Getafix, Vitalstatistix, the magic potion, Dogmatix and Obelix's boars. 10 questions on Goscinny and Uderzo's iconic comic series.
10 questions on Asterix: characters, albums, creators, the magic potion and the thousand details that make the best-selling French-language comic so enduring.
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Asterix was created by René Goscinny (writer) and Albert Uderzo (illustrator), first published in 1959 in the magazine Pilote. The series follows an indomitable Gaulish village that resists Roman occupation thanks to a magic potion brewed by the druid Getafix. The humour rests on anachronisms, wordplay and a gentle satire of French society.
The series comprises 41 official albums (including 6 produced since 2013 by Jean-Yves Ferri and Didier Conrad, then one by Fabcaro and Conrad). Asterix has been translated into over 111 languages and dialects and has sold more than 385 million copies worldwide.
All ten easy level questions, with the answer and the reasoning behind it.
Correct answer: Superhuman strength
Superhuman strength, for a short while. Long enough for most purposes.
Correct answer: Warrior
Warrior, small and shrewd, and always the one sent on missions.
Correct answer: France
France, in a magazine launched in 1959.
Correct answer: He loves trees
He loves trees, and he howls when one is cut down. Ecology before it was fashionable.
Correct answer: The sky falling on their heads
The sky falling on their heads, which is at least a very specific concern.
Correct answer: Fulliautomatix
Fulliautomatix, who is rather keen on hitting the bard.
Correct answer: Unhygienix
Unhygienix, whose fish comes from Lutetia, and therefore rather a long way.
Correct answer: Geriatrix
Geriatrix, whose young wife attracts a lot of attention.
Correct answer: A shield
A shield, by two bearers who drop him fairly often.
Correct answer: Fat
Fat. He is, he insists, merely well built, so mind what you say.
Want to warm up before playing or double-check something? Open any question to reveal the correct answer and a short explanation.
Correct answer: René Goscinny and Albert Uderzo
Asterix was created by René Goscinny (writer) and Albert Uderzo (illustrator) in 1959. Their collaboration lasted until Goscinny's death in 1977. Uderzo continued alone until 2009, before handing the series to Jean-Yves Ferri (writer) and Didier Conrad (illustrator) from 'Asterix and the Picts' (2013) onward.
Correct answer: Vitalstatistix
Vitalstatistix is the chief of the village. He is constantly afraid that 'the sky will fall on his head', a reference to ancient Gaulish mythology. He is carried around the village on a shield by two bearers, who have a habit of dropping him at the most inconvenient moments.
Correct answer: Dogmatix
Dogmatix (Idéfix in French) is Obelix's small white dog, who first appeared officially in 'Asterix at the Olympic Games' (1968). He is particularly sensitive to nature and cries every time a tree is cut down. Despite his small size, he is fiercely loyal and has become one of the most beloved characters in the series.
Correct answer: Roast wild boar
Obelix has an enormous passion for roast wild boar, which he consumes in enormous quantities at village feasts. He can eat several whole boars in a single sitting, to the amazement and occasional exasperation of his companions. This appetite is one of the recurring sources of humour in the series.
Correct answer: He fell into the cauldron as a child
Obelix fell into the cauldron of magic potion as a child, granting him permanent superhuman strength. Getafix therefore refuses to give him any more: taking an additional dose could have unpredictable and potentially dangerous effects on a body already permanently saturated with the potion.
Correct answer: Asterix the Gaul
Asterix the Gaul is the first album in the series, initially serialised in Pilote magazine in 1959 before being published in album form in 1961. It introduces the main characters and establishes the core premise: a small Gaulish village surrounded by four Roman camps, holding out against the might of the Roman Empire.
Correct answer: Cacofonix
Cacofonix (Assurancetourix in French) is the village bard, whose singing is so atrociously bad that the villagers routinely gag him during feasts. Paradoxically, his voice is reputed to trigger rain, which makes him occasionally useful in dry conditions. Despite being regularly tied to a tree, he remains a beloved part of the ensemble.
Correct answer: 41
The Asterix series has 41 official albums, the most recent being 'Asterix in Lusitania' (2025) by Fabcaro and Conrad. Of the 41 albums: 24 were created by Goscinny and Uderzo together (albums 1-24), 10 by Uderzo alone (albums 25-34), 6 by Ferri and Conrad (albums 35-40) and 1 by Fabcaro and Conrad.
Correct answer: Asterix at the Olympic Games
Asterix at the Olympic Games (1968, Album 12) sends Asterix, Obelix and companions to the Games in ancient Greece. This is also the album where Dogmatix first officially appears. The story satirises sporting rivalry and the politics of elite sport, with the Gauls' brilliant solution of entering as a 'Roman team'.
Correct answer: England (Roman Britain)
Asterix in Britain (1966, Album 8) is set in Roman Britain (England). The album affectionately parodies British stereotypes: the Britons drink hot water with milk ('tea'), stop fighting at 5pm for the evening meal, and drive on the left. It is one of the most popular albums in the series, famous for its bilingual puns on French and English.
Stuck on one, or just curious how nasty it gets? Every hard mode question is here with its answer and the reasoning behind it.
Correct answer: Anthea Bell and Derek Hockridge
Anthea Bell and Derek Hockridge, who gave the characters their brilliant English puns.
Correct answer: 2020
2020, aged 92, having drawn the series since 1959.
Correct answer: How Obelix Fell into the Magic Potion
How Obelix Fell into the Magic Potion, a separate storybook rather than a regular album.
Correct answer: Alain Chabat
Alain Chabat, who also directs the film.
Correct answer: Monica Bellucci
Monica Bellucci, whose accent and costumes fill the screen in equal measure.
Correct answer: Christian Clavier
Christian Clavier, who returned for Mission Cleopatra.
Correct answer: Mistletoe
Mistletoe, and he insists on a golden sickle to cut it.
Correct answer: His nephew
His nephew, in from Lutetia, and quite the city boy, in Asterix and the Normans.
Correct answer: The White Iris
The White Iris, from 2023, with Fabcaro as writer.
Correct answer: Asterix and the Great Crossing
Asterix and the Great Crossing, from 1975, in which they discover it rather by accident.