HOME

TheInfoList



OR:

''
The Smurfs ''The Smurfs'' (french: Les Schtroumpfs; nl, De Smurfen) is a Belgian comic franchise centered on a fictional colony of small, blue, humanoid creatures who live in mushroom-shaped houses in the forest. ''The Smurfs'' was first created and i ...
'' is a Belgian
comic book series a medium used to express ideas with images, often combined with text or other visual information. It typically the form of a sequence of panels of images. Textual devices such as speech balloons, captions, and onomatopoeia can indicate ...
created by
Peyo Pierre Culliford (; 25 June 1928 – 24 December 1992) was a Belgian comics writer and artist who worked under the pseudonym Peyo (). His best-known works are the comic book series '' The Smurfs'' and '' Johan and Peewit'', the latter in w ...
in 1958. It became well-known worldwide with the Hanna-Barbera cartoon series in the 1980s. With the popularity of the Smurfs came a wide range of toys and spin-off products and use of the Smurfs in merchandising. In 2008, ''Smurfs'' merchandising generated about 5 to 12 million
euro The euro ( symbol: €; code: EUR) is the official currency of 19 out of the member states of the European Union The European Union (EU) is a supranational political and economic union of member states that are located prim ...
in Europe alone, while the total figure after fifty years worldwide is about $5 billion. In 2020,
ViacomCBS Paramount Global (doing business as Paramount) is an American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate owned and operated by National Amusements (79.4%) and headquartered at One Astor Plaza in Midtown Manhattan, New York. It ...
(later renamed Paramount Global in 2022) partnered with LAFIG Belgium and IMPS (the worldwide licensors for The Smurfs) to manage licensing rights to the Smurfs in several territories, as part of a deal that will also see the company's
Nickelodeon Nickelodeon (often shortened to Nick) is an American pay television channel which launched on April 1, 1979, as the first cable channel for children. It is run by Paramount Global through its networks division's Kids and Family Group. Its ...
channel air the IMPS-produced animated ''Smurfs'' series.


