Snowy (character) he is able to understand human language, and communicates with speech bubbles. His verbal responses to various situations include jokes, expressions of fright, and pleas to Tintin to exercise caution. In the early albums he takes an interest in mechanics and geography; in "Tintin in the Congo", he makes biblical references. As a dog, he also sniffs, tracks, chases, and bites. The character of Snowy evolved through the course of the Tintin series. In early works he exchanges dialog with other characters, including animals, and provides a running commentary on the situation. His character then became affected by the introduction
Tintin (character) uncomplicated as the story line". Hergé never explained why he chose Tintin as the character's name. He had previously made use of alliteration with the name of his previous character, Totor. Michael Farr speculated that Hergé had adopted it from Rabier's "Tintin le lutin", although Hergé insisted that he did not learn of this book until 1970. Farr commented that "Tintin" was probably the character's surname, as other characters, such as his landlady, occasionally refer to him as Mr. Tintin (as printed on his doorbell). Conversely, Assouline asserted that it could not be his surname, because he lacked a family.