Tag Archives: asterix

Asterix and Obelix to make their Playmobil debut when play-sets launch in 2022

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The iconic comic book and movie character Asterix is getting a Playmobil makeover via a new partnership between the toymaker and the Asterix brand owner, Les Editions Albert Rene.

Under the partnership, a series of play-sets will be developed, marking the first time that Asterix and his sidekick Obelix have been given the Playmobil treatment.

The play-sets are scheduled to land sometime in 2022.

Playmobil issued a statement this morning that read: “Editions Albert Rene and Playmobil are pleased to announce the creation of a new universe around the famous comic book characters Asterix and Obelix, for the first time in Playmobil figurines.”

The message signed off that fans will require ‘a little more patience’ before the plans are unveiled in full, but that the collection promises to be a ‘magical’ one.

Asterix is a French comic book series about Ghaulish warriors and their adventures in fighting the Roman Republic during the era of Julius Caesar during the Gallic wars. The series first appeared in the Franco-Belgian comic magazine Pilote in 1959 and has subsequently become a world-revered brand and the focus of a slate of live action films.

This is the latest in a series of teases from Playmobil this month who recently unveiled a collaborative project with the classic TV series The A Team.

Since the launch and subsequent success of its Back to the Future play-sets, and the nostalgia driven success of its Scooby Doo collection, Playmobil has sought to tap further in the classic IP space, eyeing a large market in the kidult fan sector.

The Adventures of Asterix boasts a loyal cross-generational following around the globe.

Asterix moves home as Little, Brown Book Group’s Sphere takes over all publishing from Hachette Children’s Group

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The popular comic book series, Asterix, is moving to a new home with the Little, Brown Book Group’s imprint, Sphere following a deal that will see the team take over the publishing of all Asterix titles from Hachette Children’s Group from this July.

The deal will include all 38 albums and 12 omnibus editions of the Asterix comics. Sphere will also publish the newest book in the series, Asterix and the Griffin, in both hardback and ebook form on October 21st 2021. The move to Sphere, says the group, is in recognition of the brand’s ‘broad and loyal family readership, including Asterix’s dedicated adult fanbase.’

Since the first Asterix album was published in 1961, the comic series has been translated into more than 100 languages and dialects, and sold more than 385 million copies worldwide. The series is focused on the adventures of the Gaulish warrior Asterix and his friend Obelix, a duo that have spawned animated cartoons, 15 feature films and its own theme park, Parc Asterix.

The last album, Asterix  and the Chieftain’s Daughter, sold more than five million copies worldwide. Jean-Yves Ferri and Didier Conrad took over the Asterix series in 2013. The series’ original  illustrator Albert Uderzo had been overseeing the series until his death in March 2020,  and the books’ original author, René Goscinny, died in 1977. 

The latest story will see Asterix and Obelix set out on their 39th adventure, and travel to a new destination in search of a strange and terrifying creature both idolised and feared by ancient peoples, the griffin. 

Jean-Yves Ferri said: “For me, it all started with a sculpture of the Tarasque, a terrifying creature from Celtic legends … Did our ancestors really believe that these peculiar monsters actually existed? It’s worth mentioning that in Roman times there weren’t many explorers so the terra was mostly incognita.

“Even so, extraordinary animals such as elephants and rhinoceroses had already been exhibited in Rome. Having seen them, why would Romans have any reason to doubt the existence of equally improbable creatures? And hadn’t some of them (medusas, centaurs, gorgons …) been described very seriously before their time by the ancient Greeks? 

“Now it was time look at this bestiary and choose the animal that would be at the centre of the intrigue. Half-eagle, half-lion, with horse’s ears and appropriately enigmatic – I opted for a Griffin. The Romans were bound to go for it. But what about the Gauls? How would Asterix, Obelix and Dogmatix, along with the Druid Getafix, get drawn into the epic, perilous quest to find this fantastical animal?” 

Asterix is also due to star in a 3D Netflix animated series, directed by Alain Chabat, the writer and director of 2002’s Mission Cléopâtre – the most successful of Asterix’s numerous appearances on screen and the third highest-grossing feature film in  French history.