Figurines

Dupuis, editor of the Smurf comics, first produced smurf figurines in 1959. The first one was a series of three figurines, 5 centimetres (about 2 inches) tall, of
Papa Smurf Papa Smurf is one of the protagonists from the comic strip the Smurfs. Most Smurfs are said to be about 100 years old, but at the advanced age of 546 (553 in the 1980s series episode "The Littlest Giant"), Papa is the oldest Smurf and the leader o ...
, Normal and Angry, followed in the next decade by some larger figurines. Those were only for sale in French- and Dutch-speaking countries. In 1965, Schleich, a German company, made the first truly mass-produced PVC Smurf collectible figurines (the first three being Normal Smurf,
Gold Gold is a chemical element with the Symbol (chemistry), symbol Au (from la, aurum) and atomic number 79. This makes it one of the higher atomic number elements that occur naturally. It is a Brightness, bright, slightly orange-yellow, dense, s ...
Smurf and
Convict A convict is "a person found guilty of a crime and sentenced by a court" or "a person serving a sentence in prison". Convicts are often also known as "prisoners" or "inmates" or by the slang term "con", while a common label for former convic ...
Smurf (complete with black-and-white striped prisoner's outfit). In 1966, Spy Smurf, Angry Smurf, and Drummer Smurf appeared. In 1969, five more smurfs followed: Moon Smurf, Winter Smurf,
Brain A brain is an organ that serves as the center of the nervous system in all vertebrate and most invertebrate animals. It is located in the head, usually close to the sensory organs for senses such as vision. It is the most complex organ in ...
y Smurf,
Guitar The guitar is a fretted musical instrument that typically has six strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming or plucking the strings with the dominant hand, while simultaneously pressing selected stri ...
Smurf, and Papa Smurf. In the 1970s, smurfs were also produced by rival German company
Bully Bullying is the use of force, coercion, hurtful teasing or threat, to abuse, aggressively dominate or intimidate. The behavior is often repeated and habitual. One essential prerequisite is the perception (by the bully or by others) of an imbal ...
. The first of these figurines were made as a promotion for
Kellogg's The Kellogg Company, doing business as Kellogg's, is an American multinational food manufacturing company headquartered in Battle Creek, Michigan, United States. Kellogg's produces cereal and convenience foods, including crackers and toast ...
, but were afterwards sold separately. For a while advertisers used Smurfs to promote
Renault Groupe Renault ( , , , also known as the Renault Group in English; legally Renault S.A.) is a French multinational automobile manufacturer established in 1899. The company produces a range of cars and vans, and in the past has manufactured ...
,
National Benzole National Benzole was a petroleum brand used in the United Kingdom from 1919 to the 1990s. In 1957, the National Benzole Co. became wholly owned by Shell-Mex & BP (through British Petroleum) but continued its separate trading identity. In the ear ...
, and BP garages and—in the
United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and No ...
,
South Africa South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring coun ...
, Australia, and
New Zealand New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island country ...
at least—the figurines were given away when
petrol Gasoline (; ) or petrol (; ) (see ) is a transparent, petroleum-derived flammable liquid that is used primarily as a fuel in most spark-ignited internal combustion engines (also known as petrol engines). It consists mostly of organic c ...
(gasoline) was purchased. A scare story that claimed Smurf figurines used
lead Lead is a chemical element with the symbol Pb (from the Latin ) and atomic number 82. It is a heavy metal that is denser than most common materials. Lead is soft and malleable, and also has a relatively low melting point. When freshly cut, l ...
ed paint circulated in Britain in the 1970s, leading
Jonathan King Jonathan King (born Kenneth George King; 6 December 1944) is an English singer, songwriter and record producer. He first came to prominence in 1965 when " Everyone's Gone to the Moon", a song that he wrote and sang while still an undergraduate ...
to release a single, "Lick a Smurp for Christmas (All Fall Down)" under the name of ''Father Abraphart and the Smurps''. This was a parody of "The Smurf Song" by ''Father Abraham and the Smurfs'', a worldwide hit single. The lead paint scare was brought about by a group of people in the marketing department of National Benzole who decided to outsource some smurf figurines to be made in
Hong Kong Hong Kong ( (US) or (UK); , ), officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China (abbr. Hong Kong SAR or HKSAR), is a city and special administrative region of China on the eastern Pearl River Delt ...
instead of Europe, just four or five different lines. It was later discovered that these had been produced without adhering to the necessary quality standards so they were deemed possibly unsafe. Paint dots were then introduced on the feet of PVC figurines so that they could identify the ones with paint dots as having passed
quality control Quality control (QC) is a process by which entities review the quality of all factors involved in production. ISO 9000 defines quality control as "a part of quality management focused on fulfilling quality requirements". This approach places ...
tests and they were also given different colours according to the different countries they were produced in. An article in The Times dated 4 October 1978 said that tests by the Department of Health showed there was no significant risk, so National Benzole then resumed sales of smurf figures from garage forecourts within the UK. Many people do not realise that the Smurf figurines given away with the petrol promotions actually still continue in production today. The popularity of the smurfs in countries such as Belgium and Germany has never waned, and Smurf
collecting The hobby of collecting includes seeking, locating, acquiring, organizing, cataloging, displaying, storing, and maintaining items that are of interest to an individual ''collector''. Collections differ in a wide variety of respects, most obvio ...
has become a growing
hobby A hobby is considered to be a regular activity that is done for enjoyment, typically during one's leisure time. Hobbies include collecting themed items and objects, engaging in creative and artistic pursuits, playing sports, or pursuing ot ...
worldwide, with 400 different figures produced so far. New Smurf figures continue to appear: in fact, only in two years since 1969 (1991 and 1998) have no new smurfs entered the market. Schleich currently produces 8 new figurines a year. Over 300 million of them have been sold so far. A Smurf
Christmas ornament Christmas ornaments, baubles, "Christmas bulbs" or "Christmas bubbles" are decoration items, usually to decorate Christmas trees. These decorations may be woven, blown (glass or plastic), molded (ceramic or metal), carved from wood or expa ...
was released by
Hallmark Cards Hallmark Cards, Inc. is a private, family-owned United States, American company based in Kansas City, Missouri. Founded in 1910 by Joyce Hall, Hallmark is the oldest and largest manufacturer of greeting cards in the United States. In 1985, the co ...
as part of their 2012 Keepsake Collection featuring a Smurf holding a Toadstool umbrella.


Music recordings

Over the decades, many singles and albums of Smurf music have been released in different countries and languages, sometimes very successfully, with millions of copies sold. The best known is the single '' The Smurf Song'' and its accompanying album, created by Dutch musician Pierre Kartner who sings under the alias Father Abraham, which reached the #1 position in 16 countries. Worldwide, more than 10 million CDs with Smurf music have been sold between 2005 and 2007 alone.


