It was created by Robert Arthur Jr., who believed involving a famous person such as movie director Alfred Hitchcock would attract attention.
Most of the novels cover some sort of mysterious events that seem to be supernatural at first (e.g. an ancient Egyptian mummy that appears to be whispering) but are ultimately explained scientifically.
The other authors were William Arden (Dennis Lynds), Nick West (Kin Platt), Mary Virginia Carey and Marc Brandel (born Marcus Beresford).
All of the authors wrote their own introductions and epilogues, which were dictated purportedly by Hitchcock and later in the series a fictional writer, Hector Sebastian, who supposedly recorded the adventures of the Three Investigators from their words.
The illustrators in the series began with Harry Kane and Ed Vebell and include Jack Hearne, Herb Mott, Stephen Marchesi, Robert Adragna and William A.
The investigators were typically introduced to a mystery by a client or by finding something unusual accidentally in the junkyard of Jupiter's Uncle Titus Jones and Aunt Mathilda, who had a salvage business.
The series had one major theme: however strange, mystical, or even supernatural a particular phenomenon may seem at first, it is capable of being traced to human agency with the determined application of reason and logic.
The boys were able to solve their mysteries with relatively few resources: they generally had little more than a telephone, bicycles, access to a library and—with reference to the Hollywood setting of the series—a chauffeur-driven Rolls-Royce (which Jupiter wins the use of in the first book).
In their first cases, The Three Investigators also provide, apart from their business card, a letter of recommendation from the Police Department of Rocky Beach signed by Chief Inspector Samuel Reynolds.
Although “An Ear for Danger” mentions a car accident as their cause of death, in the episode “... das leere Grab” (German only), they are said to have disappeared following a plane crash.
Because of his intellectual side, Jupe is adept at using big words and frequently uses them to his advantage, particularly to seem older, annoy Pete, and startle adults.
Early in the series, Bob is hampered physically by a leg brace he wore, due to multiple fractures suffered when he rolled down a hill.
[2] Part workshop, hideaway, and detective office, the Three Investigators maintain their headquarters in an old house trailer hidden among piles of junk at the edge of the Jones' scrapyard.
The house trailer is outfitted with multiple secret exits, a small lab, darkroom, telephone, typewriter, and reference works.
In 2002, Random House returned the rights of the ten volumes to Robert Arthur's heirs after the publisher failed to comply with the agreed republications of the works.
A provisional disposal was obtained against the sale of two novels “Spuk im Netz” and “Der Fluch des Drachen” (both German only).
The rights to use audio material with the inclusion of the entire catalog as well as stage shows, plays and the commercialization of merchandise remain with the record label Europa.
The Three Investigators have also been published in Bangladesh by Sheba Prokashoni as Tin Goyenda (translated by Rakib Hasan) since 1985 and appealed to many young Bangladeshi readers till this day.
Other characters include Rashed Chacha (রাশেদচাচা, corresponding to Uncle Titus), Mary Chachi (মেরিচাচী, corresponding to Aunt Mathilda), Georgina 'Gina' Parker and her pet dog Ruffian, the chauffeur Hanson, Bavarian brothers Boris and Rover, and movie director Davis Christopher (in place of Alfred Hitchcock).
The stories are generally set in Rocky Beach, California, although the investigators travel to exotic places like Africa and Bangladesh on occasions.
Taped radio dramas (Hörspiele) of the novels have been especially popular in Germany with most of them having been certified Gold or Platinum by the German Federal Association of Music Industry.
They broke their own Guinness World Record when performing Phonophobia – Symphony of Fear in front of 20,000 people at Berlin Waldbühne during 2014.
[6] In the booklet of the German audio play The Mystery of the Invisible Dog, the episode upon which it was based is credited erroneously to Nick West.
Techno musician and sound artist Phillip Sollmann adapted his pseudonym Efdemin from the character Mihai Eftimin in the episode "Die flammende Spur" ("The flaming trace").
Krauße's translation, titled De Tribus Investigatoribus et Fato Draconis, was popular in Germany among students of Latin.
[citation needed] 23 books were published in Norway by Forlagshuset between 1969 and 1981 "Alfred Hitchcock og de tre Detektivene".
[citation needed] In the French, Vietnamese, Thai, Indonesian and Italian version of the series, the books were at one time published with Alfred Hitchcock listed as their author.
[citation needed] Similarly, all British Armada paperback editions of the title The Mystery of the Moaning Cave are credited erroneously to Robert Arthur.
[citation needed] All the original 43 were published in Sweden under the name Alfred Hitchcock och Tre Deckare.
In the UK, the first two stories from the series were adapted into audioplays by Edward Kelsey and released by Rainbow Communications; both were directed by Tony Bilbow.