chest. As such, his character is often used as a
deus ex machina
''Deus ex machina'' ( ; ; plural: ''dei ex machina''; 'God from the machine') is a plot device whereby a seemingly unsolvable problem in a story is suddenly or abruptly resolved by an unexpected and unlikely occurrence. Its function is general ...
solution for the troubles his friends and especially Ambrose get in. But when the scenarists are inspired, he is equally often drugged or away on a trip as to avoid the easy solution for the story.
Other recurring characters
*
Krimson. A principal
villain
A villain (also known as a " black hat", "bad guy" or "baddy"; The New Oxford Dictionary of English (1998) – p.126 "baddy (also baddie) noun (pl. -ies) ''informal'' a villain or criminal in a book, film, etc.". the feminine form is villai ...
, Krimson was introduced in ''Het rijmende paard'' (#48, 1963). He survives a plane-crash and starts over as an international drug kingpin in ''De sissende sampan'' (#49, 1963) before serving a prison-sentence. In ''Amoris van Amoras'' (#200, 1984) Krimson seems to have changed his ways by becoming a project-developer on Hoboken. This appears to be a passing interest as ''De Kwaaie Kwieten'' (#209, 1987) marks his return to form by constructing a top-secret military base capable of fighting
extraterrestrials
Extraterrestrial life, or alien life (colloquially, aliens), is life that originates from another world rather than on Earth. No extraterrestrial life has yet been scientifically conclusively detected. Such life might range from simple forms ...
. Growing stronger again, Krimson manages to overthrow the
Belgian government (''De Krimson Crisis'', #215, 1988). For reasons unknown he often suffers from mental breakdowns, throwing fits until his butler force feeds him a large quantity of pills. Despite his name there is no connection between him and the colour
crimson
Crimson is a rich, deep red color, inclining to purple.
It originally meant the color of the kermes dye produced from a scale insect, '' Kermes vermilio'', but the name is now sometimes also used as a generic term for slightly bluish-red col ...
, other than that both often have sinister connotations.
* Arthur is Ambrose's younger brother who grew up in the jungle and gained the ability to fly from the juice of a plant. He is more primitive than his brother, but substantially smarter. He dresses in animal skins and wears a beard, though it is unknown if he, unlike Ambrose, has much hair on his head as he always sports a
bowler hat
The bowler hat, also known as a Coke hat, billycock, bob hat, bombín (Spanish) or derby (United States), is a hard felt hat with a rounded crown, originally created by the London hat-makers Thomas and William Bowler in 1849 and commissioned by ...
. He spends more time in the air and in trees than on the ground, and therefore has acquired some bird characteristics, such as standing on his hands instead of his feet and chirping while speaking. His favorite food is birdseed. He has appeared in 5 albums so far.
* Sus Antigoon is an ancestor of Spike, discoverer of Amoras Island and founder of the city Amoras. He died of alcohol abuse and therefore always appears as a ghost with a bottle chained to his leg. Because of his drunkenness, Sus Antigoon often brings the protagonists in danger. He has appeared in 12 albums so far.
Character evolution

Over the course of the series, characters are added and changed, and stories become more
didactic
Didacticism is a philosophy that emphasises instructional and informative qualities in literature, art, and design. In art, design, architecture, and landscape, didacticism is a conceptual approach that is driven by the urgent need to explain.
...
. Ambrose and Jethro change significantly: in the beginning, Ambrose was just an
amusing fool, but in the Blue Series he appears more sophisticated and heroic, evolving towards a cynical and sceptical man in the current stories. In early stories, Jethro was initially portrayed as an ignorant
strong man {{disambig
*Ring name of American professional wrestler Jon Andersen
*Strong Man, a cartoon superhero in '' The Mighty Heroes'' ...
, who evolved into a sophisticated and quiet man in later works. In most stories Muffin is only a doll, but one very special to Suzy, and they are inseparable. In some stories Muffin comes to life and plays an important role.
