Created by: Georges Chaulet (1931-2012)
Fantômette is a teen-age crime fighter, whose secret
identity is that of Françoise Dupont,
a high-school student in the Greater Paris suburb of Framboisy, located near the river Ondine.
No one knows Françoise's secret identity. Fantômette does not have any specific super-powers; however
she is a superb athlete with finely honed skills; she uses a variety of utility-belt-type accessories to fight
crime, including a blade hidden inside her gold "F" broach. She travels around on a souped-up bike. Fantômette
has the wit and spunk of Arsène Lupin, and the deviousness of her older namesake, Fantômas.
Fantômette's two friends and bumbling
companions are the tall, gangly "Ficelle"
(whose ill-timed initiatives often have catastrophic results), and the rotund "Boulotte" who loves to cook.
Arch-enemies include Silver Mask, mad
scientist Cynica, the gang of the Owls, Diabola, Satanix, etc. Other,
non-villainous recurring characters include local police commissioners Malabar and Maigrelet, and
spinster teacher Mademoiselle Bigoudi.
Fantômette is the brain-child of prolific juvenile
author Georges Chaulet, whose other creations
include Etincelle, the teenage Quatre As (Four Aces), Le
Petit Lion (The Little Lion), Le Prince
Charmant (Prince Charming), and a series of Inspector
Gadget novels.
Fantômette was created in 1961 for
publisher Hachette's juvenile imprint,
Bibliothèque Rose (Pink Library),
a sister imprint of the Bibliothèque Verte
(Green Library), which also published Langelot and Michel.
Unlike the "Green Library" which was aimed at boys, the "Pink Library" was aimed at girls,
and also published Enid Blyton, etc.
Fantômette's success has never flagged,
and the character became the subject of a live-action television series in 1993, and more recently, of a hugely
popular animated series. The original design of the characters, visually created by Bibliothèque Rose artist
Jeanne Hives, was modernized for the animated
series.
"OLD" FANTÔMETTE
by Jeanne HIVES
"NEW" FANTÔMETTE
The Books
1. Les Exploits
de Fantômette (The Exploits of Fantomette)
(1961)
2. Fantômette contre le Hibou (Fantomette vs. The Owl) (1962)
3. Fantômette contre le Géant (Fantomette vs. The Giant) (1963)
4. Fantômette au Carnaval (Fantomette at the Carnival) (1963)
5. Fantômette et l'Île de la Sorcière (Fantomette and the
Witch's Island) (1964)
6. Fantômette contre Fantômette (Fantomette vs. Fantomette) (1964)
7. Pas de Vacances pour Fantômette (No Holidays for Fantomette) (1965)
8. Fantômette et la Télévision (Fantomette and Television) (1966)
9. Opération Fantômette (1966)
10. Les Sept Fantômettes (The Seven Fantomette)
(1967)
11. Fantômette et la Dent du Diable (Fantomette and the Devil's Tooth) (1967)
12. Fantômette et son Prince (Fantomette and her Prince) (1968)
13. Fantômette et le Brigand (Fantomette and the Crook) (1968)
14. Fantômette et la Lampe Merveilleuse (Fantomette and the Magic Lamp) (1969)
15. Fantômette chez le Roi (Fantomette and the King)
(1970)
16. Fantômette
et le Trésor du Pharaon (Fantomette and the Pharaoh's Treasure) (1970)
17. Fantômette et la Maison Hantée (Fantomette and the Haunted
House) (1971)
18. Fantômette à la Mer de Sable (Fantomette at the Sea of Sand) (1971)
19. Fantômette contre la Main Jaune (Fantomette vs. The Yellow Hand) (1971)
20. Fantômette Viendra ce Soir (Fantomette Will Come Tonight) (1972)
21. Fantômette dans le Piège (Fantomette in the Trap) (1972)
22. Fantômette et le Secret du Désert (Fantomette and the Secret
of the Desert) (1973)
23. Fantômette et le Masque d'Argent (Fantomette and Silver Mask) (1973)
24. Fantômette chez les Corsaires (Fantomette and the Corsairs) (1973)
25. Fantômette contre Charlemagne (Fantomette vs. Charlemagne) (1974)
26. Fantômette et la Grosse Bête (Fantomette and the Big Beast) (1974)
27. Fantômette et le Palais sous la Mer (Fantomette and the Undersea
Palace) (1974)
28. Fantômette contre Diabola (Fantomette vs. Diabola) (1975)
29. Appelez Fantômette (Call Fantomette)
(1975)
30. Olé,
Fantômette! (1975)
31. Fantômette Brise la Glace (Fantomette Breaks The Ice) (1976)
32. Les Carnets de Fantômette (The Casebooks of Fantomette) (1976)
33. C'est quelqu'un, Fantômette (Fantomette Is Somebody) (1977)
34. Fantômette dans l'Espace (Fantomette in Space)
(1977)
35. Fantômette fait tout sauter (Fantomette Blows It All Up) (1977)
36. Fantastique Fantômette (Fantastic Fantomette)
(1978)
37. Fantômette et les Quarante Milliards (Fantomette and the Forty Billions) (1978)
-- . Almanach de Fantômette (1979)
38. Fantômette en Plein Mystère (Fantomette in Deep Mystery) (1979)
39. Fantômette et le Mystère de la Tour (Fantomette and the Mystery
of the Tower) (1979)
40. Fantômette et le Dragon d'Or (Fantomette and the Golden Dragon) (1980)
41. Fantômette contre Satanix (Fantomette vs. Satanix) (1981)
42. Fantômette et la Couronne (Fantomette and the Crown) (1982)
43. Mission Impossible pour Fantômette (Mission Impossible for Fantomette) (1982)
44. Fantômette
en Danger (Fantomette In Danger) (1983)
45. Fantômette et le Château Mystérieux (Fantomette and
the Mysterious Castle) (1984)
46. Fantômette Ouvre l'Oeil (Fantomette Keeps Watch)
(1984)