Smurfs on ice

For several years, the Smurfs were the children's act in the
Ice Capades The Ice Capades were traveling entertainment shows featuring theatrical ice skating performances. Shows often featured former Olympic and US National Champion figure skaters who had retired from formal competition. Started in 1940, the Ice Capa ...
travelling ice show; for many years after they were retired from that function, the smurf suits from the show were issued to Ice Capades Chalets, the show's subsidiary chain of
ice rink An ice rink (or ice skating rink) is a frozen body of water and/or an artificial sheet of ice created using hardened chemicals where people can ice skate or play winter sports. Ice rinks are also used for exhibitions, contests and ice shows. The ...
s, lasting until the show was sold to a group of investors led by
Dorothy Hamill Dorothy Stuart Hamill (born July 26, 1956) is a retired American figure skater. She is the 1976 Olympic champion and 1976 World champion in ladies' singles. Early life Hamill was born in Chicago, Illinois, to Chalmers and Carol Hamill. Her fat ...
, and the Chalets were sold to Recreation World. The Smurfette suit in particular had a somewhat different hairstyle from what was portrayed in the Hanna-Barbera cartoons.


Smurfs in theme parks

In 1984, the Smurfs began appearing in North American theme parks owned by Kings Entertainment Corporation. Each park featured a Smurfy attraction and Smurf walk-around figures. (This collection of parks was formerly owned by H-B's one-time parent
Taft Broadcasting The Taft Broadcasting Company (also known as Taft Television and Radio Company, Incorporated) was an American media conglomerate based in Cincinnati, Ohio. The company was rooted in the family of William Howard Taft, the 27th President of the Un ...
, were sold to
Paramount Pictures Paramount Pictures Corporation is an American film and television production and distribution company and the main namesake division of Paramount Global (formerly ViacomCBS). It is the fifth-oldest film studio in the world, the second-olde ...
in the early 1990s, later falling under ownership of Viacom and, for a short time,
CBS Corporation The second incarnation of CBS Corporation (the first being a short-lived rename of the Westinghouse Electric Corporation) was an American multinational media conglomerate with interests primarily in commercial broadcasting, publishing, and t ...
, and now owned by the
Cedar Fair Entertainment Company Cedar Fair, L.P., formally Cedar Fair Entertainment Company, is a publicly traded master limited partnership headquartered at its Cedar Point amusement park in Sandusky, Ohio. The company owns and operates eleven amusement parks, nine included-w ...
.)
Kings Island Kings Island is a amusement park located northeast of Cincinnati in Mason, Ohio, United States. Owned and operated by Cedar Fair, the park first opened in 1972 by the Taft Broadcasting Company. It was part of a larger effort to move and expa ...
At
Kings Island Kings Island is a amusement park located northeast of Cincinnati in Mason, Ohio, United States. Owned and operated by Cedar Fair, the park first opened in 1972 by the Taft Broadcasting Company. It was part of a larger effort to move and expa ...
near Cincinnati, Ohio, " The Smurfs' Enchanted Voyage" opened in 1984. It was similar to Disney's "It's A Small World". People would ride in a boat around the world of the Smurfs celebrating the seasons of winter, autumn, summer and spring. It was removed during the 1991 season. The interactive dark ride " Boo Blasters on Boo Hill" takes place in 2010.
Kings Dominion Kings Dominion is an amusement park located in Doswell, Virginia, north of Richmond and south of Washington, D.C. Owned and operated by Cedar Fair, the park opened to the public on May 3, 1975, and features more than 60 rides, shows and attr ...
The earlier "Land of the Dooz" mine train attraction became " Smurf Mountain". In 1995, it was eventually closed to make room for the popular " Volcano: The Blast Coaster" opened in 1998.
California's Great America California's Great America, often shortened to Great America, is a amusement park located in Santa Clara, California. Owned and operated by Cedar Fair, it originally opened in 1976 as one of two parks built by the Marriott Corporation. Califo ...
Opening in 1987, Smurf Woods featured a pint-sized steel coaster, " The Blue Streak" (now called "Woodstock's Express"), as well as a Smurf village with mushroom houses. Smurf Woods was closed in the early 1990s and replaced with Nickelodeon Central. One Smurf house survived and can be seen in the Picnic Grove area.
Carowinds Carowinds is a amusement park located adjacent to Interstate 77 in Charlotte, North Carolina. The park straddles the North Carolina-South Carolina state line, with a portion of the park located in Fort Mill, South Carolina. However, it has an of ...
In 1984,
Carowinds Carowinds is a amusement park located adjacent to Interstate 77 in Charlotte, North Carolina. The park straddles the North Carolina-South Carolina state line, with a portion of the park located in Fort Mill, South Carolina. However, it has an of ...
