View source for Snowy (character)

{{short description|Comic character by Belgian cartoonist Hergé}}
{{other uses|Snowy (disambiguation)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=September 2020}}
{{Use British English|date=August 2013}}
{{Infobox comics character
<!--Wikipedia:WikiProject Comics-->
| character_name = Snowy
| image          = Snowy_(character).png
| imagesize      = 150
| caption        = Snowy ''(Milou)'', by [[Hergé]]
| publisher      = [[Casterman]] (Belgium)
| debut          = ''[[Tintin in the Land of the Soviets]]'' (1929)<br/>''[[The Adventures of Tintin]]''
| creators       = [[Hergé]]
| full_name      = Snowy<br/>(Milou in the original French)
| species        = [[Dog]] ([[Wire Fox Terrier]])
| partners       = [[List of The Adventures of Tintin characters#Main characters|List of main characters]]
| supports       = [[Tintin (character)|Tintin]]
}}

'''Snowy''' ({{langx|fr|'''Milou'''}} {{IPA|fr|milu|}}{{sfn|Peeters|2012|p=341|loc="Character Names in French and English"}}) is a fictional character in ''[[The Adventures of Tintin]]'', the comics series by Belgian cartoonist [[Hergé]]. Snowy is a white [[Wire Fox Terrier]] who is a companion to [[Tintin (character)|Tintin]], the series' protagonist. Snowy made his debut on 10 January 1929 in the first installment of ''[[Tintin in the Land of the Soviets]]'', which was serialised in ''[[Le Petit Vingtième]]'' until May 1930.

Snowy is modeled in part on a [[Fox Terrier]] at a café that Hergé used to frequent.<ref>{{cite web|title=Snowy : Real life inspiration|url=http://us.tintin.com/meet-the-characters/snowy/|work=Characters of Tintin|publisher=Official Hergé website|access-date=3 March 2014}}</ref> Milou, Snowy's original French name, was the nickname of Hergé's first girlfriend.<ref name=f24>Farr (2007): 24</ref>

In the first eight Tintin adventures, Snowy regularly addresses his [[internal monologue]] to the reader. Hergé diminished Snowy's speaking role after the introduction of [[Captain Haddock]] in the ninth story, ''[[The Crab with the Golden Claws]]''.<ref name=f31>Farr (2007): 31</ref>

==Inspiration and design==
Hergé never had a dog in his family until his last years; however, in 1929 he was a regular at a café where the proprietor had a terrier. This dog was a major source of inspiration for Snowy.

Snowy's original French name ''Milou''—an abbreviation of Marie-Louise—is borrowed from the nickname of Hergé's first girlfriend, Marie-Louise Van Cutsem. Marie-Louise's father disapproved of Hergé's low [[social standing]], and the young couple's relationship consequently deteriorated. Nevertheless, Hergé remained fond of Marie-Louise, and made her the namesake of Tintin's most trusted friend. The name ''Snowy'' was chosen for English-language translations not only because of the dog's colour,<ref name=f24/> but also because it is a five-letter word that fits in the [[speech balloon]]s.<ref name=t309-10>: 309-10</ref>

==Character==
Throughout the series, Snowy is Tintin's [[sidekick]] and companion on journeys.<ref name=rohit>{{cite web |url=http://www.dvdtalk.com/reviews/51740/adventures-of-tintin-season-one-the/?___rd=1 |title=The Adventures of Tintin: Season One |publisher=[[DVD Talk]] |date=22 November 2011 |last=Rao |first=Rohit |access-date=26 November 2011}}</ref> Along with Tintin he is the only character to appear in all of the [[comic albums]].<ref name=f23>Farr (2007): 23</ref> In the debut album ''Tintin in the Land of the Soviets'', Snowy is a source of [[comic relief]].<ref name=f25>Farr (2007): 25</ref> Throughout the first eight stories Snowy is the series' co-star;<ref name=f31/> he is able to understand human language, and communicates with speech bubbles. His verbal responses to various situations include jokes, expressions of fright, and pleas to Tintin to exercise caution. In the early albums he takes an interest in mechanics and geography; in ''[[Tintin in the Congo]]'', he makes biblical references.<ref name=f30>Farr (2007): 30</ref> As a dog, he also sniffs, tracks, chases, and bites.

