Bungling detectives who inspired a pop band

Thomson and Thompson are perhaps the stupidest of the regular Tintin cast. Whilst other characters such as Haddock or Calculus cause amusement through stupid actions caused by drink or their own clumsiness. Only Thomson and Thompson regularly inflict failure and injury on themselves.

Though not related (hence the different surnames) the pair are refereed to as twins because of their near identical appearance in black suits, black bowler hats and moustache. In fact their moustaches are the only way to tell the two apart. Thomson’s flares slightly at the bottom where as Thompson’s is straight. This lack of difference does not prose much of a problem for either Tintin or the reader as the two characters are never seen apart.

The pair work for Interpol and are often entrusted with missions of great importance despite the fact they cannot be trusted to tie their own shoe laces. Often their missions involve trying to arrest Tintin for crimes he hasn’t committed and this was how Tintin and the twins first met in Cigars of the Pharaoh. To blend in, whilst abroad, the twins don local costumes. This only makes them stand out even more as they always equipment themselves in the most stereotypical form of national dress they can whilst trying to blend in with the natives.

Because many of the Tintin books were redrawn and rewritten between their appearance in the comics and their publication in album form there is confusion as to when the characters did meet. In the redrawn Cigars of the Pharaoh, published after some of the later works, Herge added dialog to make it seem that Tintin already knew the twins.

The twins were the inspiration of the 80’s pop group, the Thompson Twins who had hits with ‘Hold Me Now’ and ‘We Are Detective’.

You can find all of Thomson and Thompson’s bungling idiocy in the compete Tintin available from the Tintin Movie Store and see where Tintin’s adventures took place on the Tintin Map.