History ComicStrip / DeKiekeboes

* FamilyRivalry: Between the Kiekeboes and the Van Der Neffes.

* ExecutiveMeddling: Spoofed in ''Album 26'' and ''The Simstones'' where Merho is told to update his comic strip.[[inuniverse]]

** A special comic strip in which Fanny interviews characters from other comic strips, ''Bij Fanny Op Schoot'' has her talking to ''[[ComicStrip/{{Nero}} Nero]]'', Cordelia, ''[[ComicBook/{{Natacha}} Natacha]]'', ''ComicBook/SuskeEnWiske'', Cowboy Henk, [[ComicBook/{{Agent 327}} IJzerbroot and Olga Lawina]], ''ComicStrip/DeRodeRidder'', ''Series/FCDeKampioenen'' and ''ComicStrip/{{Urbanus}}'', among others.

* ExecutiveMeddling: InUniverse. Spoofed in ''Album 26'' and ''The Simstones'' where Merho is told to update his comic strip.

* ExecutiveMeddling: Spoofed in ''Album 26'' and ''The Simstones'' where Merho is told to update his comic strip.[[inuniverse]]

* ExecutiveMeddling: InUniverse. Spoofed in ''Album 26'' and ''The Simstones'' where Merho is told to update his comic strip.

** A special comic strip in which Fanny interviews characters from other comic strips, ''Bij Fanny Op Schoot'' has her talking to ''[[ComicStrip/{{Nero}} Nero]]'', Cordelia, ''[[ComicBook/{{Natacha}} Natacha]]'', ''ComicBook/SuskeEnWiske'', Cowboy Henk, [[ComicBook/{{Agent 327}} IJzerbroot and Olga Lawina]], ''ComicStrip/DeRodeRidder'', ''Series/FCDeKampioenen'' and ''ComicStrip/{{Urbanus}}'', among others.

* 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 [[AdaptationDecay 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''.

* TheYellowMShoutOut:In the album "Afgelast Wegens Ziekte" Kiekeboe and his son visit a store where they can buy backgrounds from famous comic strips. At a certain point they stand in front of the wall of "The Yellow "M"" and even take the same pose as ComicBook/BlakeAndMortimer on the album cover. Kiekeboe even says: "If you ask me many people stood here before us."

** A special comic strip in which Fanny interviews characters from other comic strips, ''Bij Fanny Op Schoot'' has her talking to [[ComicStrip/{{Nero}} Nero]], Cordelia, [[ComicBook/{{Natacha}} Natacha]], ComicBook/SuskeEnWiske, Cowboy Henk, [[ComicBook/{{Agent 327}} IJzerbroot and Olga Lawina]], ComicStrip/DeRodeRidder, FCDeKampioenen and ComicStrip/{{Urbanus}}, among others.
* AssholeVictim: The pedophile bisshop [[NoCelebritiesWereHarmed Hoegeiligman]] in ''Schijnheilig Bloed''. He's already in hiding from the public, is dementing, gets turned into a vampire and finally [[spoiler: walks into broad daylight and bursts into flames]].

''De Kiekeboes'' is the most successful Flemish comic strip since ''Comicbook/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, ComicStrip/{{Jommeke}}'' and ''ComicStrip/{{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 Konstantinopel 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.

One of ''“De Kiekeboes”'' most notorious trademarks are the puns and word play jokes, usually hidden in album titles, background gags, throwaway jokes and characters’ names.

* AddedAlliterativeAppeal: ''“De duivelse driehoek”, “De zwarte zonnekoning”, “Kies Kiekeboe”, “De pili-pili pillen”, “De fez van Fes”, “Een koud kunstje”, “Vrolijke, vrolijke vrienden”''

** Dictator Sstoeffer in ''"Het Plan Sstoeffer"'' is a clear parody.
** His handkerchief is auctioned in ''"Het Edelweissmotief"''.
* AlienAbduction: Happens to Joeksel, Froefroe and Konstantinopel in ''“De Trawanten van Spih”''.
* 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”''.

* ArmedFarces: The album ''"Geeeeef Acht"'' is a collection of various jokes about the military.

