The Adventures of Tintin partially deaf physicist and a regular character alongside Tintin, Snowy, and Captain Haddock. He was introduced in "Red Rackham's Treasure", and based partially on Auguste Piccard, a Swiss physicist. The leading characters do not initially welcome his presence, but through his generous nature and his scientific ability, he develops a lasting bond with them. Eventually, by the end of "Land of Black Gold", he becomes a resident of Marlinspike Hall. Normally mild-mannered and dignified, Calculus occasionally loses his temper and acts in a spectacularly aggressive manner in response to actual or perceived insults, such as when Captain Haddock belittles his
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