History Recap / TintinTintinInTheCongo

* MarketBasedTitle: Its Portuguese edition is called ''Tintim em Angola'' ("Tintin in Angola"). In Netherlands and Finland it was called what translates to "Tintin in Africa."

Today, ''Tintin in the Congo'' is rather infamous in some countries for its racist portrayal of the Congolese natives, its pro-colonialist themes and its utter disregard for animal welfare. Hergé himself [[OldShame would later become embarrassed by it]] and cited it as "bourgeois" and "paternalistic". Attempts have been made to ban the book entirely at times. It currently tends to be sold with a warning label informing potential readers about the controversial content (at least in Anglophone countries). It was also actually reprinted by a Congolese newspaper in the Seventies.

* BiggerBad: UsefulNotes/AlCapone. No, really.

* RapidFireInterrupting: Tintin attempts to teach native children about "''their'' country, Belgium" with the aid of a blackboard, but is constantly interrupted so he never gets any further than the first sentence. Despite the ValuesDissonance, the scene is still hilarious.

* SequelHook: Tintin [is on his way to America to battle Al Capone. This is the only book in the series that isn't an actual two-parter to end in such a manner.

* LazyBum: At first the Africans refuse to put the train back on the trail because they are too lazy "and will get dirty."

** ''WesternAnimation/TarzoonTheShameOfTheJungle'': In this Tarzan parody Tarzoon swings past a scene where Tintin is trying to convert little black Africans. When one of the Africans is distracted by Tarzoon passing by he hits him over the head with his crucifix, while Snowy is standing by.

* NoAnimalsWereHarmed: Errr.... Apart from Snowy almost every animal in this story is harmed or killed. Tintin shoots hundreds of antilopes in the belief its just one whom he missed several times. He shoots a chimpansee just to shed off his skin and wear it as a disguise. He beats up another chimpansee, tries to shoot an elephant, cuts a large snake open and has it swallow its own tail, shoots down another snake, has a leopard eat a sponge giving it digestive problems,... Snowy bites off a lion's tail. A priest shoots several crocodiles dead. There's a rhinoceros Tintin planned to shoot, but luckily it escaped. In the original story however Tintin put a stick of dynamite inside its skin and blew the animal up. Danish publishers felt this was both too unrealistic and very harsh and asked Hergé to change it into the more animal friendly scene still found in the story today.

* AcceptableTargets: The wild life animals. Literally! Tintin either shoots them for fun or self-defense.

* MarketBasedTitle: Its Portuguese edition is called ''Tintim em Angola'' ("Tintin in Angola").

** The scene where Tintin blows up a rhinoceros has been changed in Scandinavia and English-speaking world to a more realistic scene where the rhino is spared such a fate and runs away. Still, many other scenes where Tintin kills or hurts other wild life animals were kept intact. Notably in the francophone world, where it's seen as too farcical and irrealistic to be worthy of indignation.

Today, ''Tintin in the Congo'' is rather infamous in some countries for its racist portrayal of the Congolese natives, its pro-colonialist themes and its utter disregard for wildlife wellfare. Hergé himself [[OldShame would later become embarrassed by it]] and cited it as "bourgeois" and "paternalistic". In recent years, attempts have been made to ban the book entirely. It currently tends to be sold with a warning label informing potential readers about the controversial content, albeit only in anglophones country. Nota also that ''Tintin au Congo'' left the Purgatory when a Congolese newspaper republished it in the 70s.

* TimeMarchesOn: When Tintin shows the natives film footage of the wizard and the villain partying together the film is silent and in black-and-white, as most films still were in 1930, when this comic strip story was drawn.
** Tintin teaches the children about "their fatherland {{Belgium}}" in the original story. (In the color version it was changed to a simple "2+2=4" lesson.). Since 1960 Congo is no longer a Belgian colony.

* WhyWontYouDie: Tintin spots an antelope and tries to shoot it down several times, as it seems to be unkillebale. Then it turns out he killed it the first time around. It's just that several other antelopes happened to appear on the same spot and were mistaken by Tintin for being one and the same animal.

* BiggerBad: AlCapone. No, really.

** The scene where Tintin blows up a rhinoceros has been changed in Scandinavia and English-speaking world to a scene where the rhino is spared such a fate and runs away. Still, many other scenes where Tintin kills or hurts other wild life animals were kept intact. Notably in the francophone world, where it's seen as too farcical and irrealistic to be worthy of indignation.

** Tintin is unable to shoot a rhinoceros in the original black-and-white story, because it's skin is so strong that bullets just bounce of of it. He [[spoiler: makes a small hole in the skin, drops a stick of dynamite inside it and then blows the animal up from a distance]]. This is kept in the francophone versions, where it's seen as cartoonish humour.

* BigBad: [[spoiler:AlCapone]]. No, really.

** The scene where Tintin [[spoiler:blows up a rhinoceros]] has been changed in Scandinavia and English-speaking world to a scene where the rhino is spared such a fate and runs away. Still, many other scenes where Tintin kills or hurts other wild life animals were kept intact. Notably in the francophone world, where it's seen as too farcical and irrealistic to be worthy of indignation.

