Much-loved cartoon characters such as Tintin and The Smurfs are about to go on a world tour as Belgium’s Comic Strip Centre has announced plans for the museum to travel overseas as part of an international expansion.

The comic museum, which draws around 200,000 visitors annually and is one of Brussels’ top 10 visitor attractions, recently celebrated its 25th anniversary by opening two new exhibitions and announcing the plans to expand into other countries.

The new exhibitions are dedicated to Belgian artist Pierre Culliford (also known as Peyo) – who created The Smurfs in the 1950s – and Flemish cartoonist Pieter De Poortere, creator of Belgian comic strip Dickie.

The museum says that 80 per cent of its visitors come from outside Belgium, including around 40 per cent from France and at least 3 per cent from China. While the museum did confirm plans to expand outside of Belgium, details of where and when have not yet been released.