added Smurf Island, which was a children’s play area located on the island surrounded by the Carolina Sternwheeler. Access to Smurf Island was gained in one of two ways – across the Carolina Sternwheeler and a ramp built on the island side of the boat, or on diesel-powered “Smurf Boats” launched from the area beside Harmony Hall. Children could enjoy two ball crawls and a climbing area complete with ropes, cargo nets, wood platforms, a rope tunnel and a tubular slide. Smurf characters roamed the island and led guests to the hidden Smurf village with four Smurf houses that children could enter. Smurf Island was eventually closed, and later demolished to make space for the "Borg Assimilator", a Star Trek themed flying roller coaster, opened in 2004. In 2008, the park renamed several attractions including "Borg Assimilator". It was renamed to "
Nighthawk The nighthawk is a nocturnal bird of the subfamily Chordeilinae, within the nightjar family, Caprimulgidae, native to the western hemisphere. The term "nighthawk", first recorded in the King James Bible of 1611, was originally a local name in ...
" and the Star Trek theming was removed.
Canada's Wonderland Canada's Wonderland, formerly known as Paramount Canada's Wonderland, is a amusement park located in Vaughan, Ontario, a municipality within the Greater Toronto Area. Opened in 1981 by the Taft Broadcasting Company and the Great-West Life Ass ...
At Canada's Wonderland near Toronto, Smurf Forest opened in 1984. It featured "Smurf Village", a walk-through attraction which portrayed life in the titular setting, as well as Gargamel's house. The Gargamel section frightened children so much that the park had to eventually open the emergency exit for families who wished to bypass it. Smurf Village was originally "Yogi's Forest" when the park opened in 1981. It also had an out-door theater in which live children's shows were held, and "Lazy's Snail Trail," a ride in which you sat in buggies being pulled by snails with a Smurf on the back of each buggy. Typical midway and carnival games were also featured attractions, but modified to fit the Smurf theme. Smurf Forest closed in 1993. Hanna–Barbera Land Hanna-Barbera Land located in Spring,
Texas Texas (, ; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2 ...
, which opened in 1984 and 1985, had a Smurf district. In Europe, various parks have been adapting the theme of the Smurfs since 1989: Walygator Parc For almost thirteen years, from 1989 to 2002, the Smurfs were the mascots of a theme park located in France. First designed within the extant halls of Sacilor's Laminoir by the Leisure division HHCP Architects in Maitland, Florida, the theme park was named "The New World of the Smurfs", or "Le Nouveau Monde des Schtroumpfs". After a decision was made to abandon the mill, the park was re-designed by Grady Larkins and eventually opened up on May 9, 1989. It was first called "Big Bang Smurf", then "Walibi Schtroumpf". In 1998, the park is taken over by Premier Parks. It become "Walibi Lorraine" in 2003 and doesn't renew the license for the Smurfs. The Smurfs characters are removed from the park. In 2004
Six Flags Six Flags Entertainment Corporation is an American amusement park corporation, headquartered in Arlington, Texas. It has properties in Canada, Mexico, and the United States. Six Flags owns the most theme parks and waterparks combined of any amu ...
(Premier Parks' successor) divests itself of its European operations. Its name is "Walygator Park" since April 6, 2007. Comics Station Since 2017, the Comics Station indoor park in the Belgian city of
Antwerp Antwerp (; nl, Antwerpen ; french: Anvers ; es, Amberes) is the largest city in Belgium by area at and the capital of Antwerp Province in the Flemish Region. With a population of 520,504,
has a Smurf section. The interactive dark ride from Alterface Projects named "Het Magische Bos" (The Magic Wood) is the main of the six rides and animations Smurf. Bobbejaanland and Minitalia Leolandia Park In 2014 and 2015, the Belgian park named Bobbejaanland has the Schtroumpf license. They are entitled to a permanent location in the park. In 2017, it is the turn of Minitalia Leolandia Park to also benefit from this license. In Asia, adaptations on the theme of the Smurfs are more recent: Motiongate Dubai At Motiongate Dubai, Smurfs Village is located in the park which opened on December 16, 2016. This section features five attractions, including "Smurf Village Express", a
Gerstlauer Gerstlauer Amusement Rides GmbH is a German manufacturer of stationary and transportable amusement rides and roller coasters, located in Münsterhausen, Germany. History In 1982, Hubert Gerstlauer, a former employee of the Anton Schwarzkopf ...
Junior Coaster, and the "Smurfs Studio Tours" with 10 MysticMover vehicles from the Dutch manufacturer ETF Ride Systems. Movie Animation Park Studios At Movie Animation Park Studios in Malaysia since 2017, Blast Off Zone hosts four attractions and animations Smurf. Dream Island Scheduled for 2019, Dream Island in Moscow will offer Smurfs Village, a recreation of the village Smurf.


