The Tintin Shop ~ for the child in all of us

Located near Covent Garden, on a less touristy side street is one of my favourite shops in London – The Tintin Shop.  For those who grew up reading the exploits of Tintin a step inside this shop will bring back wonderful memories and rekindle the excitement that came from reading one of Tintin’s adventures for the first time.  For those new to the world of Tintin, then, regardless of age, you have a great place to begin your journey into the young reporter’s exploits.

The Author:  The Belgian, Georges Remi (Herge), was born in 1907 and died in 1983, one year before the shop opened.  He was a master storyteller who incorporated the latest gadgets, cars and political plotlines into his stories.  He was also an excellent comic book artist and a creator of some wonderful characters.  His 24 Tintin books have been published in 70 languages and have sold over 200 million copies.  He also authored a few other series of books that are less well known.

History:  While several other Tintin shops now exist (Bruges, Brussels and Montpellier), this was the first.   The London Tintin Shop opened in 1984 and originally provided limited merchandise, but ensured there was a place where you could find all the books including the harder to obtain ones in those days, such as Tintin in the Congo and Tintin in the Land of the Soviets.

As the years have passed the store has expanded to offer a variety of Tintin related items – from collectible models of all your favourite characters, to cards, posters, films, coffee mugs etc…  Of course, all the books are here too, many offered in multiple languages.  2014 marks the 30th anniversary of this gem of a shop so if you’ve never been here, or its been a few years, its time for a visit.