Spip is a fictional Eurasian
red squirrel
The red squirrel (''Sciurus vulgaris''), also called Eurasian red squirrel, is a species of tree squirrel in the genus ''Sciurus''. It is an arboreal and primarily herbivorous rodent and common throughout Eurasia.
Taxonomy
There have been ...
and a main character in the Belgian comic strip ''
Spirou et Fantasio
''Spirou & Fantasio'' (), commonly shortened to ''Spirou'', 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 humorous adventu ...
''. He is
Spirou's pet and was the first recurring supporting character in the series.
History
The character made its debut in the second ''Spirou'' story, ''L'Héritage de Bill Money'' (''Bill Money's Heritage'', 1939) by
Rob-Vel
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 et Fantasio, Spirou'' in 1938.
Biography
Like ''Spirou'', Velter b ...
. Spirou saves him from the mad and sadistic Sosthène Silly in the story,
but otherwise the animal remained a mere anecdotal character. It wasn't until
Jijé
Joseph Gillain (), better known by his pen name Jijé (; 13 January 1914 – 19 June 1980), was a Belgian comics artist, best known for being a seminal artist on the ''Spirou et Fantasio'' strip (and for having introduced the Fantasio character) ...
took over the series that Spip became one of the main cast members and even gained the ability to talk, although humans don't understand it. When
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 ...
took over the series he introduced 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 ...
, a character who had somewhat stolen the spotlight away from Spip in many stories. However, when Franquin quit drawing ''Spirou & Fantasio'', he retained the rights to the Marsupilami, and it ceased to appear in new Spirou stories, thus making Spip once again more prominent in the new Spirou stories by different creators.
Rob-Vel and Jijé periods
Spip is saved by Spirou in
Rob-Vel
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 et Fantasio, Spirou'' in 1938.
Biography
Like ''Spirou'', Velter b ...
's and
Jijé
Joseph Gillain (), better known by his pen name Jijé (; 13 January 1914 – 19 June 1980), was a Belgian comics artist, best known for being a seminal artist on the ''Spirou et Fantasio'' strip (and for having introduced the Fantasio character) ...
's first joint adventure ''L'Héritage de Bill Money'' (''The Inheritance of Bill Money'', 1938), and from then on he stands by his master's side. Under Rob-vel his presence is just visual, occasionally serving to gnaw ropes that bind his master, or adding to a comical detail. It is under Jijé's authorship he gains the capacity to speak through "thought balloons" (similar to
Snoopy
Snoopy is an anthropomorphic beagle in the comic strip ''Peanuts'' by American cartoonist Charles M. Schulz. He also appears in all of the ''Peanuts'' films and television specials. Since his debut on October 4, 1950, Snoopy has become one of ...
and
Garfield
''Garfield'' is an American comic strip created by Jim Davis (cartoonist), Jim Davis. Originally published locally as ''Jon'' in 1976 (later changed to ''Garfield'' in 1977), then in nationwide Print syndication, syndication from 1978, it chro ...
). From this point he is given to state his opinion on any situation, often in a comical manner, and his communications appear to be understood.
Franquin period
Under
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 ...
's authorship, Spirou and Fantasio lose the ability to understand Spip, and when the Marsupilami joins the family, he also loses a great deal of attention but gains the perspective to feel ignored and underappreciated. In the shadow of his extraordinary fellow pet, he is less influential, although there are exceptions. In ''La corne de rhinoceros'', he saves his friends from an angry elephant, earning him the title "king of creation".
Near the end of this era, in ''QRN sur Bretzelburg'', he is allowed to shine.
Fournier period
Jean-Claude Fournier
Jean-Claude Fournier (; born 21 May 1943), known simply as Fournier, is a French cartoonist best known as the comic book artist who handled ''Spirou et Fantasio'' in the years 1969-1979.
Biography
Fournier was born in Paris. In 1965, Fournier app ...
's Spip continues where Franquin's left off, his sarcasms becoming more frequent and self-pitying. He occasionally breaks the
fourth wall
The fourth wall is a performance dramatic convention, convention in which an invisible, imaginary wall separates actors from the audience. While the audience can see through this "wall", the convention assumes the actors act as if they cannot. ...
, acknowledging that he is in a comic book and sometimes even complaining that Spirou and Fantasio are not exactly his idea of comic book heroes. Complaints aside, he was still an active (if often unwilling) participant in the stories, even saving the day on a few occasions, such as in ''
L'abbaye truquée''.
Tome & Janry period
In the beginning,
Tome and
Janry continued Spip much as Fournier had, letting him make biting remarks about whatever situation he was in, providing comedy relief and occasionally contributing to the plots. However, as the series evolved and grew more dramatic and mature, Spip's role was greatly reduced, his comments becoming less frequent until he stopped talking entirely. In later albums he's more or less a background character, still always by Spirou's side but seldom noticed by anyone. This was even parodied in ''
Spirou à Moscou'', where he after a kidnapping spends much of the story with a
Band-Aid covering his mouth, and Spirou and Fantasio don't notice it.
Character
Spip is featured in almost every Spirou story. Usually he provides sarcastic commentary on the events taking place around him. Humans don't understand him, however, so only readers are able to tell what's on his mind.
He is stubborn and somewhat reluctant and even scared to go on adventures with his owner. Still, Spip has saved Spirou and
Fantasio on many occasions. The animal has his own spot in Spirou's house and sleeps in an old
slipper
Slippers are a type of shoes falling under the broader category of light footwear, that are easy to put on and off and are intended to be worn indoors, particularly at home. They provide comfort and protection for the feet when walking indoors.
...
, typically dreaming about
nuts
Nut often refers to:
* Nut (fruit), fruit composed of a hard shell and a seed
* Nut (food), a dry and edible fruit or seed, including but not limited to true nuts
* Nut (hardware), fastener used with a bolt
Nut, NUT or Nuts may also refer to:
A ...
.
Etymology
The word "Spip" is a short variant of the word "spirou", which is
Walloon dialect for "squirrel", thus explaining why he is Spirou's pet.
In popular culture
Spip is somewhat of a counterpart to
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 ...
's
Snowy and therefore often used in merchandise. The character is portrayed on a wall in the Rue Notre Dame des Grâces/ Onze-Lieve-Vrouw van Gratiestraat 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 ...
as part of the
Brussels' Comic Book Route, along with other characters from ''
Spirou and Fantasio''.
References
{{Spirou & Fantasio
Belgian comics characters
Fictional squirrels
Comics characters introduced in 1939
Comic book sidekicks
Spirou et Fantasio
Male characters in comics