** In ''"Album 26"'' Fanny wants her boyfriend to be drawn as {{Tarzan}}. Creator Merho refuses to do so, because it would be an art shift! In the same story ComicStrip/LuckyLuke accidentally passes by after a cloudy fog darkens the sky.
** Near the end of ''"De Snor van Kiekeboe"'' in which Kiekeboe was elected to be ''"Moustache of the Year"'' by the Antwerp Moustache Club- which really had happened in 1984- several moustached characters from other comic strips gather to protest because they weren't elected at all. In the color version of the album we recognize [[ComicStrip/{{Tintin}} Thompson and Thomson]], [[ComicStrip/{{Asterix}} Asterix and Obelix]], [[ComicStrip/SpirouAndFantasio the Count of Champignac]] and [[ComicStrip/LuckyLuke the Daltons]]
** In ''"Afgelast Wegens Ziekte"'' Kiekeboe's funeral is held. Comic strip characters from other series appear to show their condolences, including [[ComicStrip/{{Tintin}} Tintin, Captain Haddock]], [[ComicStrip/{{Asterix}} Asterix and Obelix]], ComicStrip/LuckyLuke and ComicStrip/BouleEtBill. Fanny even notices some American comic strip characters have arrived, among who we can recognize ComicStrip/{{Batman}}, ComicStrip/DonaldDuck, ComicStrip/{{Popeye}}, [[ComicStrip/{{Peanuts}} Charlie Brown and Snoopy.]]

* AssholeVictim: The pedophile bisshop [[NoCelebritiesWereHarmed Hoegeiligman]] in ''"Schijnheilig Bloed"''. He's already in hiding from the public, is dementing, gets turned into a vampire and finally [[spoiler: walks into broad daylight and bursts into flames]].
* 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”''.

* BankruptcyBarrel: Shown in ''“De Fez van Fes”''.
* 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”.
* BewareTheNiceOnes: In ''“De Wraak van Dédé”'' Fanny’s boyfriend Kris Kras turns out to be a henchman for Dédé La Canaille, Kiekeboe’s sworn enemy.
* BigBad: Timotheus Triangl, who is a ''Film/JamesBond'' type villain. Kiekeboe’s sworn enemy is however Dédé La Canaille, a French convict.

** Subverted in ''“Met De Franse Slag”'' where Kiekeboe translates Dutch expressions and sayings literally in French, as a joke only people who speak French will get.

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

* BreakingTheFourthWall: The characters are well aware they are comic strip characters and frequently address the audience. Merho even took this to more experimental levels in the albums ''“Album 26”, “Afgelast Wegens Ziekte”, “De Simstones”, “Het Geslacht Kinkel”'',…
* TheBermudaTriangle: Plot element in ''“De Bermuda Driehoek”''.

** 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.

** In ''"Kies Kiekeboe"'' a clip from ''Film/ADogsLife'' is shown on TV. Konstantinopel seats himself next to his dog and says: ''"I like a Chaplin movie more [than watching a political advertisement]."''
** In ''"Een Dagje Dédé"'' while Balthazar talks to the prison warden a photo of Chaplin in prison outfit can be seen on the wall. This is a reference to the Chaplin short ''Film/TheAdventurer'' (1917).

* CluelessChickMagnet: All women fall in love with Kiekeboe when he accidentally gets some aphrodisiac potion spilled over his body in ''“De Onweerstaanbare Man”''.
* 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 (... much. Fanny was stated to be 16 years old in ''Album 26'' but drives a car in later issues, which in Belgium is only possible at 18+), 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.
* CreatorCameo: Merho did this in ''“Album 26”''.
* 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.
* DefectorFromCommieLand: In ''“De één zijn dood”'' a recognizable spoof of a Cold War Eastern European country is shown.

** 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.”)''

* DreamingOfThingsToCome: In ''“Met De Franse Slag”'' Fanny hears a chilling animal roar in a dream. Later in the story she hears the same scream in real life.
* 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, everything is aimed at children 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 NapoleonBonaparte 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 [[AdaptationDecay 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”''.

* TheFaceless: The face of a villain character in ''“De Doedelzak van Mac Reel”'' remains obscured or hidden from the audience until the very last page.
* FakingTheDead: Pop artist Romeo Alfa fakes his own death in ''“Black Out”''.

* {{Fanservice}}: Fanny’s erotic poses

* FictionalCountry: Boeloe Boeloe, Burlandia, Eunuchië, Paranoia, Papagaya, Itsi Pitsi, El Tondzon,...
* FountainOfYouth: In ''“Kiele Kiele Boe”'' Kiekeboe is changed into a baby overnight.