* NeverSmileAtACrocodile: Tintin and Snowy are almost eaten by a crocodile at one point. [[spoiler:The hired killer who's been out to get Tintin is ultimately eaten by crocodiles]].
* NoAnimalsWereHarmed: Errr.... Apart from Snowy almost every animal in this story is harmed or killed. Tintin shoots hundreds of antilopes [[spoiler:in the belief its just one whom he missed several times]]. He shoots a chimpansee just to shed off his skin and wear it as a disguise. He beats up another chimpansee, tries to shoot an elephant, cuts a large snake open and has it swallow its own tail, shoots down another snake, has a leopard eat a sponge giving it digestive problems,... Snowy bites off a lion's tail. A priest shoots several crocodiles dead. There's a rhinoceros Tintin planned to shoot, but luckily it escaped. In the original story however [[spoiler: Tintin put a stick of dynamite inside its skin and blew the animal up.]] Danish publishers felt this was both too unrealistic and very harsh and asked Hergé to change it into the more animal friendly scene still found in the story today.

* RevealingCoverup: [[spoiler:Al Capone suspected Tintin might be wise to his diamond smuggling operation, so he tried to arrange for his assassination. If he had just left Tintin alone, Tintin would never have found out about anything]].
* SequelHook: Tintin [[spoiler:is on his way to America to battle Al Capone]]. This is the only book in the series that isn't an actual two-parter to end in such a manner.

* WhyWontYouDie: Tintin spots an antelope and tries to shoot it down several times, as it seems to be unkillebale. Then [[spoiler: it turns out he killed it the first time around. It's just that several other antelopes happened to appear on the same spot and were mistaken by Tintin for being one and the same animal.]]

* ValuesDissonance:

* SufficientlyAdvancedTechnology: The natives turn away from their witch doctor when they discover Tintin brought a grammophone and a film projector which proves their wizard is a fraud.

* AuthorTract: Like with ''The Soviets'', this was more of a command from Hergé's boss than a free choice. Things only began to change with ''Tintin in America''.

** The book is much more well received in the francophone world, including francophone Africa. It's seen as too farcical and irrealistic to be able to do any harm, and a good mean to ridicule colonialism.

** Tintin is unable to shoot a rhinoceros in the original black-and-white story, because it's skin is so strong that bullets just bounce of of it. He [[spoiler: makes a small hole in the skin, drops a stick of dynamite inside it and then blows the animal up from a distance]]. This is kept in the francophone versions.

Today, ''Tintin in the Congo'' is rather infamous for its racist portrayal of the Congolese natives, its pro-colonialist themes and its utter disregard for wildlife wellfare. Hergé himself [[OldShame would later become embarrassed by it]] and cited it as "bourgeois" and "paternalistic". In recent years, attempts have been made to ban the book entirely. It currently tends to be sold with a warning label informing potential readers about the controversial content.

** Tintin is unable to shoot a rhinoceros in the original black-and-white story, because it's skin is so strong that bullets just bounce of of it. He [[spoiler: makes a small hole in the skin, drops a stick of dynamite inside it and then blows the animal up from a distance.]]

** The scene where Tintin [[spoiler:blows up a rhinoceros]] has been changed to a scene where the rhino is spared such a fate and runs away. Still, many other scenes where Tintin kills or hurts other wild life animals were kept intact.

* AuthorTract

** Tintin is unable to shoot a rhinoceros in the original black-and-white story, because it's skin is so strong that bullets just bounce of of it. He makes a small hole in the skin, drops a stick of dynamite inside it and then blows the animal up from a distance.

** The scene where Tintin blows up a rhinoceros has been changed to a scene where the rhino is spared such a fate and runs away. Still, many other scenes where Tintin kills or hurts other wild life animals were kept intact.

* NoAnimalsWereHarmed: Errr.... Apart from Snowy almost every animal in this story is harmed or killed. Tintin shoots hundreds of antilopes in the belief its just one whom he missed several times. He shoots a chimpansee just to shed off his skin and wear it as a disguise. He beats up another chimpansee, tries to shoot an elephant, cuts a large snake open and has it swallow its own tail, has a leopard eat a sponge giving it digestive problems,... Snowy bites off a lion's tail. A priest shoots several crocodiles dead. There's a rhinoceros Tintin planned to shoot, but luckily it escaped. In the original story however [[spoiler: Tintin put a stick of dynamite inside its skin and blew the animal up.]] Danish publishers felt this was both too unrealistic and very harsh and asked Hergé to change it into the more animal friendly scene still found in the story today.

* EatenAlive and Swallowed Whole: Snowy is eaten by a large snake, but is still alive inside. Tintin manages to cut the snake open and save Snowy.
* GreatWhiteHunter

* EarlyInstallmentWeirdness

* MightyWhitey

* SinisterMinister: Muganga the witch doctor.

* RatedWForWhy