History ComicStrip / DeKiekeboes

* Expy: Thimoteus Triangle is basicly [[JamesBond Ernst Stavros Blofeld]], but more crazier.

* HopperShot: Fanny and Inspecteur Sapperdeboere sat in this restaurant in the album ''"Blond en BlauW"''.

* KarmaHoudini: A few villians managed to get away with what they done, and are never seen again.

** In ''"De Zaak Luc Raak"'' the only existing copy of a LaurelAndHardy film in color goes up in flames.

* RealPersonCameo: National and international celebrities also regularly have small cameos in the stories, including Creator/LouisDeFunes, Fernandel, LaurelAndHardy, Creator/WoodyAllen, Creator/JohnCleese, Hergé, Creator/ReneGoscinny, JeanGabin, Bourvil, VictorBorge, Khomeini, the cast of LittleBritain, JacquesTati, MichaelJackson, GraceJones and many Belgian and Dutch celebrities.

* {{Slapstick}}: Merho is a huge fan of LaurelAndHardy, so slapstick elements are often included.

* VillainousCrossDresser: Timotheus Triangl underwent a sex change in ''“Zeg Het Met Bloemen”'' and since then he is a woman.
* WhatDoYouMeanItsNotForKids? Though marketed as- and popular with- a children's comic strip, a lot of stuff is not specifically intended or understandable for children.

* SelfDeprecation: unlikely coincidences within a plot will often be lampshaded with the remark along the lines that even the most crappy comic book writer wouldn't dare come up with them.

** Merho encountered too much executive meddling during the filming of ''“Misstoestanden”'', a live action adaptation of his characters which he felt was a disgrace to his series. The film quickly flopped and disappeared into obscurity. Merho got his revenge by making two stories mercilessly satirizing executive meddling: ''“Misstoestanden”'' and ''“De Simstones”''.

* EarlyInstallmentWeirdness: The early albums are more traditional comic book stories with cute fantasy creatures (''“De Wollebollen”'') and less inspired stories and puns. The characters don’t have much depth to them and there’s none of the more daring subject matter that can be found in later stories. To make matters worse many plot elements and jokes are told by MrExposition narrative devices. Even Merho sees many of these old stories as an OldShame.
* EscapeFromTheCrazyPlace: The real Napoleon Bonaparte is sent to a mental institution in ''"Een koud kunstje"'' for thinking he is Napoleon. He eventually escapes.

* ThatDidntHappen: The story of “Haaiman” turns out to be an idea for a script that Kiekeboe ultimately refuses to act out.

* RealPersonCameo: National and international celebrities also regularly have small cameos in the stories, including Creator/LouisDeFunes, Fernandel, LaurelAndHardy, WoodyAllen, Creator/JohnCleese, Hergé, Creator/ReneGoscinny, JeanGabin, Bourvil, VictorBorge, Khomeini, the cast of LittleBritain, JacquesTati, MichaelJackson, GraceJones and many Belgian and Dutch celebrities.

At first sight ''“De Kiekeboes”'' is your typical Flemish family strip in the tradition of ''Suske en Wiske, {{Jommeke}}'' and ''{{Nero}}''. All stories center around the family Kiekeboe: father Marcel, mother Charlotte, teenage daughter Fanny and school boy Konstantinopel. However, the series have a more realistic every day life setting avoiding many of the typical comic book strip clichés: no WorldsStrongestMan, no AbsentMindedProfessor, no TalkingAnimal and fantasy elements are kept to a minimum. We do know that ghosts exist ''(“Spoken in Huis”)'', vampires ''(“Het Witte Bloed”, “De Kus van Mona”, “De Babyvampier”,…)'', strange prehistoric monsters ''(“Met De Franse Slag”)'', aliens ''("De Trawanten Van Spih")'' and occasionally some physically impossible gags occur. But most of the time everything is set in a realistic atmosphere. Fanny and Charlotte are not ConvenientlyAnOrphan or adopted, but Marcel and Charlotte’s real children. The early albums are still a bit naïve and childish like a traditional comic strip, but gradually the series started GrowingTheBeard and became DarkerAndEdgier. Many of the early one-dimensional characters became more complex. Story lines touched more adult and often risqué subject matter like prostitution, drugs, transsexuality, religious cults, racism, homosexuality, … The sly erotic jokes also became more prominent and explicit in later stories. Today ''“De Kiekeboes”'' is mostly an adult strip, though it still manages to keep its stories amusing and interesting for children as well.

