1975, Belgian Comics Pats - Flappy van Flappinus

In 1975, the first story, Flappy van Flappinus, was published in the Pats series. The main characters are Pats, his headstrong younger sister Trezebees, and the extraterrestrial creature Flappy. The earliest stories were illustrated by Willy Vandersteen, while later albums were drawn by Robert Merhottein (Merho).

Flappy van Flappinus
- full colour
- publisher: Standaard Uitgeverij
- never published in English
- drawings by Willy Vandersteen
- story by Willy Vandersteen

Cover Flappy van Flappinus

The main characters in this story are Pats, Trezebees, Flappy, the General, the Spies.

Pats and  Trezebees

Flappy

Trezebees and Spy

Synopsis
As Pats and little Trezebees are going to bed, a mysterious golden spacecraft circles the Earth. Caught in a violent thunderstorm, the craft is forced to make an emergency landing in the family’s garden, right among their father’s sunflowers. In the wreckage, Pats discovers an injured, talking creature named Flappy, who comes from the planet Flappinus...

The General

The Spies

Vehicles

• Mercedes-Benz W114/W115
• Simca 1000
• Boeing 727
• unidentified van
• 2 unidentified trucks
• unidentified helicopter probably based on the Bell 47

Mercedes-Benz W114/W115

Simca 1000

Boeing 727

unidentified van

unidentified truck

unidentified truck

unidentified helicopter

The character Pats was originally created by Karel Weyler for his Pats puppet theatre. During these performances, Weyler also featured Suske, Wiske, Sidonia, Lambik and Jerom—characters created by Willy Vandersteen. In return, Vandersteen occasionally included Pats in his own stories. Pats is mentioned, for example, in De Vrolijke Bengels (Ons Volkske, 1950) and in the Suske en Wiske albums De Mottenvanger (1948), De Circusbaron (1953), Het Hondenparadijs (1961), De Wilde Weldoener (1961), and De Poppenpakker (1973).

Pats in De Vrolijke Bengels (Ons Volkske, 1950)

Pats in De Mottenvanger (Suske en Wiske, 1948)

Pats in De Circusbaron (Suske en Wiske, 1953)

Pats in Het Hondenparadijs (Suske en Wiske, 1961)

Pats in De Wilde Weldoener (Suske en Wiske, 1961)

Pats in De Poppenpakker (Suske en Wiske, 1973)

In 1962, Pats was also used as the name of a newspaper supplement for De Standaard/Het Nieuwsblad. The title strip, published from 1962 to 1967, was illustrated by Edward De Rop on behalf of Willy Vandersteen for Studio Vandersteen. In 1974, the supplement was revived under the new name Patskrant, and Vandersteen created a new Pats comic series.

Pats in Pats de vrolijke kinderkrant (1962 - 1967)

Weyler viewed the success of this new series with dismay, and a dispute arose between him and Vandersteen. To avoid legal proceedings, the series was abruptly discontinued on 23 August 1977. It was subsequently renamed Tits, and the newspaper supplement became Stipkrant. The character Pats was removed entirely.