UNICEF

In 2005, an advertisement featuring The Smurfs was aired in Belgium in which the smurf village is annihilated by warbomb

Designed as a
UNICEF UNICEF (), originally called the United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund in full, now officially United Nations Children's Fund, is an agency of the United Nations responsible for providing humanitarian and developmental aid to ...
advertisement, and with the approval of the family of the Smurfs' late creator Peyo, the 25-second episode was shown on the national evening news after the 9pm timeslot to avoid children seeing it. The scene starts with happy peaceful Smurfs and butterflies, who are then bombed by warplanes, ending with a lone Baby Smurf surrounded by dead Smurfs. The final frame bears the message: "Don't let war destroy the world of childhood." It was the keystone in a fund-raising campaign by UNICEF's Belgian arm to raise money for the rehabilitation of former
child soldiers Children (defined by the Convention on the Rights of the Child as people under the age of 18) have been recruited for participation in military operations and campaigns throughout history and in many cultures. Children in the military, includ ...
in
Burundi Burundi (, ), officially the Republic of Burundi ( rn, Repuburika y’Uburundi ; Swahili: ''Jamuhuri ya Burundi''; French: ''République du Burundi'' ), is a landlocked country in the Great Rift Valley at the junction between the African Gr ...
and the
Democratic Republic of the Congo The Democratic Republic of the Congo (french: République démocratique du Congo (RDC), colloquially "La RDC" ), informally Congo-Kinshasa, DR Congo, the DRC, the DROC, or the Congo, and formerly and also colloquially Zaire, is a country in ...
—both former Belgian colonies. The Smurfs celebrate their 50th anniversary in 2008, and UNICEF is again involved. Hundreds of white plastic Smurfs, just high, will be scattered in selected European cities for children to decorate. The plastic Smurfs will be laid down overnight - waiting at the bus stop, playing around the fountain, at the schoolyard – and kids will be able to pick them up in the morning. For those who miss the secret Smurf drop, others will be for sale from UNICEF, where the proceeds will help the children's fund. The 2008 Smurf invasion will be accompanied by a traveling ‘Smurf Anniversary Exhibition’, telling the story of the Smurfs, with more than 50 “Smurfy games” for the younger fans, a Smurf Zeppelin and bigger, Smurf statues that will be decorated by celebrity stars


Food

* Smurfberry Crunch breakfast cereal was created in 1983 by
Post Post or POST commonly refers to: *Mail, the postal system, especially in Commonwealth of Nations countries **An Post, the Irish national postal service **Canada Post, Canadian postal service **Deutsche Post, German postal service ** Iraqi Post, Ir ...
, later renamed to Smurf Magic Berries in 1988. A limited-time Smurfs breakfast cereal was created in 2011 to coincide with the release of the 2011 ''Smurfs'' movie. * Smurf ice-creams were available in Australia in 1979.Peters Smurfee Ice Creams
''Licensed Australian Ice-Creams'', Smack bang in the middle of the golden age of Aussie Ice Creams came the double barreled inventively titled Smurfee, courtesy of Peters / Pauls. This is the store display / advertising card from the 18c treat from 1979.
Peters Smurfee Ice Cream Wrappers
A few years ago I posted the Milk Bar store display for “Smurfee” Smurf ice creams, now here are three wrappers from that same 1979 release.
They consisted of two halves, each with its own stick, which could be easily separated. One half was a smurf blue (Smurfberry), water-based ice block, and the other half was white vanilla ice-cream.


Notes

18. According to Guinness world records the largest collection of smurf memorabilia can be found in Ripon Wisconsin and is owned by Gerda Scheuers. Gerda has officially 6320 unique smurf items.


External links


The Smurfs official siteHappy Smurfday: Official Smurfs 50th Anniversary site dead link

Blue Imps Smurfs Collection
- formerly known as Smurf Valley, this is a collectors' resource; features photos of many collectible smurf items and details the history of how the smurf story began


Myblueaddiction.net
Smurf collector site {{DEFAULTSORT:Smurfs, The The Smurfs 1980s toys Merchandise Toy figurines Toys based on comics