* ChildrenAreInnocent: Subverted. Konstantinopel, Joeksel and Froefroe are supposedly around five years old, but know a suspiciously lot about sexual topics.

* PunnyStuff

* RealPersonCameo: National and international celebrities also regularly have small cameos in the stories, including LouisDeFunes, Fernandel, LaurelAndHardy, WoodyAllen, Creator/JohnCleese, Hergé, Creator/ReneGoscinny, JeanGabin, Bourvil, VictorBorge, Khomeini, the cast of LittleBritain, JacquesTati, MichaelJackson, GraceJones and many Belgian and Dutch celebrities.

* RealPersonCameo: National and international celebrities also regularly have small cameos in the stories, including LouisDeFunes, Fernandel, LaurelAndHardy, WoodyAllen, Creator/JohnCleese, Hergé, ReneGoscinny, JeanGabin, Bourvil, VictorBorge, Khomeini, the cast of LittleBritain, JacquesTati, MichaelJackson, GraceJones and many Belgian and Dutch celebrities.

* ReneGoscinny: Has a cameo in ''"Het lijk had gelijk"''

''De Kiekeboes'' is the most successful Flemish comic strip since ''SuskeEnWiske''. Though ''Suske en Wiske'' has more success and thus larger sales globally, ''De Kiekeboes'' are far more popular in Flanders today. Author Merho started his career as a protégé of Suske en Wiske author Willy Vandersteen, but since 1977 he started his own comic strip: ''“Kiekeboe”'' (since 2010 renamed as ''“De Kiekeboes”'').

At first sight ''“De Kiekeboes”'' is your typical Flemish family strip in the tradition of ''Suske en Wiske, {{Jommeke}}'' and ''{{Nero}}''. All stories center around the family Kiekeboe: father Marcel, mother Charlotte, teenage daughter Fanny and school boy Konstantinopel. However, the series have a more realistic every day life setting avoiding many of the typical comic book strip clichés: no WorldsStrongestMan, no AbsentMindedProfessor, no TalkingAnimal and fantasy elements are kept to a minimum. We do know that ghosts exist ''(“Spoken in Huis”)'', vampires ''(“Het Witte Bloed”, “De Kus van Mona”, “De Babyvampier”,…)'', strange prehistoric monsters ''(“Met De Franse Slag”)'', aliens ''("De Trawanten Van Spih")'' and occasionally some physically impossible gags occur. But most of the time everything is set in a realistic atmosphere. Fanny and Charlotte are not ConvenientlyAnOrphan or adopted, but Marcel and Charlotte’s real children. The early albums are still a bit naïve and childish like a traditional comic strip, but gradually the series started GrowingTheBeard and became DarkerAndEdgier. Many of the early one-dimensional characters became more complex. Story lines touched more adult and often risqué subject matter like prostitution, drugs, transsexuality, religious cults, racism, homosexuality, … The sly erotic jokes also became more prominent and explicit in later stories. Today ''“De Kiekeboes”'' is mostly an adult strip, though it still manages to keep its stories amusing and interesting for children as well.

* '''Marcel Kiekeboe''': The big moustached father. A joyful, enthusiastic but naïve man who is often manipulated by others like his mother, Moemoe, and his boss, Van De Kasseien. He has a tendency of taking impulsive decisions that sometimes cause major problems.
* '''Charlotte Kiekeboe''': The mother of the family. Originally a very bland flat character her personality became more assertive and self-assured over the years.
* '''Fanny Kiekeboe''': The teenage daughter who doesn't go to school anymore, but works various jobs. She is self-assured, headstrong, socially engaged and brave. Many plots have scenes where she walks around in erotic or semi-nude poses. She has also had a lot of boyfriends.
* '''Konstantinopel Kiekeboe''': The young son, who is smart well beyond his years.

* '''Mevrouw Stokvis''': Moemoe's best friend, although their friendship borders to rivalry. She is an invisible character and never seen by the readers.
* '''Nonkel Vital''' Marcel Kiekeboe's uncle and Moemoe's brother-in-law. He is a happy-go-lucky and meddlesome character who often bickers with Moemoe about family matters.
* '''Leon Van Der Neffe''': Kiekeboe's neighbour who works as a military. He is an unsympathetic, snobistic, egocentric, prejudiced, xenophobic and racist man, originally married to a woman with the same opinions. He and his wife, Carmella, have two children: a boy, Joeksel, and a girl, Froefroe, who are actually more intelligent and sympathetic. They often play with Konstantinopel. At a certain point in the series he divorced and since then his one-note character got more depth and even sympathetic aspects.

