She was one of the authors behind the famous children's comic strip, “Tom-Tom and Nana”. The designer Bernadette Després, co-creator of the successful series, died at the age of 83, Bayard editions reported to Le Monde.
The comic strip featuring the daily adventures of Tom-Tom and his little sister Nana, both children of restaurateurs, has enjoyed dazzling success since its creation in 1977. In total, more than 16 million albums have been sold (with an explosion in the 1990s) and the series was adapted for television.
The siblings' mischief, mixing humor and tenderness, initially appeared in the magazine I like to read, published by the Bayard group. “I had an absolute blast with Bayard, the monthly publications with the collection I like to read allowed me to work. Today, it would be almost impossible,” she told Le Parisien last March.
More than just a comic strip, the children's series has become a cultural phenomenon, accompanying generations of children during their first readings. Bernadette Després' joyful and colorful line has nourished a series of 371 stories. “I never wanted to talk about the problems of the world. What attracts me is children, it has to be alive, it has to move. All this remains in a very protected universe,” she described.
Then, the adventures of the two little heroes ended in 2009, the year in which one of the screenwriters, Jacqueline Cohen, stopped writing. “I would have liked to continue. Drawing Tom-Tom and Nana was such a joy. I never got tired of it,” confided the designer in 2019.
The work of Bernadette Després had earned her numerous awards. She notably won the Fauve d'Honneur at the Angoulême International Comics Festival in 2019 for all of her work. The designer was also elevated to the rank of Knight of the Legion of Honor in 2021.