The series will be adapted from one of the classic volumes, Asterix and the Big Fight, where the Romans, after being constantly embarrassed by Asterix and his village cohorts, organize a brawl between rival Gaulish chiefs. The series will debut in  2023, and will be screened around the world. 

Asterix celebrates year of ‘unparalleled success’ in album sales and licensing deals

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Asterix has marked 2020 as a year ‘of unparalleled’ success during which its latest album, The Chieftain’s Daughter sold more than five million copes around the world, hitting a new record for an Asterix album since the series takeover in 2013.

Meanwhile, the illustrated album Le Menhir d’Or, published in October last year, is about to exceed 15,000 copies sold in France – a record for an illustrated album.

The iconic French comic brand has reported that it has shifted nearly 800,000 copies of albums from its current backlist throughout 2020, marking a five per cent increase when compared to sales through 2019, and 35 per cent more than 2018.

On the licensing side, major operations have been equally successful. Lidl the brand in 2020 for a loyalty program over ten weeks, with new activations already signed off for 2021. In France, Asterix stands as the favourite charcter for boys aged seven to 14, ahead of Harry Potter and in the overall top ten licenses in the country.

Asterix brand owners, Éditions Albert René are now coining 2021 as the year for Asterix as it gears up for the launch of a new comic book album this October, and the debut of a new TV series based on the character Idefix/Dogmatix on France Televisions this September. It will also air on Super RTL in Germany at the end of the year.

Meanwhile, 2022 will see the release of the live action film in which Asterix and Obelix travel to China on an unprecedented adventure in a new movie directed by Guillaume Canet.

Asterix will also be leaving his mark on the gaming space with the planned launch for an augmented reality mobile game this spring, Developed by Hootside, the game will see players take on the role of a young Gaul from the village, and help Obelix find his friends. It’s been billed as an immersive new game that will play a key role in recruiting new fans to the IP.

Asterix comic book artist Albert Uderzo dies aged 92

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The French comic book artist and scriptwriter, Albert Uderzo, known for his work on the popular Asterix title, has died at the age of 92, his family told the French news agency AFP this week.

The news outlet quoted Uderzo’s son-in-law, saying: “He died in his sleep at his home in Neuilly from a heart attack unrelated to the coronavirus. He had been very tired for several weeks.”

The artist, the son of Italian immigrants living in France had retired from drawing in late 2011. He will be fondly remembered for his work on Asterix, the comic book hero that has amassed a cult following across Europe and has become a major film franchise, both in animation and live action.

The Asterix property has spawned a number of cinematic adaptations, most notably 1999’s Asterix & Obelix Take on Caesar, starring Gerard Depardieu and Roberto Benigni.

Asterix debuted in October 1959 in the French magazine PIlote, created by René Goscinny and Uderzo. Two years later, the first stand-alone effort, Astérix the Gaul, was released. Since then, the series has gone on to sell more than 380 million copies, translated into more than 100 languages internationally.

The duo collaborated on the comic until the death of Goscinny in 1977. Uderzo then took over the writing until 2009.

The comic book series centres around the titular Asterix, the bravest warrior in a small town in the middle of Roman-occupied Gaul in the year 50 B.C. With the help of a magic potion that gives him super-strength (and his best friend Obelix, who fell into a cauldron of the potion as a child), he spends each instalment fighting and defeating the Roman army and keeping his village safe from harm.

Last year, Astérix celebrated its 60th anniversary with US independent publisher Papercutz taking on the American licensed for the property this year. It does so with an ambitious publishing plan in place to bring Asterix to the US audience.

The Papercutz run will feature all-new English language translations, with a publishing schedule that features both a series of collected editions of historical material and hardcover editions of contemporary releases moving forward.

Since Uderzo’s retirement, the work on Astérix has been handled by writer Jean-Yves Ferri and artist Didier Conrad under a deal that allows Lagardere-owned publisher Hachette to continue producing the series. The most recent book, Astérix and the Chieftain’s Daughter, was released in October.