* '''Alanis''': Fanny's girlfriend.

* '''Timotheus Triangl''': A JamesBond type villain who wants to take over the world. Originally he was a little man, but later he underwent a sex change and since then he is a woman.
* '''Dédé la Canaille''': A dangerous French criminal who wants to kill Kiekeboe for putting him behind bars.
* '''Alain Provist''' The boss of an employment agency, frequently consulted by Charlotte.

* '''Moïse Mombakka''': An African foreign exchange student who dated Fanny for one album and later became president of Boeloe Boeloe after the deposition of Bibi Pralin Gaga.

* '''Jens''': Fanny's longtime boyfriend for ten albums. Since then they broke up.

* '''Tomboy''' A black female prostitute who keeps her work a secret. Fanny is the only one who knows about it.

* AdolfHitler:
** Dictator Sstoeffer in ''"Het Plan SStoeffer"'' is a clear parody.

* AllForNothing: Kiekeboe tries to get a cake which has a ring hidden inside in the album ''“De Taart”''. When he finally retrieves the cake after many shenanigans it turns out he left the ring at his local baker’s place.
* AlternateEnding: An alternative ending to the story ''“De Zaak Luc Raak”'' is provided in ''“Afgelast Wegens Ziekte”''.
* AmbiguouslyGay: Jujuul the flamboyant gay vampire.

* BadassLongHair: In ''“De Haar-Tisten”'' a religious cult whose members all have long hair try to make everybody bald so that they can sell them a hair growing serum.
* BadassMustache: Marcel Kiekeboe’s moustache. The real life Moustache Club of Antwerp even called him the ''“Moustache Of The Year”'' in 1984! Merho then drew a story about it: ''“De Snor van Kiekeboe”''.

* BerserkButton: In the album ''“Jeanne Darm”'' Nick Nack, head of the fresh drink company ''“Kameel”'' goes berserk whenever someone mentions the name of the rival company “Dromedaris”.

* BigBad: Timotheus Triangl, who is a JamesBond type villain. Kiekeboe’s sworn enemy is however Dédé La Canaille, a French convict.
* BigEater: Inspecteur Sapperdeboere

* BootCampEpisode: In ''“Geeeeeef Acht”'' Kiekeboe is sent to the army due to an administrational mistake.

* BreakoutCharacter: Fanny who eventually put Marcel Kiekeboe, the actual protagonist, in the shadow. In the foreign translations she is also the protagonist instead of him.

* CharacterDevelopment and CharacterizationMarchesOn:
** Charlotte, Kiekeboe’s wife, was originally a very bland and passive housewife. In the album ''“Het Lot van Charlotte”'' she got so fed up with slaving for her husband and children that she and Kiekeboe briefly separated. They eventually came back together, but since then Charlotte become more assertive and free-thinking. She also regularly goes out part time working.
** Leon Van Der Neffe, Kiekeboe’s neighbour, was originally nothing more than a unsympathetic, vain, snobbish and racist man. Later in the series he and his wife divorced, changing his character to a more pitiful loser trying to find a new wife.
* ChildrenAreInnocent: Subverted. Konstantinopel, Joeksel and Froefroe are supposedly around five years old, but know a suspiciously lot about sexual topics.

* ComicBookAdaptation: The album ''"Grof Wild"'' is a comic book adaptation of the eponymous literary story by Belgian crime author PieterAspe. Merho got permission of the author to adapt the plot into a Kiekeboes story.
* ComicBookTime: The characters don’t age, except for one short story in the album ''“Afgelast Wegens Ziekte”'', where all his characters age 20 years into the future.

* CrapsackWorld: “De Kiekeboes” shows a more grimful, yet recognizable version of our modern day society compared to other more traditional comic strips.

* CrossOver: De Kiekeboes had a crossover with the comic strip Urbanus in the album “Kiekebanus”, where the creators of each comic drew the story together.

* DarkerAndEdgier: The later, more definitive ''“De Kiekeboes”'' albums are far more adult and risqué than the first twentysomething albums.