The character of Snowy evolved through the course of the Tintin series. In early works he exchanges dialog with other characters, including animals, and provides a running commentary on the situation. His character then became affected by the introduction of Captain Haddock in ''[[The Crab with the Golden Claws]]''. Before Haddock's appearance, Snowy was the source of dry and cynical side-commentary, which balanced out Tintin's constantly positive, optimistic perspective. When Haddock entered the series, the Captain took over the role of the cynic, and Snowy gradually shifted into a more light-hearted role, having dialog only with Tintin.<ref name=f31 />

Snowy is portrayed as brave and is often fearless against much larger creatures when Tintin is threatened. He repeatedly frees Tintin from captivity and saves him from dangerous situations, and will sometimes identify a villain before Tintin. The Black Island and The Shooting Star show that his only fear is [[arachnophobia]].<ref name=f30 /> Snowy is loyal to Tintin and always wishes to stay by his master's side: in a scene in ''[[The Shooting Star]]'' when Tintin temporarily abandoned him, Snowy was inconsolable.<ref name=f29>Farr (2007): 29</ref>

Snowy loves whiskey, and occasionally gets drunk (as occurred in ''[[Tintin in the Land of the Soviets]],'' ''[[The Black Island]],'' ''[[Tintin in Tibet]]'' and ''[[Tintin and the Picaros]]'').<ref name=f25 /> His appetite for food is the basis for several short, comical sequences.<ref>Farr (2007): 27</ref> The dog's biggest lust is for bones. This is repeatedly the centre of moral dilemmas, as Snowy has to decide between carrying out important tasks, such as carrying an SOS message, and picking up a bone, as evidenced in ''[[King Ottokar's Sceptre]]''.<ref name=f29 /> Snowy indulges in rowdy behaviour chasing the [[Siamese cat]] at [[Marlinspike Hall]] until the two become friends at the end of ''[[The Calculus Affair]]''.<ref name=f31 /> Snowy often adds to the story in notable ways. For instance, Snowy is the only character in ''[[Flight 714 to Sydney]]'' to escape mass hypnosis and to know of their abduction by aliens.

==Adaptations==
[[Image:Snowy in The Adventures of Tintin.jpg|thumb|upright|alt=A computer-illustrated, realistic-looking image of Snowy, a screenshot from the new movie|Snowy as he appears in [[Steven Spielberg]]'s 2011 [[motion capture]] feature film ''[[The Adventures of Tintin: The Secret of the Unicorn]]'']]

At the end of the run of ''Tintin in the Land of the Soviets'' on 8 May 1930, a mock reception for Snowy and Tintin was conducted at Brussels' [[Brussels-North railway station|Gare du Nord]] railway station. There Snowy was played by Hergé's cafékeeper's Fox Terrier.<ref name=f24 /> In ''[[The Adventures of Tintin (TV series)|The Adventures of Tintin]]'' television series, Snowy is voiced by [[Susan Roman]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.behindthevoiceactors.com/Susan-Roman/ |title=Susan Roman |publisher=Behind the Voice Actors |access-date=26 November 2011}}</ref> However, Snowy's comments are not present.<ref name=rohit />

Among the [[anthropomorphic]] cast of [[Bryan Talbot|Bryan Talbot's]] graphic novel ''[[Grandville (comics)|Grandville]]'', there is a white Wire Fox Terrier named "Snowy Milou". In a drug-induced delirium, he describes the dreams he has had, with close parallels to the various adventures of the ''Tintin'' books.