Settings
In the earliest stories, Willy Vandersteen used fictional countries like "Chokowakije" ("Chocolaslovakia") and "Amoras" (a tropical island, "Hoboken", actually a real town in Belgium, in the English-language version). He dropped the use of those after a few stories, although some later stories revisit Amoras.
Most of the current adventures of Spike and Suzy happen in real countries all over the world, with
Belgium
Belgium, officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. Situated in a coastal lowland region known as the Low Countries, it is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeas ...
(their home country) as main focus for many stories.
While in the early stories large distances were usually traveled using the fictitious ''Gyronef'', an experimental helicopter devised by professor Barabas, starting from the 1960s all air travel is provided by the Dutch national airline
KLM, making it an early and prominent example of product placement in European comics. Vandersteen chose KLM over the Belgian national airline
SABENA because of his friendship with Ron Winderink, PR manager at KLM.
Publication history
Willy Vandersteen created ''Suske en Wiske'', beginning publication in ''
De Nieuwe Standaard'' on 30 March 1945. To Vandersteen's disappointment the editor had renamed the strip's first chapter ''Rikki en Wiske''.
The following story was titled ''De avonturen van Suske en Wiske - Op het eiland Amoras'' and no longer featured Rikki.
After a few years of publication in several newspapers, Vandersteen was approached by
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 comic strip artist. He is best known for creating ''The Adventures of T ...
, intent to improve sales of the Dutch-language version of ''
Tintin
Tintin usually refers to:
* ''The Adventures of Tintin'', the comics series by Belgian cartoonist Hergé
** Tintin (character), the protagonist and titular character of the series
Tintin or Tin Tin may also refer to:
Material related to ''The A ...
'' magazine (''Kuifje''), who wanted ''Suske and Wiske'' for his publications redrawn in the
Ligne claire
''Ligne claire'' (; ; both meaning "clear line") is a style of drawing created and pioneered by Hergé, the Belgian cartoonist and creator of ''The Adventures of Tintin''. It uses clear strong lines sometimes of varied width and no hatching, w ...
style.
Vandersteen made the adaptation and ''Suske en Wiske'' first appeared in ''Kuifje'' and Belgian ''Tintin'' on 16 September 1948 with the story titled ''Het Spaanse spook'' and ''Le Fantôme Espagnol'' in the two languages.
All 8 stories that were run until it ended in April 1959 made up the material collected in
The Blue Series.
Vandersteen established
Studio Vandersteen in 1952 to manage his expanded activities.
To have time for other series such as ''
De Rode Ridder'' (''The Red Knight'') and ''Tijl Uilenspiegel'', he gave
Paul Geerts the job of creating new albums of ''Suske en Wiske'' in 1968. Geerts did this until 2001, when he gave this task to
Marc Verhaegen. From 2005 on, a team of writers and cartoonists makes the new series, led by
Luc Morjeau. These authors are helped by Studio Vandersteen.
On 17 December 2022, after 77 years, ''
De Standaard
(, ) is a Flemish daily newspaper published in Belgium by Mediahuis (formerly Corelio and VUM). It was traditionally a Christian-Democratic paper, associated with the Christian-Democratic and Flemish Party, and in opposition to the Sociali ...
'' newspaper ended daily publication of ''Suske en Wiske'', following a cost-benefit decision.
Publications
Newspapers and magazines
Before ''Suske en Wiske'' appeared as albums, they were published in several newspapers and magazines, such as:
* ''
De Standaard
(, ) is a Flemish daily newspaper published in Belgium by Mediahuis (formerly Corelio and VUM). It was traditionally a Christian-Democratic paper, associated with the Christian-Democratic and Flemish Party, and in opposition to the Sociali ...
'' (1945–2022)
daily newspaper
* ''
Tintin
Tintin usually refers to:
* ''The Adventures of Tintin'', the comics series by Belgian cartoonist Hergé
** Tintin (character), the protagonist and titular character of the series
Tintin or Tin Tin may also refer to:
Material related to ''The A ...