* DoesThisRemindYouOfAnything?: Used regularly.

** Merho jokes with this aspect in ''“De Wereld Volgens Kiekeboe”'' where a character is named ''“Verstockt”''. Konstantinopel then asks: ''“Zou het kunnen dat die Verstockt vrijgezel is?” (“Could it be that that Verstockt is single?”)'' He then explains that it is a reference to the phrase ''“een verstokte vrijgezel” (“a lifelong single”)'', but sheepishly adds: ''“Of course, when you have to explain a joke it’s not very funny anymore.”)''

* DreamSequence: Used in ''“Met De Franse Slag”'', among other albums.
* EarlyInstallmentWeirdness: The early albums are more traditional comic book stories with cute fantasy creatures (''“De Wollebollen”'') and less inspired stories and puns. The characters don’t have much depth to them and there’s none of the more daring subject matter that can be found in later stories. To make matters worse many plot elements and jokes are told by MrExposition narrative devices. Even Merho sees many of these old stories as an OldShame.
* EscapeFromTheCrazyPlace: The real Napoleon Bonaparte is sent to a mental institution in ''"Een koud kunstje"'' for thinking he is Napoleon. He eventually escapes.
* ExecutiveMeddling: Spoofed in ''“Album 26”'' and ''“The Simstones”'' where Merho is told to update his comic strip.
** Merho encountered too much executive meddling during the filming of ''“Misstoestanden”'', a live action adaptation of his characters which he felt was a disgrace to his series. The film quickly flopped and disappeared into obscurity. Merho got his revenge by making two stories mercilessly satirizing executive meddling: ''“Misstoestanden”'' and ''“De Simstones”''.

* FakingTheDead: Pop artist Romeo Alfa fakes his own death in ''“Black Out”''.
* FamilyRivalry: Between the Kiekeboes and the Van Der Neffes.
* {{Fanservice}}: Fanny’s erotic poses
* FemmeFatale: Fanny, to most men.

* FountainOfYouth: In ''“Kiele Kiele Boe”'' Kiekeboe is changed into a baby overnight.

* FunWithAcronyms: And Merho has a lot of fun with that!
* GameShowAppearance: Plot element in ''"Hoe Meer Kijkers"''.

* TheGeneralissimo: South American dictators regularly play an important part of the plot (''“Het Plan Sstoeffer”, “Zeg Het Met Bloemen”, “De Roze Rolls”'',…)
* GettingCrapPastTheRadar: In the early years Merho still had to keep everything clean and decent, but occasionally he snuck in some erotic scenes and jokes. Throughout the years the series' popularity grew and thus the stories became more suggestive, risqué and sometimes even controversial.
* TheGhost: The ghosts of two medieval robbers are shown in ''“Spoken In Huis”''.
* GratuitousIambicPentameter: Merho enjoys puns and word play.
* HammerAndSickleRemovedForYourProtection: The communist country in ''“De Eén Zijn Dood”''.
* HappyEnd: Sometimes subverted.
* HarmlessFreezing: In ''“Een Koud Kunstje”'' it turns out that Napoleon Bonaparte was originally frozen to unthaw him several years later.

* HypnoticEyes:
** Konstaninopel is temporarily hypnotized in ''“De Onthoofde Sfinx”''.
** Kiekeboe too in ''"Black-Out"''.
* HypocriticalHumour: Many characters strongly defend a certain opinion, only to do the exact opposite later.
* IAteWhat? In ''“Een zakje chips”'' Kiekeboe accidentally eats a bag of crisps full with computer chips. (In Dutch the word ''“chips”'' is used both for crisps and computer chips.)

* IncrediblyLamePun: Inevitable in the HurricaneOfPuns that this series is...
* KilledOffForReal: Occasionely characters die in this comic strip.

* LimitedWardrobe: For years the characters mostly wore the same outfits, but recent albums show them wearing different types of clothing to go along with the times.
* LongNeck: In ''“De Pili-Pili Pillen”'' Balthasar’s neck grows to enormous lengths.
* MacGuffin: In ''“Het Stokvis-Incident”'' it turns out that the entire case has nothing to do with Mevrouw Stokvis at all. The villain just named his project after her, without any particular reason.
* MarilynManeuver: Fanny does this classic MarilynMonroe pose in ''“De Medusa-Stichting”''.
* MasterOfUnlocking: Balthazar shows he's able to open an ''"easily locked door"'' in ''"Afgelast Wegens Ziekte"'' just by pointing at it.
* MeaningfulName: Since almost every character has a PunnyName there are also many hidden meanings in their names.

