Latest “Titeuf” album on sale

The eighth volume of Switzerland's cult cartoon series, "Titeuf", went on sale on Friday with a print run of half a million copies. "Hands Off My Underpants" promises a fresh set of hilarious adventures for the 10-year-old hero.

Titeuf, whose insatiable curiosity constantly lands him in all manner of scrapes, has becoming something of a cult in French-speaking Switzerland and abroad.

Since the Geneva animator, Zep, first created the character in 1993 the books have been a runaway sensation in France and Switzerland and have sold well in Germany, Italy, Denmark, Greece, Poland, Spain and Portugal.

“Titeuf helps me laugh about my childhood and the extraordinary naivety one has as a child,” said the 32-year-old animator. “It helps me return to the world I inhabited as a 10-year-old and my efforts to understand the incomprehensible – the adult world.”

Titeuf is shy and understands little of the adult world but keeps asking questions – even if he doesn’t understand the answers – sometimes with comic results.

Although Titeuf was originally aimed at children aged 8 to 12, some parents are afraid to let their children read the books because they tackle subjects such as sex, unemployment and war. But this is also probably the secret to Titeuf’s success with children and adults alike.

“With each album, I rediscover more and more of the feelings I had as a child, such as a strong feeling of injustice and the desire to change the world,” said Zep.

swissinfo and agencies