They are all fans of the Little Prince. The book and its message have left their mark on them. Of their own free will, they have opted to have tattoos in the colours of the Little Prince. From a simple quote taken from the text to a reproduction of one of Saint-Exupéry’s watercolours, many have taken the step.

Once seen as a marginal act, the sole preserve of the disreputable, tattoos have gradually become increasingly common and accepted across a growing range of social categories. The explanation may lie in a change of attitudes or in the fact that for some time now a number of celebrities (actors, sportsmen, singers) have been proudly showing off their body ink.  

A time-honoured practice
Looking back to the most ancient civilisations, we realise that tattoos are not simply a form of decoration but also a means of displaying useful information – on the wearer’s exploits, for example, or social standing, or even protective totem.  In the 21^st century, too, people who get tattoos do so because they have something to say about themselves, about their identity, their history, a key stage in their lives. 

For some of us, the Little Prince may represent such a key moment. Reading the story perhaps awakened something in us, helped us to grow up, to understand the world, to shed a different light on it. It is an unforgettable experience. It is easy to understand, then, that those with a taste for tattoos might want to mark on their skin the fact that they are guided by the Little Prince’s message, and that we must not forget – and become one of those “grown-ups” who forget what is essential. They step through the door of a tattoo parlour and ask for a quotation from the book to be inked onto their skin. It may serve as a motto, a maxim or simply as a remembrance.

Watercolours rich in meaning
The Little Prince also owes his success to the watercolours painted by the author, who preferred to illustrate his text with these simple yet evocative drawings that remind us of the magical and authentic world of childhood. These images are much more than simple illustrations: they develop and amplify the author’s message, give it visual consistency. Poetic and intelligent, for some they can become emblems of a text that is, for them, sacred.  A tattoo is a way of adopting these images, but also of expressing affection for Saint-Exupéry’ character, or proclaiming attachment to one of his messages.

We could spend a long time exploring the why and the wherefore of such an act. Instead, however, we preferred to let our online visitors speak for themselves and tell us the story of their tattoos.

“I have a Little Prince tattoo on my arm.  It shows a rose under a glass dome that can protect her against the cold or from the sheep that might eat her. The banner reads: “Man sieht nur mit dem Herzen gut”. That means, “It is only with the heart that one sees clearly.” The heart is a real heart. I got it to remind me that we should learn to know people as they truly are, and not trust simply to appearances.” - Alexandra Becker

“For me, The Little Prince is not just a story about this pure being who asks questions without ever answering any. It is a philosophical tale that reminds us of what we might forget about ourselves. It was only natural to want it etched on my skin, just as it is engraved on my spirit. I chose the drawing of the Little Prince weeping as he realises that there are thousands of roses just like his, but the fox makes him realise that she is, in fact, unique. My tattoo is an exact reproduction of Saint-Exupéry’s drawing, but I took the liberty of adding a red rose. This completely changes the message of the drawing, I agree, but how can you get a tattoo of the Little Prince without his rose? It would be cruel.

So that’s how the Little Prince has been with me always, for more than ten years…” – Ange Virtuel

 “I had this tattoo done in March 2009. A few months earlier (on 1 November 2008, to be precise), our son Braegan was stillborn. We always spoke of him as our “little prince”. So to keep him close forever, my husband had this tattoo done on his upper chest. There he is, as if sitting there, and never leaves him, just as he will never leave our hearts.” - Delphine Wispelaere

“I decided to get the tattoo of this drawing for a specific reason: you know that Saint-Exupéry used to show his drawings to other people to test them out? I show my tattoo to test people. It works really well; I find out what they think about the book. If they’ve read it, you soon understand what their outlook on life is. It works for me!” - Can

 “The meaning of the tattoo for me is linked to the drawing I chose and where the tattoo is located on my body. I have a tattoo of the Little Prince on my shoulder blade. I chose the drawing where you see him from behind, sitting on a chair, looking into the distance. Since he is on my shoulder blade and seen from the back, he is looking in the same direction as me. So he is a witness to my life.” - Özgue Gülen