'' magazine and ''Kuifje'' magazine (1948–1959) Éditions du Lombard's French and Dutch sister publications
* ''
TV Ekspres'' (1972–2001) weekly TV magazine
* ''
Suske en Wiske Weekblad'' (1993–2003) weekly comics magazine
Red Series and Blue Series
The books are generally divided into two groups - ''Red Series'' and ''Blue series''. The Red Series contains the vast majority of the books, and is so called because all of the books in this series have a red coloured cover. There are only a few books in the blue series, and they are so called because of their blue cover. The blue series encompasses all those originally published in ''Tintin'' and ''Kuifje''. The Red series is everything published before or after. The following album series exist:
* 1.
The Red Series
# The Flemish non-coloured series (1946–1959): 1-35
# The French non-coloured series
# The non-coloured series in Dutch for the Netherlands (1953–1959): 1-23
# The Flemish two-coloured series (1959–1964): 7,19,20,32-50
# The French two-coloured series
# The Dutch two-coloured series (1959–1964): 1,8,10,11,21-50
# The "uniform" Flemish(-Belgian) - Dutch (two-coloured) series (1964–1966): 51-66 (under flamingantistic influence)
# The four-coloured series (1967-...): 67-... ; the first 66 albums and the blue series have been re-edited in this series.
* 2.
The Blue Series (1952–1957)
Special editions
Other stories or editions have been published, such as:
# The collector's editions (1958-...)
# Advertisement editions (1965-...)
# Various collections (1972-...)
# Holiday editions (1973-...)
# Luxury editions (1977-...)
# Suske en Wiske Classics (1993–1999)
Albums in English
English translations have been published in three incarnations. The first was in the U.S., under the name of ''Willy and Wanda''. It was then published in the UK in the 1990s named ''Bob and Bobette'', a copy of the Belgian title in French. The final print run was in the UK by the title ''Spike and Suzy''.
Other languages

The comic book series was also published in Belgium in
French, under the name ''Bob et Bobette'' (''Bob and Bobette'' in English). Translations in other languages (including regional dialects) are plentiful but may exist as short-lived series only.
Books out of the series have been published in the following languages as:
*
Afrikaans
Afrikaans is a West Germanic languages, West Germanic language spoken in South Africa, Namibia and to a lesser extent Botswana, Zambia, Zimbabwe and also Argentina where there is a group in Sarmiento, Chubut, Sarmiento that speaks the Pat ...
: Neelsie en Miemsie
*
Brabantian: Suske en Wieske
*
Chinese (standard version): 波布和波贝特 (Bobu & Bobete: 1996) or 苏苏和维维历险记 (Susu & WeiWei: from 2011)
*
Chinese (Taiwanese version): 達達和貝貝歷險記 (Dada & Beibei)
*
Danish: Finn & Fiffi (later: Bob & Bobette)
*
Esperanto
Esperanto (, ) is the world's most widely spoken Constructed language, constructed international auxiliary language. Created by L. L. Zamenhof in 1887 to be 'the International Language' (), it is intended to be a universal second language for ...
: Cisko kaj Vinjo
*
Finnish: Anu ja Antti
*
German
German(s) may refer to:
* Germany, the country of the Germans and German things
**Germania (Roman era)
* Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language
** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...
: Ulla und Peter (later: Bob und Babette/Suske und Wiske/Frida und Freddie)
*
Greek
Greek may refer to:
Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe:
*Greeks, an ethnic group
*Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family
**Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor of all kno ...
: Bobi & Lou
*
Hebrew
Hebrew (; ''ʿÎbrit'') is a Northwest Semitic languages, Northwest Semitic language within the Afroasiatic languages, Afroasiatic language family. A regional dialect of the Canaanite languages, it was natively spoken by the Israelites and ...
