In 1976, Vandersteen's wife Paula died. He remarried on 25 June 1977 with Anne-Marie Vankerkhoven. Vandersteen, now a celebrated artist with complete TV shows made about him, both in the Netherlands and in Belgium, continued to work on his comics. The same year 1977 gave him a coveted Alfred award from the Angoulême International Comics Festival for the best scenario, for the "Robert en Bertrand" story "De stakingbreker" ("The Strike Breaker"), while in 1978 a "Suske en Wiske" statue was unveiled in the Antwerp Zoo.