From a [[computer-generated imagery]] point of view, Snowy was the most difficult character to film during production of the 2011 [[motion capture]] film ''[[The Adventures of Tintin (film)|The Adventures of Tintin]]''. Fur is generally difficult to render, with white being the most difficult colour and curly fur being the most difficult shape.<ref>Weta Workshop: 38</ref> Another issue was Snowy is always shown at particular angles, which made it difficult to make him recognisable with moving camera shots.<ref name=w37>Weta Workshop: 37</ref> Early in the development process, when the motion-capture was being filmed in-studio, the production team considered casting a dog as Snowy. Instead a puppet was used, acted out by a puppeteer. Thus, the actors worked with the puppet placeholder; Snowy and the other characters were then animated afterwards.<ref>Weta Workshop: 39</ref>

==Statues and commemorative murals==

* A mural on a building at Rue de l'Etuve recreates a scene of [[Tintin (character)|Tintin]], [[Captain Haddock]] and Snowy coming down a building fire escape from [[The Calculus Affair]].<ref name="huff"/>
* The [[Brussels-South railway station|Gare du Midi]] station in [[Brussels]] contains a huge reproduction of a panel from [[Tintin in America]].<ref name="field">{{cite web|title=Field Report: Tintin and Hergé in Brussels|url=http://www.a113animation.com/2013/07/field-report-tintin-and-Herg%C3%A9-in-brussels.html|publisher=A113 Animation|access-date=3 March 2014|archive-date=3 July 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200703220628/http://www.a113animation.com/2013/07/field-report-tintin-and-Herg%C3%A9-in-brussels.html|url-status=dead}}</ref>
* The Le Lombard building in [[Brussels|Central Brussels]] (Near [[Brussels-South railway station|Gare du Midi]]) has two giant heads of Snowy and Tintin on the roof. These are lit up with neon lights at night. Lombard was the editor of the Journal de Tintin.<ref>{{cite web|last=Studios Hergé|first=Moulinsart|title=Tintin in Brussels|url=https://maps.google.be/maps/ms?msa=0&msid=201677403464380647352.0004631a82908c3f42e5b|work=Official route drawn by Moulinsart and Studios Hergé|publisher=Moulinsart and Studios Hergé|access-date=3 March 2014}}</ref>
* The [[Brussels Metro|Stockel subway station]] in [[Brussels]] has huge panels with scenes from Tintin comic books painted as murals.<ref name="huff">{{cite news|title=Tintin Tracking in Comic-Crazy Brussels|url=http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/12/21/tintin-tracking-in-comic-_n_1160537.html#s555986|access-date=3 March 2014|newspaper=HuffPost|date=21 December 2011}}</ref> 
* The Uccle cultural center<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ccu.be|title=CCU}}</ref> (Rue Ruge) in [[Belgium]] has a life size statue of [[Tintin (character)|Tintin]] and Snowy. The statue was sculpted by [[:fr:Nat Neujean|Nat Neujeun]] and commissioned by [[Raymond Leblanc]], the publisher of [[Tintin (magazine)|Tintin]].

==See also==
* [[List of The Adventures of Tintin characters|List of ''The Adventures of Tintin'' characters]]
* [[List of fictional dogs]]

==References==
{{Reflist|30em}}

===Bibliography===
* {{cite book |last=Farr |first=Michael |author-link=Michael Farr |title=Tintin & Co. |year=2007 |publisher=Egmont |location=London |isbn=978-1-4052-3264-7}}
* {{cite book | title=Hergé: Son of Tintin | last=Peeters | first=Benoît | author-link=Benoît Peeters | others=Tina A. Kover (translator) | year=2012 | orig-year=2002 | publisher=Johns Hopkins University Press | location=Baltimore, Maryland | isbn=978-1-4214-0454-7 | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=eS5v-F04AoQC }}
* {{cite book |author=Weta Workshop |author-link=Weta Workshop |title=The Art of the Adventures of Tintin |year=2011 |publisher=HarperCollins |location=New Zealand |isbn=9780062087492}}
* {{cite book |last=Thompson |first=Harry |author-link=Harry Thompson |title=Tintin: Hergé & His Creation |year=1991 |publisher=John Murray (Publishers) |location=London |isbn=978-1-84854-672-1}}

{{Tintin and Hergé}}

[[Category:Tintin characters]]
[[Category:Comics characters introduced in 1929]]
[[Category:Comic book sidekicks]]
[[Category:Fictional dogs]]
[[Category:Hergé characters]]