A ten euro coin undervalues Hergé’s Tintin, who is 75 today. His true measure is the emerald that he saved for Bianca Castafiore

It is not often that a comic-strip character has a coin struck in his name. But it can be argued that Tintin, who is being honoured thus on his 75th anniversary, is not a mere hero of a comic strip. Tintin has captivated children and adults alike ever since Hergé created him on January 10, 1929. The adventures of a young and brave reporter have become a favourite across the globe. One of the main reasons for the continuing popularity of the Tintin stories is that they represent clean and simple fun. The stories have no love angle (in fact, with the solitary exception of Bianca Castafiore, women characters are unimportant and never regular) and there are no messages of any kind. Some of the stories had the element of the fantastic, like Tintin chasing the Yeti in the Himalayas. One suspects that the fact that good always triumphs in the stories added to their attraction. The comic element was ever-present in the stories; this was inevitable with characters like Captain Haddock, Calculus and Thompson and Thomson.

It is a remarkable feature of the Tintin phenomenon that some of the side characters were more attractive and better etched than the protagonist. Of these, Captain Haddock is the unforgettable one. With Billy Bunter and Obelix, the bearded seaman is among the finest figures to have been created for children, and has become a part of adult lore. His language, his mannerisms, his anger, his loyalty to Tintin have all made him an adorable character. Even a landlubber or a literate Neanderthal would love him! Similarly, Calculus, the deaf scientist, immensely talented but utterly weird. Thompson and Thomson, the two detectives, add a slapstick dimension as they, in their memorably confused way, demand an insult and get an apology. One also should not forget Snowy, Tintin’s dog, who understands everything his young master says, and the diva Castafiore, forever breaking into the Jewel Song from Faust. This cast of regular characters keeps readers thoroughly entertained. There is never a dull moment in the Tintin books.

Peter Pan is omnipresent in the Tintin tales. None of the characters ages. They remain unchanged over time, as do almost every other favourite character in fiction — Sherlock Holmes, Alice, Obelix, the members of Greyfriars, the Famous Five and so on. The lack of change appeals to children as it acts as a secure point in a world that is changing fast before them. For adults, it is a throwback to a lost innocence, an escape from the cynicism that surrounds them.

It is thus difficult to believe and accept that Tintin is 75. This is an infringement of reality into a sacred, never-never land where the ordinary processes that govern life are non-existent. Tintin’s adventures — whether in the English countryside, in a west Asian bazaar, in mafia-dominated America, in a fictitious country in Mitteleuropa or on the moon — convey a sense of fun for which the willing suspension of disbelief is a very small price tag. A 10 euro coin undervalues Tintin. His true measure is the emerald that he saved for Bianca Castafiore.