Marten Toonder facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Marten Toonder
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Toonder in 1972
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| Born | 2 May 1912 Rotterdam, Netherlands |
| Died | 27 July 2005 (aged 93) Laren, Netherlands |
| Occupation | Writer |
| Nationality | Dutch |
| Genre | Graphic novels |
| Spouse | Phiny Dick |
Marten Toonder (born May 2, 1912 – died July 27, 2005) was a famous Dutch artist. He created many popular comic strips. Marten Toonder was born in Rotterdam, a city in the Netherlands. He is known for making new words and phrases popular in the Dutch language. His most famous comic series are Tom Puss and Panda.
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The Adventures of Tom Puss and Oliver B. Bumble
After finishing school in 1931, Marten Toonder traveled to Buenos Aires with his father. There, he saw the work of a famous Argentine artist named Dante Quinterno. Quinterno had a studio that made comics. Marten Toonder was so impressed that he decided to become an artist himself.
The Unique Comic Series
His most famous comic series were Tom Puss (called Tom Poes in Dutch) and Oliver B. Bumble (called Olivier B. Bommel in Dutch). These comics appeared in a Dutch newspaper from 1941 to 1986. Each day, there were three drawings with a story text next to them. The text was about a page long.
From Kids' Fun to Grown-Up Stories
The series started as a cartoon for children. But over time, the stories became more interesting for adults too. Today, some people think his comic texts are like real literature. Marten Toonder even won several literary awards for his writing.
He invented many new words and phrases. Some of these are now used by many people in the Dutch language. For example, Professor Prlwytzkofsky, a character in his comics, speaks a special mix of Dutch and German. Because of all this fun with language, Toonder's work is hard to translate into other languages.
Drawing Style and Satire
Marten Toonder's drawing style is very detailed. You might compare it to the comic Pogo. His drawings have lots of background details because there are no speech bubbles in the pictures. Besides his clever use of language, Toonder is also praised for his satire. Satire means using humor, irony, or exaggeration to make fun of people's weaknesses or foolishness.
About Marten Toonder's Life
Marten Toonder was born in Rotterdam on May 2, 1912. He lived in Ireland from 1965 until the early 1990s. He was married to another cartoon artist, Phiny Dick (1912–1990). She worked with him, and her earlier characters helped inspire Tom Puss and Oliver B. Bumble.
Marten Toonder passed away peacefully in his sleep on July 27, 2005.
The Marten Toonder Prize
From 2009 to 2013, there was an award called the Marten Toonder Prize. This prize was given to cartoonists who had made a big contribution to Dutch culture. The winner received €25,000.
Awards and Recognition
Marten Toonder received several important awards for his work:
- 1982: Stripschapprijs, Netherlands
- 1992: Tollensprijs, Netherlands
- 1997: Adamson Gold Award for Lifetime Achievement, Sweden