: Bob & Bobet
*
Indonesian: Bobby dan Wanda (later: Suske dan Wiske)
*
Icelandic: Siggi og Vigga
*
Irish: Spike agus Suzy
*
Italian
Italian(s) may refer to:
* Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries
** Italians, a Romance ethnic group related to or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom
** Italian language, a Romance languag ...
: Bob e Bobette
*
Japanese: ススカとウィスカ (Susuka & Wisuka)
*
Latin
Latin ( or ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally spoken by the Latins (Italic tribe), Latins in Latium (now known as Lazio), the lower Tiber area aroun ...
: Lucius et Lucia
*
Norwegian: Finn & Fiffi
*
Portuguese: Bibi & Baba
*
Portuguese (Brazil): Zé & Maria
*
Spanish: Bob y Bobette, Bob y Bobet
*
Swahili: Bob na Bobette
*
Swedish: Finn och Fiffi
*
Tamil
Tamil may refer to:
People, culture and language
* Tamils, an ethno-linguistic group native to India, Sri Lanka, and some other parts of Asia
**Sri Lankan Tamils, Tamil people native to Sri Lanka
** Myanmar or Burmese Tamils, Tamil people of Ind ...
: Suski & Wiski(சுஸ்கி & விஸ்கி)
*
Tibetan: Baga & Basang
*
Persian: بوبی و بوبت ( Bobi & Bobet )
*
Polish: Lucek i Luśka
*
Slovenian: Spike in Suzy
*
Russian
Russian(s) may refer to:
*Russians (), an ethnic group of the East Slavic peoples, primarily living in Russia and neighboring countries
*A citizen of Russia
*Russian language, the most widely spoken of the Slavic languages
*''The Russians'', a b ...
: Спайк и Сьюзи
Spin-off series
There have been various spin-off comic series from ''Spike and Suzy'':
* In 1960, ''
Jerom
Jerom is a Flemish comic book character and one of the main cast members in the Belgian comic strip, ''Spike and Suzy, Suske en Wiske'' by Willy Vandersteen. He is the series' strongman (strength athlete), strongman and well known for his physical ...
'' began publication. It featured the character Jerom (Jethro) and focused on his adventures as a modern-day knight.
* In the 1950s, ''
Lambik'' (Ambrose), ran in the newspaper ''De Bond''. These were then put into the albums called ''De Grappen van Lambik'' (''"The jokes of Ambrose"''). The series was ended in 1962, but in 2004, it resumed with new stories. Seven books in the new series have been released.
* In 2002, ''Klein Suske en Wiske'' (''"Young Spike and Suzy"'') ran in the magazine ''
Suske en Wiske Weekblad''. It charts the adventures of the children when they were very small, along with their pet dog. So far nine albums have been released, containing short sketches.
* In May 2013, the first edition of ''Amoras'' was released, a spin-off, more adult-oriented series, with a more
manga
are comics or graphic novels originating from Japan. Most manga conform to a style developed in Japan in the late 19th century, and the form has a long history in earlier Japanese art. The term is used in Japan to refer to both comics ...
-like type of drawing and with more violence and strong language. In the series, Spike and Suzy are 'flashed' by accident to the year 2047 and find themselves on the isle of Amoras (where they were in the first Belgian album). Charel Cambré came up with the original idea and drew the art, the scenario was written by Marc Legendre. The first issue, called Wiske, received a lot of positive response and media coverage. The sixth and last in the spin-off series was published on 4 November 2015.
* Although Standaard uitgeverij was adamant that this was a one time only, news of a new series within the same spin-off universe reached the fans in March 2016. In 'De Kronieken van Amoras' the reader gets more background info on the events leading to the story in Amoras' and about the different characters. In March 2017, ''De zaak Krimson'' was released and there are two more publications planned within this series.
Adaptations
''Suske en Wiske'' has reached such a popularity in the Dutch-speaking world that various media adaptations have been made.
Theatrical adaptations
In 1949, Dutch puppeteer Karel Weyler of the Flemish puppet theater ''Pats' Poppenspel'' adapted some ''Suske en Wiske'' series as puppet plays.