“The Little Prince has always been one of my favourite stories. Various members of my family used to read it to me in French, Hebrew, English, even in German. It didn’t mean too much to me when I was a child, apart from giving me a sense of connection. Then I grew up and as I got close to my friend Anne-Cath, I came to realise all the different subjects it addresses and I fell in love all over again with him and with the story. When I reached 30, I had this (so far) one and only tattoo done. It was a tribute to a childhood filled with beauty and sadness, and to a world that even now I don’t entirely understand. This illustration I found magnificent because the Little Prince is in a field of beauty, in tears, realising that the flowers have no meaning because they are not his rose. Even if the rose is very selfish, his love is directed towards her and her little world, not the world he currently finds himself in. It is a sad story filled with hope, and I like that.” – Patrick Shearer

“When I reached 18, I had the words “For what you have tamed, you become responsible forever” and the drawing of the desert and the star from the last page tattooed on the inside of my left arm. From the moment I finished reading The Little Prince at school, I knew it had changed me, and changed the way I saw the world and how I interacted with people.

I’ve always found it difficult to make friends because we moved around a lot. It’s difficult to create ties to people when you know you’ll be moving on in a few months, so I never had any stable support from friends. But I read The Little Prince in my second-year English class (I was only 15 at the time) and this quote stuck with me and made me look at my life differently. I realised that even though I didn’t have many friends, the ones I had were good friends and liked me for who I was, even though I’m not always the easiest person to be around. To a certain extent, I saw myself as the Rose and, for the first time in my life, I was surrounded by people I liked and who liked me back. Reading The Little Prince made me realise that because I liked them, because I had tamed them, I would be part of their lives forever.  Even if I moved yet again, or even if our friendship died, they would remember me and I would remember them. And I would be happy and feel better because I would have the memory of them to keep me smiling. I see my tattoo every morning when I wake up and it reminds me that I am loved and that I love in return. (In fact, I’m thinking about getting a tattoo of “One runs the risk of weeping if one allows oneself to be tamed” and the fox’s den on the other arm.)”- Shelby Bolton

Many of the friends of Antoine de Saint-Exupéry were invited to the launch of the project of a home for the Little Prince at the chateau of Saint-Maurice de Rémens. We took advantage of the occasion to record several interviews, to talk about the plans for the chateau but also, and especially, about Antoine.

Today our interview is with Antoine Gallimard, director of publishing at Gallimard. His grandfather, Gaston Gallimard, published all Antoine de Saint-Exupéry’s books. It was in the gardens of the chateau that Antoine Gallimard agreed to talk to us about an author who is still, to this day, a great success.

After the initial triumphal release in France and several translations around the world, Joann Sfar’s adaptation of The Little Prince is now out in folio. The 2008 edition of Joann Sfar’s graphic novel was a hardback version, made for the shelter of a library shelf, but this new format is ideal for carrying around wherever you go.

The latest edition sets the final touch to this successful foray by the Little Prince into the ninth art. The story loses nothing for its smaller format; all the poetry of the images and words is still there.

The ever-popular Little Prince lithographs are now on special offer in the online store!

The lithographs, large and small, are printed on Arches BFK paper by the Art-Lithographie print works in Paris, a superb presentation of Saint-Exupéry’s watercolours. This is an offer not to be missed: - 70% off all the lithographs!

When the Little Prince arrives on the planet, he finds the streets in the grip of a reign of terror. No sooner does one of the inhabitants begin to speak in public than patrols of flying ears emerge to listen to whatever is said and report it to the disturbing figure of Sahara.

Here is a fresh challenge for the Little Prince, who soon discovers that the evil eating away at this planet arises from the “injuries” of just one man. To help make the wait seem a little shorter, here are two exclusive extracts from the new adventure, to be screened on France 3 on Tuesday 1 November at 9.15 a.m.

After Richard Cocciante’s  show, the Little Prince returns to the stage for a new musical adventure. Rehearsals are currently under way at the Lyric Theatre in Belfast (Northern Ireland). The music and lyrics are the work of Nick Lloyd Webber (member of the UK’s famous Lloyd Webber musical dynasty) and James Reid.A contemporary style for a literary classic
Rumour has it that the costumes are simply magnificent, worthy of a couture catwalk. We were lucky enough to hear a preview of the songs from the show; the rhythm is basically pop rock, but we were struck by the quality of the songs retracing the chapters of the story.

