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Johan and Peewit (Johan et Pirlouit)
Date	1947-2001
No. of issues	17
Main characters	Johan and Peewit
Publisher	Dupuis andLe Lombard
Creative team
Writers	Peyo and Studio Peyo
Artists	Peyo and Studio Peyo
Creator	Peyo
Original publication
Published in	Spirou magazine
Language	French
Chronology
Followed by	The Smurfs

Johan and Peewit (French:Johan et Pirlouit,pronounced[ʒoanepiʁlwi]) is aBelgiancomics series created byPeyo and named after the two main characters. Since its initial appearance in 1947, it has been published in 13 albums that appeared before the death of Peyo in 1992. Thereafter, a team ofcomic book creators from Studio Peyo continued to publish the stories.

The series is set inMedieval Europe, and mainly concerns the adventures of Johan, a youngsquire and hisjester sidekick Peewit, and includes elements ofsword-and-sorcery. It is also notable for branching out intoThe Smurfs franchise, following their first introduction in the 1958 storyThe Smurfs and the Magic Flute.

Initially titled simplyJohan, the series first appeared in the newspaperLa Dernière Heure in 1947 and then inLe Soir from 1950 until 1952. It began publication in theFranco-Belgian comics magazineSpirou on 11 September 1952^[1] and the initially blond-haired hero became dark-haired.^[2]

In 1954, Johan was joined by Pirlouit, and the series took its final name. It was inJohan et Pirlouit, on 23 October 1958, that the firstsmurf appeared.^[3]

Peyo stated that Pirlouit was his favourite character,^[4] andJohan et Pirlouit was the only series on which he always did the drawings without the aid of the studio. Their adventures appeared regularly inSpirou in the 1950s and early 1960s, but the success of the Smurfs meant that they were much neglected afterwards, aside from a very short one-off adventure in 1977. However, following Peyo's death, other artists and writers have revived the series with 4 more albums between 1994 and 2001.

Set in theMiddle Ages in an unnamedEuropeankingdom, the series follows the adventures of Johan, a brave youngpage to the King, and Peewit, his faithful, if boastful and cheating,midget sidekick. Johan rides off in search of adventure with his trusty horse Bayard, while Peewit gallops sporadically, and grudgingly, behind on his goat, Biquette. The pair are driven by duty to their King and the courage to defend the underpowered. Struggles for power between deposed lords and usurping villains form the basis of many of the plots which also contain elements ofdetective fiction as the pair hunt downtraitors andoutlaws, as well asfantasy, withwitches and sorcerers,giants,ghosts and, above all, theSmurfs.

The first few adventures did not feature Peewit. From his first appearance in 1947, Johan had a number of solo adventures and met Peewit in 1954, thus, in line with many other comic series of the time, giving Johan's earnest hero acomic relief sidekick similar toTintin'sCaptain Haddock,Lucky Luke'sRantanplan,Asterix'sObelix, orSpirou'sFantasio.

