Tintin (character) making it in his role of explorer. Clearly unencumbered with financial preoccupations, after "Red Rackham's Treasure" he is ensconced as a permanent house guest in the stately Marlinspike Hall with retired mariner Captain Haddock and the scientist Professor Calculus. Tintin occupies all of his time with his friends, exploring the bottom of the sea, the tops of the mountains, and the surface of the Moon (sixteen years before astronaut Neil Armstrong). Through it all, Tintin finds himself cast in the role of international social crusader, sticking up for the underdog and looking after those less fortunate than himself. From the
Tintin and the Picaros Hergé's depiction of the city of Tapiocapolis was visually based on the city of Belo Horizonte in Brazil. His depiction of a public sculpture in the city was inspired by the work of sculptor Marcel Arnould, while the paintings that he designed for the Tapiocapolis hotel in which Tintin and Haddock stay are based on the work of Serge Poliakoff. Hergé incorporated many characters from previous "Adventures" into "Tintin and the Picaros"; these include Pablo, Ridgewell, and the Arumbaya tribe from "The Broken Ear", as well as Colonel Sponz from "The Calculus Affair". The character of General Tapioca, who had