We knew Martine at the farm, Martine at school and Martine at the zoo, here is now Martine at Versailles… Casterman editions and the public establishment of the castle have joined forces to add a new adventure to the long saga of the iconic little heroine , born from the pen of the Belgian illustrator Marcel Marlier in the 1950s, known for his academic style and his great sense of detail. The story ? Martine has won a competition that allows her to experience a VIP day at the castle surrounded by her friends, including her famous dog Patapouf: she will lead a treasure hunt, take part in a play, then a ball at Trianon in the vein from those of Marie-Antoinette…
A way to discover the castle through the scenery of several unmissable places, such as the vestibule of the Royal Chapel, the Hall of Mirrors, the sovereigns’ bedrooms, the water parterre, the Trianon gardens… The designer Marcel Marlier having died in 2011, publishers used his old colored sketches to embed them in photos of the monument. “The rights holders rightly refuse another illustrator to take over and copy a style that remains inimitable,” explains Céline Charvet, director of the youth department of Casterman. We therefore drew on existing drawings, in particular those in the album Martine fait du théâtre, where she disguises herself in court dress, before embedding them on photos of Versailles, provided by the castle. »
A technique already used successfully last year for Martine au Louvre, which was crowned with success with 50,000 copies sold over one year – figures which pleasantly surprised the publisher. The combination of drawings and photos will be renewed in the years to come with new albums, including one in preparation on Brittany… It must be said that the success of Martine’s adventures has not weakened, with around sixty albums published since then. 1954 and sold to date more than 150 million copies worldwide – Casterman still sells 400,000 each year. And this, despite regular criticism against the gender stereotypes conveyed by heroin…
For Versailles, it is also very beneficial: “By feeding the imagination of children from an early age, the Palace of Versailles wishes to offer them the opportunity to develop their curiosity and make them want to discover the history of the former royal residence when they are older”, we explain bluntly. The young target is one of the major axes developed by the castle, encouraging the curious to come with the family, with free admission offered for children under 18. In the same spirit, many activities are offered with storytelling visits for children, creative workshops, thematic approaches in the gardens or the private apartments of the palace… Last initiative: the possibility of playing Rabbids in the gardens of the castle , using augmented reality on the trail of a mysterious “Rabbit Louis XIV”…