* TheMovie: Adapted to the big screen twice, but in both cases it wasn’t a big success.

* NeverMessWithGranny: Moemoe always gets what she wants.
* NobodyPoops: Subverted in ''“Album 26”'', where Kiekeboe goes to the toilet in the middle of the story: ''“Just because other comic book heroes never do this doesn’t mean I have to do the same.”''
* NoNameGiven: One character, ''“De Dikke Dame” (“The Fat Lady”)'' makes a HitchcockCameo in every album, but nothing is known about her, not even her name.
* NosyNeighbor: Fernand Goegebuer, who often walks in during an inappropriate moment or whose talkativeness causes a lot of trouble.

* OldShame: Merho doesn’t like some of his earliest albums which followed a more traditional comic book structure, including fantasy stuff, unnecessarily exposure of jokes and plot points and too bland and childish jokes.
* OverlyLongName: Mr. Osnoprodavonoblikavitch in the album ''"Hotel O"'' who's never been able to remember his own surname. He shortens it to the letter ''"o"'', despite other people miraculously remembering it without any mistakes.
* PaintedTunnelRealTrain: Just the painted tunnel part. In ''“Het Witte Bloed”'' Kiekeboe escapes from prison by drawing a large circle on the wall and simply walk through it, something he saw in a movie by MackSennett. In ''"Prettige Feestdagen"'' he tries the trick again, but fails.
* ParentalBonus: This is a comic strip that adults can enjoy on different levels.
* PeopleJars: Comic book characters are put in jars in the album ''“Kiekebanus”''.
* PieInTheFace: A national tradition in the country Itsi Pitsi in the album ''“De Zoete Regen”''.
* PlotRelevantAgeUp: In ''“Het Stokvis-Incident”'' a serum is discovered that can make people grow to old age.
* PoliceAreUseless: Inspector Sapperdeboere, who usually spents more time eating than actually solving crimes.

* ProductPlacement: Merho drew one album ''“Avontuur in Sun Parks”'' where the Kiekeboes have an adventure in the amusement park “Sun Parks”.
* PsychoShowerMurderParody: In ''"Het Plan Sstoeffer"'' Fanny takes a shower and thinks: ''"If I'm quick, I'll be able to catch "Psycho" by Hitchcock on TV"''. While she is showering she is attacked by a spy, but she notices him just in time and knocks him out.
* PulpMagazine: The magazine ''“Top Roddel”''.
* PunnyName: It’s a trademark of the series! Almost every characters has some kind of pun hidden in his or her name.

* PuppetPermutation: Subverted. De Kiekeboes and villain Balthazar were originally based on puppets in Merho's brother Walter's puppet show. Merho decided to use them as his main cast.

** President Bod in ''“Heil Bod”'' is a spoof of Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi.
** The thief El Bousidi in ''“De Fez van Fes”'' was inspired by a real thief with that name who stole Merho and his wife’s luggage during a trip to Morocco.
* ReallyGetsAround: Fanny has had a lot of boyfriends over the years.
* RealPersonCameo: National and international celebrities also regularly have small cameos in the stories, including LouisDeFunes, Fernandel, LaurelAndHardy, WoodyAllen, JohnCleese, Hergé, ReneGoscinny, JeanGabin, Bourvil, VictorBorge, Khomeini, the cast of LittleBritain, JacquesTati, MichaelJackson, GraceJones and many Belgian and Dutch celebrities.

* SexyDiscretionShot: Used often in the early albums, until it gradually became more explicit.