47. Fantômette s'envole (Fantômette Flies Away) (1985)
48. C'est toi, Fantômette! (It's You, Fantomette!)
(1987)
49. Le retour de Fantômette (The Return of Fantomette)(2006)
50. Fantômette a la main verte (Fantomette and the Green Hand) (2007)
51. Fantômette et le magicien (Fantomette and the Magician) (2009)
I'm not sure oif the following two titles were published:
??. Fantômette se Méfie (Fantomette Is Wary)
??. Fantômette Passe à l'Attaque (Fantomette Attacks)
Television
Live-Action Series:
FR3, 26 30-minute episodes, 1993.
Dirs: Christiane Leherissey, Christiane
Spiero, etc.
Wri: Stéphane Barbier, Jean-Guy
Gingembre, Patrick Hutin, Pascal Bancou, Christian Bouveron, etc.
Regular Cast: Katia Sourzac (Fantômette/Françoise),
Justine Fraioli (Boulotte), Sabine Franquet (Ficelle), Bertrand Lacy (Oeil-de-Lynx), Arsène Jiroyan (Navarin),
Christine Reverho (Cynica), Bruno Raffaelli ("Silver Mask").
Episodes:
1. Fantômette et le clone (Fantômette and the Clone)
2. Fantômette est givrée (Fantômette Is Crazy)
3. Fantômette et l’eau rouge (Fantomette and the Red Water)
4. Fantômette et le secret de la couronne (Fantômette and the Crown's Secret)
5. Fantômette contre le colonel X (Fantômette vs. Colonel X)
6. Prise de tête pour Fantômette(Headache for Fantômette)
7. Fantômette et la carnimousse (Fantômette and the Carnimousse)
8. Fantômette et la malédiction de la bague serpent (Fantômette and the Curse of the Snake Ring)
9. Fantômette et le passé recomposé (Fantômette and the Made-Up Past)
10. Fantômette chasse gardée (Fantômette and the Game Preserve)
11. Fantômette et la photo interdite (Fantômette and the Forbidden Photo)
12. Fantômette et les habits du ciel (Fantômette and the Heavenly Clothes)
13. Fantômette au bal des empereurs (Fantômette at the Emperors' Ball)
14. Fantômette et le temps du magicien (Fantômette and the Time of the Magician)
15. Fantômette et le collier de Rahpsaskou (Fantômette and the Necklace of Kampsasku)
16. Fantômette et le vol parfait (Fantômette and the Perfect Robbery
17. Fantômette et la Framboisy Connection
18. Fantômette contre Mettofan (Fantômette vs. Mettofan)
19. Fantômette et l’os préhistorique (Fantômette and the Prehistoric Bone)
20. Fantômette et le brouilleur d'âmes (Fantômette and the Soul Scrambler
21. Fantômette contre le Masque d'Argile (Fantômette vs. Clay Mask)
Animated Series:
Ellipse/Cactus Animation, 2000
Dir: No information available.
Wri: No information available.
Voices: Françoise Blanchard (Fantômette/Françoise),
Laura Préjean (Boulotte), Chantal Macé (Ficelle)
Episodes:
1. L’Affaire Vitenform
2. Les Jumeaux de l’impossible
3. Fantômette contre Fantômette
4. L’Effaceur de souvenir
5. Les Cinq Clés de Kephren
6. La Malédiction de la momie
7. Filloire broie du noir
8. Fantômette tire les ficelles
9. Dyna et les Rolling Fruts
10. Rue du Pactole
11. Le furet joue avec le feu
12. Le Cœur du serpent
13. L’Étrange cas du Docteur K
14. La Nuit des anges
15. Chantage sur Furtive-Ville
16. Le Retour du passé
17. Le Mystère Dupont
18. Le venin du mécène
19. Haute voltige
20. L’Évadé des souvenirs
21. Pour sauver Œil de Lynx
22. À côté de la plaque
23. L’Enlèvement
24. Chouette histoire
25. Faux-semblants
26. La vérité est au fond du puits
Comics
Wri: Georges Chaulet
Art: François Craenhals
1. Fantômette Se Déchaîne! (Fantomette Strikes Back!) (Hachette, 1982) (adaptation of 35. Fantômette fait tout sauter (Fantomette
Blows It All Up))
2. Fantômette Livre Bataille (Fantomette Goes to War) (Hachette, 1982) (adaptation of 1. Les Exploits de Fantômette (The
Exploits Of Fantomette))
3. Fantômette Risque Tout (Fantomette Risks Everything) (Hachette, 1983) (adaptation of 2. Fantômette contre le Hibou (Fantomette
vs. The Owl))
Wri: Georges Chaulet
Art: Endry
4. Fantômette Fend les Flots (Fantomette at Sea)
(Hachette, 1984) (adaptation of 37. Fantômette et les Quarante Milliards (Fantomette
And The Forty Billions))