• Johan: A squire to the King who later ascends to the rank of knight. Johan is a capable leader and a talented combatant, as he is shown to be skilledswordfighter,archer, and hand-to-hand fighter. He is the quintessential bold fighter, always ready to be in the thick of it, and a natural leader. Johan is quick to intervene whenever he sees an injustice being committed and will go all the way to rectify wrongs, ignoring Peewit's grumblings about the problems that they are going to face in the process. His name is pronounced "Yohahn".
• Peewit: ("Pirlouit" in the original French) A blond, gluttonous dwarf and Johan's best friend, he lived in the forest neighboring the King's castle playing practical jokes on the people and stealing meats and apples before being hired as the courtjester. He agreed, provided that he was not obliged to wear the jester's outfit, which he felt made him look like a "fool" (which is another term for jester). His name is pronounced "Peewee".
  Contrary to what he believes himself, Peewit is a terrible musician, though, unlikeCacofonix from theAsterix series, the other inhabitants of the castle cannot bring themselves to tell him how bad he is — though the King did once make a show of removingearplugs in Peewit's presence. His "music" has also been known to cause rain.^[5]
  Peewit is easily upset, especially when Johan volunteers him to go on another adventure but, being cunning and agile, he is quite capable of escaping from a tight corner and putting up a fight. When outwitting his enemies, he screams out his cry of triumph: "Peeeewiiiiit". In theSmurfs cartoon series, rather than being a random dwarf, he is the King's nephew, as he states in the episode The Sorcery Of Maltrochu, and is portrayed as a kid, younger than Johan.
• Bayard: Johan's horse and primary mount who typically accompanies him and Peewit on their various adventures. He is shown to be very loyal & protective of Johan and Peewit, having traveled to many lands and formed a strong bond with both of them. Bayard is also shown to be close with Biquette, Peewit's mount, with the two being capable of limited non-verbal communication. Bayard is typically portrayed as being a white stallion with black spots, although he has on occasion been depicted as being a chestnut shade. Bayard's exact breed of horse is never made clear in the series. He shares his name with the legendary horseBayard from medieval European (including Belgium) folklore, although it is unknown if their shared name is coincidental or intentional.
• Biquette: Peewit's goat and primary mount who often accompanies him and Johan on their various adventures. She is very loyal to Peewit and Johan, and often assists them in battle against various enemies with her powerful horn attack. Biquette is also shown to be close to Bayard, Johan's mount, to the extent that the two can communicate with the other in a limited capacity. Biquette is depicted as a black nanny goat with a white splash near her mouth. Biquette's exact breed of goat is never made exactly clear in the series. Her name means "young female goat" in French, and she is named after a goat that belonged to Nine Culliford, the wife of series creator Peyo, as a child.Biquette is a common nickname in French for goats (seeBiquette).
• The King: The unnamed monarch of the Kingdom. He is somewhat carefree and enjoys wine but is also firm and is loved by his subjects and vassals. He has a beautiful niece, but no direct descendants. He can be very keen to go on expeditions and battles — which can be difficult given his old age.
• Homnibus: Anenchanter whom the heroes often consult on matters of magic. He is also analchemist andherbalist. It is he who first tells Johan and Peewit about the beings called the Smurfs.
• Olivier: Homnibus' young servant.
• Rachel: An old sorceress, who has a terrible reputation, but is actually very kind and helpful. She knows how to make many different potions, including a mixture called Wine of Giddiness.
• Count Tremaine: ("Comte Tréville" in the original French) A skilled knight and brave warrior, he is a friend and role model to Johan.
• Lady Barbera: Usually called "Dame Barbara" in the cartoon series; an old aristocratic woman who resides in the King's castle, always wearing a green dress. She has a reputation for being a gossip, as well as being somewhat prideful and stuck-up.
• The Smurfs: The Smurfs appear in several stories as Johan and Peewit's allies. While the Smurfs have their own series, adventures with their two human friends remain part of the "Johan and Peewit" series.Papa Smurf's knowledge of magic is especially helpful.
  • Papa Smurf: The leader of the Smurfs.
  • Smurfette: A female Smurf created by Gargamel. She was originally the only female Smurf prior to the introduction of Sassette and Nanny in the 1981 TV series, Vexy inThe Smurfs 2, and the Smurf Girls inSmurfs: The Lost Village andthe 2021Smurfs cartoon series. (she only features in theSmurfs cartoon series and the upcoming Johan and Peewit cartoon series).
  • Brainy Smurf: (he only features inThe Smurfs and the Magic Flute andSmurfs cartoon series).
  • Hefty Smurf: (he only features inThe Smurfs and the Magic Flute andSmurfs cartoon series).
  • Clumsy Smurf: (he only features inThe Smurfs and the Magic Flute andSmurfs cartoon series).
  • Dopey Smurf/Dimwitty Smurf:
• Princess Sabina: Niece to the King. She is pretty but hates ladylike things and is an excellent marksman (she only features in theSmurfs cartoon series, but is based on Princess Anne, who appears in the third book).

While never as popular as the Smurfs, Johan and certainly Peewit enjoyed their share of fame and popularity as well, and consequently some merchandising was made. In 1959, a first Peewit figurine was made by Dupuis, followed a few years later by a Johan. In the 1970s,Bully andSchleich made Johan and Peewit figurines in their series ofPVC Smurf figurines. Plush puppets were made as well.

