Only one of these stories ("Chanticleerix") is completely original in this album; the remainder are reprinted from earlier sources, most notably the French comic Pilote.

In the mid-1980s, a promotional collection of some of these stories appeared in a number of translations (but not English) as Astérix mini-histoires (Asterix Mini-Stories).

Story of the village on the day of Asterix's and Obelix's birth, which interrupts a quarrel among their friends' fathers.

This is a mockery of the more outrageous "suggestions" made by readers, allowing Uderzo to show his facility with different styles of illustration: For the honour of Gaul, Asterix and Obelix help Lutetia (ancient Paris) win the chance to host the ancient Olympic Games by acting as security for the event.

The authors find a modern descendant of Obelix and invite him to their publishing house, only to learn that he is too much like his ancestor.

In recent editions of some translations (notably German) a new short story is included: Obelix tries to learn to read after he receives a letter from Panacea for his birthday which he does not want to share with anyone else.