A largely female cast
The lead role is played by a rising star in the world of musicals: Niamh Perry has already thrilled UK audiences in hit musicals like Mamma Mia or Love Never Dies. Her voice, warm yet light, is perfect for the role of the Little Prince. The pilot is played by Norwegian star Corey Conrady, the Rose by Cassandra Compton (finalist in the UK version of The X Factor), with Laura Pitt Pulford as the Snake and Sophie Wake playing the Fox.

Find out more on the Lyric Theatre website.

As a worthy way of marking the fifteenth anniversary of the Rights of the Child, the town of Issy-les-Moulineaux on the outskirts of Paris has dedicated the month of November to a celebration of Antoine de Saint-Exupéry and his Little Prince.

Children under six are invited, with their families, to an exhibition entitled “Les Petits Princes d’Issy et de Guro”, at which the children of Issy-les-Moulineaux and of  Guro (a town in South Korea twinned with Issy) offer the public their vision of the Little Prince in the form of drawings and paintings (from 4 to 30 November).

Children aged 6-11can try their hand at collaborative drawing thanks to the “Draw us a sheep” animation (information and bookings on: 01 41 23 80 00).

There is also talk of attractions such as an exhibition of models and installations made in Issy’s arts workshops, or a performance of key scenes from The Little Prince in English, by local youngsters.

More information coming soon. Find out more on: www.issy.com

The Antoine de Saint-Exupéry Youth Foundation is involved in many projects around the world to aid young people in difficulty. If you would like to help the Foundation and spoil yourself a little at the same time, the Little Prince online store has the answer

Kiub offers Saint-Exupéry fans a range of cards, magnets and key rings, each bearing a quotation from the author’s works that has special meaning.

Friends of the Little Prince, you have not been forgotten; check out the magnets inspired by the watercolour illustrations from the book – ideal gifts for that special friend, unique in all the world. See you at the online store.

In 2008, with the agreement of the Saint-Exupéry estate, the Pépinières et Roseraies Georges Delbard nursery created the Rose du Petit Prince, given its official naming at a ceremony on 6 June 2008.

For every bush sold, 1.5€ is donated to the Association Petits Princes.

The association was founded in 1987 to make dreams come true for children and teenagers seriously ill with cancer, leukaemia and certain genetic diseases.

Over its three years of existence, the campaign has already made a number of dreams come true.

Today, a dream becomes reality every two days, and there are plenty of projects in preparation: kicking off a football match, meeting a top pastry chef, swimming with dolphins, attending a Formula 1 race, getting a makeover, and many other dreams that offer children a respite from their medicalised world and a chance to look to the future. Achieving their dream gives children extra energy to fight their disease.

The association does not confine its action to one dream per child. In conjunction with over 200 hospital departments all over France, it can bring a number of dreams to life for a single child, based on his or her interests and timed to fit around treatment schedules and hospital stays.

The Association Petits Princes receives no government funding, so it is only thanks to the generosity of donors and loyal partners like Pépinières et Roseraies Georges Delbard that it has been able to make 3,900 childhood dreams come true.

In Spanish, the Little Prince is El Principito. Following on from France and Germany, the Little Prince TV series launched in Spain on Sunday 16 October, when Spain’s little princes and princesses met the Little Prince on the Planet of Time. Olivier d’Agay, director of the Saint-Exupéry-d’Agay estate and grandnephew of the author of The Little Prince, was in Spain for the occasion, to interpret the series and its values to the Spanish media. “The Little Prince is the child that Antoine de Saint-Exupéry never ceased to be throughout his life,” he explained.

If you are a Spanish-speaker, visit the Noticias website, where you will find an entire article devoted to the series and an exclusive interview with Olivier d’Agay.

The Little Prince series, screened on Disney Chanel, now has a fantastic website dedicated to the world of the series.