Following a debut issue on March 19, 1843,
Le Tintamarre was officially launched on April 2 of that year by Jules Lovy and
Auguste Commerson, serving as editor-in-chief and director, respectively. The title, a colloquial French term for "noise" or "racket," was chosen for its similarity to Commerson's earlier publication,
Le Tam-Tam. Its subtitle, "
critique de la réclame, satire des puffistes" ("criticism of advertising, satire of puffery"), reflected the paper's humorous and irreverent tone. Its pages featured witty, whimsical commentary on contemporary literary, artistic, and industrial developments alongside advertisements. In 1868,
Léon Bienvenu, known as Touchatout, became co-owner alongside Commerson. By March 1872, he assumed full ownership and took on the roles of director and editor-in-chief. After parting ways with
Le Tintamarre, Commerson revived
Le Tam-Tam, which continued until 1918. During the 1890s, publication became irregular, ceasing entirely on December 31, 1899, after 59 years and 2,672 issues. Though it rarely featured humorous illustrations, historian Bertrand Joly considers
Le Tintamarre "the most direct ancestor of
Le Canard enchaîné". == Notable contributors ==