* GameShowAppearance: Plot element in ''"Hoe Meer Kijkers"''.
* GangOfCritters: De Wollebollen in ''“De Wollebollen”''.
* GenderBender: Happens to Inspecteur Sapperdeboere in ''"Over Koetjes En Kalfjes"'' due to a huge ammount of female hormones in his food.
* TheGeneralissimo: South American dictators regularly play an important part of the plot (''“Het Plan Sstoeffer”, “Zeg Het Met Bloemen”, “De Roze Rolls”'',…)

* TheGhost: The ghosts of two medieval robbers are shown in ''“Spoken In Huis”''.

** Charlie Brown and Snoopy are among the ''characters from rivaling series'' to appear at Kiekeboe's funeral in ''Afgelast Wegens Ziekte''.

* HammerAndSickleRemovedForYourProtection: The communist country in ''“De Eén Zijn Dood”''.

* HarmlessFreezing: In ''“Een Koud Kunstje”'' it turns out that Napoleon Bonaparte was originally frozen to unthaw him several years later.

* HurricaneOfPuns: It’s a trademark of the series.

** Konstaninopel is temporarily hypnotized in ''“De Onthoofde Sfinx”''.
** Kiekeboe too in ''"Black-Out"''.

* 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.)
* IdeaBulb: In ''“Album 26”'' the characters walk around in a darkened room, until Fanny gets the idea to use the idea bulb to lighten the room.

* KingKongClimb In the album ''"Bing Bong"'' a little gorilla mutates to enormous size and kidnaps teenage daughter Fanny, climbing on top of a church.
* KnifeThrowingAct: Depicted in ''“Doorgestoken Kaart”''

* LongNeck: In ''“De Pili-Pili Pillen”'' Balthasar’s neck grows to enormous lengths.

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

* 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.
* TheMafia: Characters in ''“De Hoofdzaak”'' and ''“Witter dan wit”''.
* MagicRealism: Despite a mostly believable realistic setting: 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.
* MarilynManeuver: Fanny does this classic MarilynMonroe pose in ''“De Medusa-Stichting”''.
* MassHypnosis: In ''“De Dorpstiran van Boeloe Boeloe”'' the people Boeloe Boeloe are brainwashed into loving the president by being forced to eat a certain type of mind bending soup used as a MindControlDevice
* MasterOfUnlocking: Balthazar shows he's able to open an ''"easily locked door"'' in ''"Afgelast Wegens Ziekte"'' just by pointing at it.

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

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

** The pedophile bisshop Hoegeiligman in ''"Schijnheilig Bloed"'' is a caricature of real life Flemish bisshop Roger Vangheluwe who admitted having abused several young children in the past, yet could not be arrested because the facts were dated. He gets turned into a vampire and finally [[spoiler: walks into broad daylight and bursts into flames]].
* 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.

* ObstructiveBureaucrat: Spoofed in ''"Geeeeef Acht"'' when Fanny and Konstantinopel visit a government agency and desperately try to get a stamp on a document to get their father out of the military again.
* 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.
* {{Pastiche}}: In the album "Vrouwen Komen Van Mars" typical Flemish comic strip series of the 1940s and 1950s are stylistically parodied.
* 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.

* 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.

* 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.

** 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.

* ReligionOfEvil: Found in ''“De Haar-Tisten”, "Het Boerka-Complot"'' and ''“De getatoeëerde mossel”''.
* Creator/ReneGoscinny: Has a cameo in ''"Het lijk had gelijk"''

** A fat anonymous lady called ''“De Dikke Dame”'' always makes a cameo in each album.

* 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”''.

* 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.

* {{Sizeshifter}}: Balthazar’s head and neck change size in ''“De Pili-Pili Pillen”'' due to the side effects of various pills.

* 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.
* SuicideAsComedy: Kiekeboe jumps off a bridge in ''“Afgelast wegens ziekte”'' because he thinks he’ll die in three days and wants to end it all quicker. His attempt fails when a van carrying sand passes by.