• Originally aJohan and Peewit adventure,The Smurfs and the Magic Flute was adapted into an animated film in 1976 in Europe, with considerable success. It was re-released in 1983 in the wake of the success oftheSmurfs cartoons fromHanna-Barbera, and enjoyed some success in the USA as well.
• Johan and Peewit were also featured in some of the animated Smurf cartoons, being the main stars in many episodes. In France and other European countries, their TV cartoon adventures were treated as a separate series from that of the Smurfs, even though the latter feature heavily.
• In the early 1980s, somerecords about their adventures were made in France and Italy, contributors includingCristina D'Avena.
• On July 11, 2024, a new animated series focused on Johan and Peewit was announced by Peyo Productions titledTales of Johan & Peewit. The series modernizes the characters with a blend of 2D and 3D animation styled. The Smurfs are supporting characters in the series.^[6]
• Another Peyo series wasBenoît Brisefer (best known in English as "Benny Breakiron") about a little boy with extraordinary strength. Benoît's adventures are set in modern times. In one episode a man strongly resembling Johan can be seen signing into a luxury hotel near a film studio — he even wears a brown jacket and red trousers similar to Johan's;^[7] in another, a newspaper indicates the announcement of a film calledJohan: The Return II with a photo of Johan next to it, and Biquette makes a cameo appearance in the same volume.^[8]
• When the Smurfs got their own series, Johan and Peewit did not feature. However, they did appear in a 2008 Smurf adventure called "The Flute Smurfers" (French:Les schtroumpfeurs de flûte). This story, published to mark the 50th anniversary of the first appearance of the Smurfs, is a prequel toLa flûte à six schtroumpfs (published in English as "The Smurfs and the Magic Flute") and tells how the Smurfs first deliver the flute which was to be the basis of the 1958 story. Johan and Peewit help out a human friend of the Smurfs, but do not actually get to meet the little blue elves themselves.

Few of Johan and Peewit's adventures have been published in English:La Flûte à six Schtroumpfs asThe Smurfs and the Magic Flute (Hodder and Stoughton UK, 1979,Random House USA, 1983 and Papercutz USA, 2010),La guerre des sept fontaines asThe War of the Seven Springs (Papercutz USA, 2013), andLa Flèche noire under the titleThe Black Arrow (Fantasy Flight Publishing USA, 1995).^[9]

Below is a list of the French titles, their year of publication, an English translation of the titles and a brief description.

The first 13 albums were published byDupuis; those that came afterwards were published byLe Lombard.

As well asSpirou magazine, some of the shorter stories, likeSortilèges au château, were published inRisque-Tout (French for "Daredevil") which came from the same publishers.

Johan's adventures published in newspapers prior to his appearing inSpirou are not included.

Johan and Peewit appeared in different other languages, of which the ones below with their corresponding names.

• Catalan: Jan i Trencapins

• Danish: Henrik og Hagbart

• Dutch: Johan en Pirrewiet

• Finnish: Johannes ja Pirkale

• German: Johann und Pfiffikus

• Hungarian: Janó és Bibice

• Icelandic: Hinrik og Hagbarður

• Indonesian: Johan dan Pirlouit

• Italian: John e Solfamì

• Portuguese: Johan e Pirlouit

• Spanish: Johan y Pirluit

• Swedish: Johan och Pellevin

• Marcinelle school

• Johan and Peewit Dupuis Publishing(in French)

• 1947 comics debuts
• 2001 comics endings
• Adventure comics
• Animated duos
• Bandes dessinées
• Belgian comics adapted into films
• Belgian comic strips
• Comics adapted into animated films
• Comics adapted into animated series
• Comics adapted into television series
• Comics by Peyo
• Comics characters introduced in 1947
• Comics set in the Middle Ages
• Comic strip duos
• Dupuis titles
• Fictional duos
• Fictional knights
• Humor comics
• Lombard Editions titles
• Male characters in comics
• Peyo characters
• Television duos
• The Smurfs characters
• Adventure franchises

• CS1 French-language sources (fr)
• Articles with short description
• Short description is different from Wikidata
• Articles lacking Episode table templates
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