Douwe Dabbert is a small, gnome-like creature. He goes through all sorts of strange adventures where he meets (often) supernatural beings. He carries a magical knapsack from which he, and only he, can conjure items that suit the situation. Twenty-three comic books appeared starring Douwe Dabbert. From 1975 to 2001, these stories were published as a sequel-story in the Dutch version of the weekly magazine Donald Duck. Apart from the album stories, some shorter stories that never made it to a full album were printed in Donald Duck. Most of these stories were only a few pages.
On his journeys, Douwe often encountered recurrent characters, such as Domoli, Pief and Kijfje – three wizard apprentices who have appeared in seven of his adventures (11, 12, 16 and 18-21). Other examples are Wredulia, a mean witch who plays a part in The gate to the east and The shaft to the north. Furthermore, there are Ludo Lafhart and Knudde, two clumsy crooks who appear in the three stories The spoiled princess, The secret animal kingdom and The Monster of the Fog Lake. In the two stories The shaft to the north and The road to the west, Douwe Dabbert has a dodo as a companion. Finally, they find a dodo egg on a desert island, so the dodo can reproduce himself.
The last story was partially drawn by Dick Matena, due to Piet Wijn's poor health at the time.
