The Dark Secret Behind the Creator of Tintin

Tintin is one of the most beloved comic book characters

of all time.

He's appeared in countless comics, films, TV shows,

and radio plays.

But did you know his creator held a dark secret?

Today we're exploring the fascinating back-story

of Tintin's creator, Hergé, his propensity for creating racist

imagery, and how he was arrested for being a Nazi collaborator.

But before we dig in, be sure to subscribe to the Weird History

channel and let us know what other stories

you'd like to hear about.

OK, let's get into Tintin.

George Prosper Remi was born on May 22, 1907

in Etterbeek, Belgium.

He was born into a lower middle-class family.

His father, Alexis Remi, worked in a bakery.

His mother, Elizabeth Dufour, was a housewife.

Growing up, Remi fell in love with the animation

of famed cartoonist, Windsor McCay.

He was specifically taken with the Gertie

the Dinosaur cartoons, which inspired

him to take up drawing.

As a boy, Remi would draw simple cartoons and comics

in the margins of his school notebooks.

At 12, Remi joined the Boy Scouts.

He was quickly promoted to troop leader of the Squirrel Patrol,

gaining the nickname Curious Fox for his inquisitive nature.

The Boy Scouts was a positive experience

for the young Remi, who found that his scout leader was

an encouraging influence toward his fledgling artistic efforts,

even going so far as to publish a drawing Remi

had made in their Never Enough newsletter.

This was his first published work.

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It was during this time creating illustrations and woodcuts

for Boy Scout magazines that Remi would land

on his now iconic pseudonym.

Initially trying out Jérémie and Jérémiades,

Remi finally settled on Hergé, a name inspired by the French