* {{Tarzan}}: Van Der Neffe briefly dresses like him and swings on the lamp post in ''“Afgelast Wegens Ziekte”''.
* 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”''.
* TintinShoutOut:
** In ''"Album 26"'' Kiekeboe goes to the ''Creator/{{Herge}} Institute'' to find a stuntman for his comic strip.
** Near the end of ''"De Snor van Kiekeboe"'' various comic strip characters with moustaches complain about Kiekeboe receiving the ''Moustache of the Year 1984'' award from the Antwerp Moustache Club, among them Thompson and Thomson.
** Kiekeboe and Konstantinopel try to buy backgrounds from other comic strips in ''"Afgelast Wegens Ziekte"''. One man buys the set of Moulinsart (Marlinspike Hall) and says: ''A bargain. This one isn't used anymore anyway.'' In the same story Kiekeboe imagines his own funeral. Among the people attending the service are characters from different comic strip franchises, including Tintin and Haddock.
** A man named ''Herr Gé'' and who looks a lot like Creator/{{Herge}} too appears in ''"De Aqua-Rel"''.
** The album cover of ''"Geen Rook"'' has Alanis smiling and telling the viewer to remain silent, in reference to the album cover of ''The Castafiore Emerald''.

* TreasureHunt: In the album ''“De Schat van Mata Hari”''.
* UnderwaterBase: Plot element in ''“De duivelse driehoek”'' en ''“De Medusastichting”''.
* UnexpectedInheritance: ''“Het Mysterie van Spell-De-Prik”''.
* UnintentionalPeriodPiece: When you read all the albums chronologically you get a real sense of different decades passing by: TheSeventies, TheEighties, TheNineties, TheNoughties,...
* 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.

* VillainousCrossDresser: Timotheus Triangl underwent a sex change in ''"Zeg Het Met Bloemen"'' and since then he is a woman.

* YouJustRuinedTheShot: Fanny interrupts a bank robbery in ''“Fanny Girl”'' only to discover that it was actually the shooting of a film scene.

* TheNapoleon: Plays the central role in ''“Een Koud Kunstje”''.
* NapoleonDelusion: Subverted in the album "Een koud kunstje", where the real Napoleon is brought to a mental institution for believing he is Napoleon.

* TheMafia: Characters in ''“De Hoofdzaak”'' and ''“Witter dan wit”''.
* MassHypnosis: In ''“De Dorpstiran van Boeloe Boeloe”'' the people Boeloe Boeloe are brainwashed into loving the president by being forced to eat a certain type of mind bending soup used as a MindControlDevice

* CharlieChaplinShoutOut: In ''"Kies Kiekeboe"'' a clip from ''Film/ADogsLife'' is shown on TV. Konstantinopel seats himself next to his dog and says: ''"I like a Chaplin movie more [than watching a political advertisement]."''

* {{Sizeshifter}}: Balthazar’s head and neck change size in ''“De Pili-Pili Pillen”'' due to the side effects of various pills.

* SmugSnake: Leon and Carmella Van Der Neffe

* VictoriasSecretDepartment: In ''Het edelweissmotief'' Fanny [[spoiler:hides Hitler's valuable handkerchief in her bra, so nobody can find it.]]

''De Kiekeboes'' is the most successful Flemish comic strip since ''ComicStrip/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”'').

* WriteWhoYouKnow:
** Merho sometimes added inside jokes in his stories, usually about his friends and colleagues.
* TheYellowMShoutOut:In De Kiekeboes album "Afgelast Wegens Ziekte" Kiekeboe and his son visit a store where they can buy backgrounds from famous comic strips. At a certain point they stand in front of the wall of "The Yellow "M"" and even take the same pose as ComicBook/BlakeAndMortimer on the album cover. Kiekeboe even says: "If you ask me many people stood here before us."

[[/folder]]

* '''Bibi Pralin Gaga''' An African dictator and parody of IdiAmin. His accomplice is Amoko, an African wizard whose head is always hidden behind a mask.

* ChildrenAreInnocent: Averted. Konstantinopel, Joeksel and Froefroe are at most early teens, but know a suspiciously lot about sexual topics.

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

''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”'').

* TheYellowMShoutOut:In De Kiekeboes album "Afgelast Wegens Ziekte" Kiekeboe and his son visit a store where they can buy backgrounds from famous comic strips. At a certain point they stand in front of the wall of "The Yellow "M"" and even take the same pose as BlakeAndMortimer on the album cover. Kiekeboe even says: "If you ask me many people stood here before us."

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

* FictionalCountry: Boeloe Boeloe, Burlandia, Eunuchië, Paranoia, Papagaya, Itsi Pitsi, El Tondzon

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