* ShamelessFanserviceGirl: Fanny is often put in erotic and (semi) nude situations.
* SheWhoMustNotBeSeen: Mevrouw Stokvis, the best friend of Moemoe is always mentioned, but never seen by the audience.
* ShouldnTWeBeInSchoolRightNow?: Konstantinopel is seldom seen at school, though it is often mentioned. Compared to other comic book heroes we DO occasionally see him at school, for instance ''“Kiekeboeket”'' and ''“De Hoed van Robin”''.
* ShoutOut: Little winks to popular films, books, other comics or TV series are occasionally provided.
* ShowWithinAShow: In ''“Vrouwen Komen Van Mars”'' de Kiekeboes go inside a comic book that Kiekeboe enjoyed reading as a kid. The style is DeliberatelyMonochrome and a parody of the 1940s and 1950s Flemish comic strips.
* {{Slapstick}}: Merho is a huge fan of LaurelAndHardy, so slapstick elements are often included.
* {{Sizeshifter}}: Balthazar’s head and neck change size in ''“De Pili-Pili Pillen”'' due to the side effects of various pills.
* SlidingScaleOfIdealismVersusCynicism: Certain albums have a feel good atmosphere, others are more dark and cynical.

* SpecialGuest: For his album “Doorgestoken Kaart” Merho sought advice about magician’s tricks from Belgian magician Gil Ricardo. As a way to thank him he gave him a cameo role in the album.

* SymbolSwearing

* ThatDidntHappen: The story of “Haaiman” turns out to be an idea for a script that Kiekeboe ultimately refuses to act out.
* TimeTravel: Kiekeboe travels to the future in ''“De Wereld Volgens Kiekeboe”''.

* UnderwaterBase: Plot element in ''“De duivelse driehoek”'' en ''“De Medusastichting”''.

* VagueAge: Most characters don’t have a specific age. Fanny was once said to be 16 years old, but since she drives a car she most be at least 18 years old according to Belgian law.
* VampireFiction: Vampires are frequently reappearing characters in the series.

* WhatDoYouMeanItsNotForKids? Though marketed as- and popular with- a children's comic strip, a lot of stuff is not specifically intended or understandable for children.
* WhyDoYouKeepChangingJobs? Fanny, who doesn't go to school anymore, but does work various plot relevant jobs from now to then.
* WriteWhoYouKnow:
** Merho sometimes added inside jokes in his stories, usually about his friends and colleagues.
* YouJustRuinedTheShot: Fanny interrupts a bank robbery in ''“Fanny Girl”'' only to discover that it was actually the shooting of a film scene.

* PaintedTunnelRealTrain: Just the painted tunnel part. In ''“Het Witte Bloed”'' Kiekeboe escapes from prison by drawing a large circle on the wall and simply walk through it, something he saw in a movie by MackSennett

* RealPersonCameo: National and international celebrities also regularly have small cameos in the stories, including LouisDeFunes, Fernandel, LaurelAndHardy, WoodyAllen, JohnCleese, Hergé, RenéGoscinny, JeanGabin, Bourvil, VictorBorge, Khomeini, the cast of LittleBritain, JacquesTati, MichaelJackson, GraceJones and many Belgian and Dutch celebrities.

* '''Balthazar''': One of the series' villains. He is a naïve, childish, clumsy and dumb man who is generally to stupid to be a real threat to the Kiekeboes. Most of the time he is more obnoxious and irritating to the other criminals who work together with him.

At first sight ''“De Kiekeboes”'' is your typical Flemish family strip in the tradition of ''Suske en Wiske, {{Jommeke}}'' and ''{{Nero}}''. All stories center around the family Kiekeboe: father Marcel, mother Charlotte, teenage daughter Fanny and school boy Konstantinopel. However, the series have a more realistic every day life setting avoiding many of the typical comic book strip clichés: no WorldsStrongestMan, no AbsentMindedProfessor, no TalkingAnimal and fantasy elements are kept to a minimum. We do know that ghosts exist ''(“Spoken in Huis”)'', vampires ''(“Het Witte Bloed”, “De Kus van Mona”, “De Babyvampier”,…)'', strange prehistoric monsters ''(“Met De Franse Slag”)'', aliens ''("De Trawanten Van Spih")'' and occasionally some physically impossible gags occur. But most of the time ever is set in a realistic atmosphere. Fanny and Charlotte are not ConvenientlyAnOrphan or adopted, but Marcel and Charlotte’s real children. The early albums are still a bit naïve and childish like a traditional comic strip, but gradually the series started GrowingTheBeard and became DarkerAndEdgier. Many of the early one-dimensional characters became more complex. Story lines touched more adult and often risqué subject matter like prostitution, drugs, transsexuality, religious cults, racism, homosexuality, … The sly erotic jokes also became more prominent and explicit in later stories. Today ''“De Kiekeboes”'' is mostly an adult strip, though it still manages to keep its stories amusing and interesting for children as well.