Billy & Buddy celebrate their 60th anniversary
The Belgian Comic Strip Center pays tribute to cartoonist Jean Roba to mark the 60th anniversary of his famous duo, Billy & Buddy.
The "Billy and Buddy, Sixty years of everyday happiness" exhibition commemorates the anniversary of these characters, who first appeared in Spirou magazine in 1959, illustrated by Brussels cartoonist Jean Roba (1930-2006). The artist, the small red-haired boy and his cocker spaniel are in the spotlight at the Belgian Comic Strip Center in Brussels until 31 December.
People often ask: which is Billy and which is Buddy? Billy is the name of a little boy who shares a great story of friendship, humour and complicity with his dog, a cocker spaniel called Buddy. The duo are inseparable, like Tintin and Snowy, and have delighted several generations of children with almost 1,500 gags and around 40 hardback albums. Their adventures, which they share with Billy's parents and Caroline the tortoise, take place in an urban setting in the 1960s.
What are you waiting for? Visit the exhibition at the Belgian Comic Strip Center to discover or rediscover these symbolic Belgian comic strip characters.