Willy Vandersteen
Willebrord Jan Frans Maria "Willy" Vandersteen (15 February 1913 – 28 August 1990) 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, sel ...
enjoyed these versions and gave him permission to make more. The music was composed by
Armand Preud'homme and the dialogues were written by Jef Contrijn, whose wife, Germaine Gijsels also designed the costumes. Vandersteen returned the favor by helping to design the backgrounds and referencing "Pats Poppenspel" in the ''Suske en Wiske'' stories "De Mottenvanger" ("The Moth Catcher"), "De Circusbaron" ("The Circus Baron"), "Het Hondenparadijs" ("The Dog Paradise"), "De Wilde Weldoener" ("The Wild Humanitarian") and "De Poppenpakker" ("The Puppet Catcher"). Between 1974 and 1977, Vandersteen also made a comics series about "Pats" until copyright issues forced him to change the title into "Tits".
In 1994, the
Royal Youth Theatre of Antwerp made a theatrical musical called "De Stralende Sterren". It ran for several years and was both a success in Flanders as well as the Netherlands.
In July 2002, a new musical premiered, based on the album "De Spokenjagers" ("The Ghost Hunters"), again touring with huge success in Flanders and the Netherlands.
In 2008, the album "De Circusbaron" ("The Circus Baron") was adapted into a theatrical musical, which toured in Belgium and the Netherlands.
TV adaptations
In 1955, the ''Pats Poppenspel'' puppet shows were broadcast on Flemish television. This was the first attempt to bring the comics to television. A
limited animation
Limited animation is a process in the overall technique of traditional animation that reuses frames of character animation.
Early history
The use of budget-cutting and time-saving animation measures in animation dates back to the earliest commerc ...
series was made the same decade.
Far more successful was the 1975-1976 puppet series. The Belgian TV network
BRT produced a TV puppet series consisting of six original stories told by
Lambik, all of them broadcast as five-minute episodes, which were each 22 minutes in length. These stories ("De Minilotten van Kokonera", "De Gouden Locomotief", "De Zingende Kaars", "De Windbrekers", "De Regenboogprinses" and "Het Laatste Dwaallicht") were later adapted into comic book albums. The puppets were made by ''Creatuur'' in collaboration with André Henderickx. Vandersteen's studio created the backgrounds and props. The series was a tremendous success in the Netherlands and largely responsible for the comics' ultimate breakthrough there. Re-runs were broadcast in 1985 and 1990.
In the early 1990s, an animated TV series was made by Atelier5, broadcast on
VTM. Each episode was based on original ''Suske en Wiske'' stories, with
Han Peekel as narrating voice-over. They were also made available on video.
Film adaptations
In 2004, the album "De Duistere Diamant" ("The Dark Diamond") was adapted to the silver screen by Rudi Van den Bossche as the live-action film '.
A CGI animated film called ''
Luke and Lucy: The Texas Rangers'' was released in July 2009. Produced by Skyline Entertainment, it was planned to be the first of a series of 13 films.
Video game adaptations
In 2001, Infogrames released ''Suske en Wiske: De Tijdtemmers'' for the
Game Boy Color
The (GBC or CGB) is an 8-bit handheld game console developed by Nintendo. It was released in Japan on October 21, 1998, and to international markets that November. Compared to the original Game Boy, the Game Boy Color features a color TFT scre ...
. It was only released in Europe.
On 19 July 2009, a video game was released for the
Nintendo DS
The is a foldable handheld game console produced by Nintendo, released globally across 2004 and 2005. The DS, an initialism for "Developers' System" or "Dual Screen", introduced distinctive new features to handheld games: two LCD screens worki ...
, based on the 3-D animated movie ''
Luke and Lucy: The Texas Rangers''.
In popular culture

Suske and Wiske have their own statue in the
Antwerp Zoo
Antwerp Zoo () is a zoo in the centre of Antwerp, Belgium, located next to the Antwerpen-Centraal railway station. It is the oldest animal park in the country, and one of the oldest in the world, established on 21 July 1843.
History
Since its ...
in
Antwerp
Antwerp (; ; ) is a City status in Belgium, city and a Municipalities of Belgium, municipality in the Flemish Region of Belgium. It is the capital and largest city of Antwerp Province, and the third-largest city in Belgium by area at , after ...
