Tintin Forums

A quote from Harry Potter by a gargoyle:
"You should be in class, Sunny Jim."
Sunny Jim is a Tintin character, right?

I'm pretty sure there isn't. More like a Tom Sawyer character or something I think. Anyone isn't it just a coloquial expression for 'little man' or 'boy'?

"Sunny Jim" is just a general name for someone you don't know (or wish to pretend you don't know) the name of; in the case of a teacher (or even a gargoyle!) calling you that, it probably equates to keeping things unofficial - it means they have seen you somewhere you shouldn't be, or doing something you shouldn't be doing, but as they haven't called you by name, it's a warning.

I think it actually is a combination of "sonny" (rather than "sunny"), a boy, as Tintinrulz says, and "Jim"; both are commonly used as fill-in names for people you don't know.
British people, especially stereotypically people from Glasgow, use "Jim" the way an American might use "Jack" (e.g. "hit the road, Jack!").

People called James might get it added to their name as a sort of nickname. There is a character called "Sunny Jim" in the Para Handy tales of Neil Munro, who is extremely optomistic.

If I remember correctly (I don't have the book with me), in Tintin and the Picaros Jolyon Wagg, when introducing the Jolly Follies to Tintin and Haddock, says something like "Sunny Jim designed their costumes too..." - which I always took to mean himself.

Maybe this is where the confusion stems from - I never thought this referred to another unknown character in the adventures.

Ed

That's a good point, Ed, and I agree that Wagg is talking about himself - it's sort of false modesty.

He doesn't mention his own name, as if he's being discreet, but makes it clear that he did the work (and how appalling they were too!).
He's using it like some people would use "Muggins".

You should look at the character guide under guides/lists, you certified ignoramuses!

Well I guess that "Sunny Jim" is a uniquely British idiom. I can only say that whoever added that entry to the Character guide isn't from the UK. But I'm sure other British Tintinologists will have heard the phrase and can confirm this.

Ed

Thanks Miloumuttmitt for bringing this topic up (but no name calling again, please), and thanks to Christian (Tintinrulz), Simon (Jock123), and Ed for the valuable lesson in British idioms.

edcharlesadams wrote:
Maybe this is where the confusion stems from - I never thought this [Sunny Jim] referred to another unknown character in the adventures.

That Jolyn Wagg is the designer of the Jolly Follies' colourful costumes is unmistakable in the French edition; in Tintin et les Picaros, on page 51, frame 12, Wagg says:
"Et c'est moi aussi qui ai créé leur costume! ... Pas mal, non?"
[Translation: And it was I who also created their costume! ... Not bad, eh?]

edcharlesadams wrote:
Well I guess that "Sunny Jim" is a uniquely British idiom. I can only say that whoever added that entry to the Character guide isn't from the UK.

I am responsible for our Tintin Characters Guide, so I apologise for having failed to detect such a glaring mistake. I shall go and revise the entry for Sunny Jim now.

Edit: Just remembered Jyrki21's comments in the Translating out of English instead of French thread; I wonder if any of the translators of the non-English editions, those who had based their work on the English edition, failed to recognise the true meaning of "Sunny Jim"? Would anyone (Jyrki21, Trifonius, Gustav?) who have access to non-English/French edition books mind checking their copies of Tintin and the Picaros, and letting us know what Wagg says in the last frame of page 51?

Thanks for that, marsbar. The English language is full of little pitfalls and eccentricities like that, but British English has to be worst of all for them! It will also be interesting to see what anyone who has translated from the English will have made of "Sunny Jim".

I think this is a bit of a mistake as surely it should be 'sonny jim', which is the phrase I have always known. I've never heard of sunny jim - except in Tintin.

P.S - I think miloumuttmitt (you surely have one of the oddest usernames here, muttmitt!) was being Haddock when he said 'certified....', but maybe bashi bazouks would have been more clear! :-)