Statue Martine (Tiny) - Tournai

The statue of the little girl Martine , forever 8 years old, stands at the foot of the Fort Rouge and is in the company of her famous dog Patapouf , who is said to bring good luck to anyone who strokes his head.

Martine is the heroine of a series of adventures from the "Farandole " collection of the Casterman publishing house, and is particularly intended for young girls. In 1954, the draftsman Marcel Marlier received « Martine à la ferme » (Tiny on the farm), a text by Gilbert Delahaye, poet and clerk at Casterman, which he made while seeing his illustrations.

Marcel Marlier is a special cartoonist who always draws inspiration from reality. To draw Martine, he calls on a little girl of 6 who poses in his studio. But the little girl grows up and the facial features evolve with the years. That is why the artist calls on another girl to draw and photograph: and the phenomenon repeats itself over the years. Martine's face varies, her clothing follows fashion and her environment evolves along with it. Readers emulate their heroine in every adventure, without having any difficulty with these variations. It is a real phenomenon in terms of the number of releases . For several years, only the author's name appeared on the cover.

Willem Vandenameele