. It was sculpted by René Rosseel in 1978.
Suske,
Wiske,
Lambik and
Jerom
Jerom is a Flemish comic book character and one of the main cast members in the Belgian comic strip, ''Spike and Suzy, Suske en Wiske'' by Willy Vandersteen. He is the series' strongman (strength athlete), strongman and well known for his physical ...
also have statues in
Middelkerke, sculpted by Monique Mol in respectively 2002, 2005 and 2013
In the
Belgian Comic Strip Center in
Brussels
Brussels, officially the Brussels-Capital Region, (All text and all but one graphic show the English name as Brussels-Capital Region.) is a Communities, regions and language areas of Belgium#Regions, region of Belgium comprising #Municipalit ...
the permanent exhibition brings homage to the pioneers of
Belgian comics, among them Willy Vandersteen. In the room dedicated to his work a replica of
Professor Barabas' teletijdmachine ("tele time machine") can be seen.
On 15 June 1995, an illustrated wall was dedicated to the series in the Rue de Laeken/Lakensestraat in Brussels. Suske and Wiske are also part of an illustrated wall in the Korte Ridderstraat 8 in Antwerp, which was revealed on 13 May 2006. On 24 April 2009, a similar wall was revealed in
Kalmthout
Kalmthout () is a Municipalities of Belgium, municipality in the Belgium, Belgian province of Antwerp (province), Antwerp. The municipality comprises the villages of Kalmthout, Achterbroek, Heide, Kalmthout, Heide, and Nieuwmoer. In 2021, Kalmthou ...
.
The character
Lambik inspired the name of the Dutch comic book store
Lambiek
Galerie Lambiek is a Dutch comic book store and art gallery in Amsterdam, founded on November 8, 1968 by Kees Kousemaker (, – Bussum
Bussum () is a commuter town and former municipality in the Gooi region in the south east of the prov ...
in
Amsterdam
Amsterdam ( , ; ; ) is the capital of the Netherlands, capital and Municipalities of the Netherlands, largest city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. It has a population of 933,680 in June 2024 within the city proper, 1,457,018 in the City Re ...
. The misspelling of the name is due to the fact that the early Dutch publications of "Suske en Wiske" called him "Lambiek". The
emblem
An emblem is an abstract art, abstract or representational pictorial image that represents a concept, like a moral truth, or an allegory, or a person, like a monarch or saint.
Emblems vs. symbols
Although the words ''emblem'' and ''symbol'' ...
on the store's sign is an image from the ''Suske en Wiske'' story "Prinses Zagemeel" ("Princess Sawdust") (1947–1948) and represents Lambik's
metamorphosis
Metamorphosis is a biological process by which an animal physically develops including birth transformation or hatching, involving a conspicuous and relatively abrupt change in the animal's body structure through cell growth and different ...
into a
centaur
A centaur ( ; ; ), occasionally hippocentaur, also called Ixionidae (), is a creature from Greek mythology with the upper body of a human and the lower body and legs of a horse that was said to live in the mountains of Thessaly. In one version o ...
.
Footnotes
Sources
Index of ''Suske en Wiske'' publicationsSuske en Wiske op het www
an
BDoubliées
External links
Studio Vandersteen official site
Spike and Suzy blogspot
{{DEFAULTSORT:Spike And Suzy
Comics characters introduced in 1945
1945 comics debuts
Belgian comic strips
Belgian comics titles
Belgian comics characters
Comic strip duos
Child characters in comics
Comics about children
Fictional characters from Flanders
Humor comics
Slapstick comedy
Fantasy comics
Adventure comics
Historical comics
Comics about time travel
Comics by Willy Vandersteen
Comics adapted into animated series
Comics adapted into television series
Belgian comics adapted into films
Comics adapted into animated films
Comics adapted into plays
Comics adapted into video games
Works set in Flanders
Comics set in Belgium
Comics about orphans