The Forbidden Planet International Blog Log

At a press conference in Brussels yesterday, Belgium and the world were once again made ready for yet another comics icon’s anniversary. Last year, we celebrated Hergé’s one hundredth birthday, this year its a hundred little blue gnomes who speak some kind of gibberish and are very apt at playing the flute with six holes. Yes indeed, it’s the Smurfs, one of Belgium’s major creative exports, if only thanks to the animation series that is still aptly watched by children all over the world.

(The Smurfs, borrowed from IMPS’ official Smurf homepage and (c) IMPS)

Fifty years ago, Smurf creator Pierre Culliford, or Peyo for short, was having lunch with fellow cartoonist Franquin when he wanted to ask him to pass the salt. For some reason, he couldn’t find the right word and instead asked “Passe-moi donc le, enfin, le schtroumpf”, and the Smurfs were born. They only became a worldwide household name after their animated series (by the great Hanna-Barbara) started in the US (allegedly only after the daughter of an NBC executive liked them).

Now, fifty years after the Smurfs debuted in Spirou Magazine, twenty European cities are on the brink of a Smurf invasion. Starting on January 20th and running on until October, small, unpainted figurines will be distributed and cleverly hidden all over Europe. Whoever finds them, can colour them in, take a picture and send them back to the people at IMPS. The best ones win a prize. On October 23rd, the official Smurf birthday, a special larger statue, decorated by an as yet unknown celebrity, will be auctioned off with all proceeds going to UNICEF.

UNICEF and the Smurfs previously made the news together when a few years ago IMPS agreed on doing a television commercial featuring the Smurf village being bombed, to draw attention to children’s suffering as a result of war. “The Smurfs and UNICEF have a lot of values in common – values about joy, happiness and respect,” Yves Willemont of UNICEF Belgium said to AP, “We also have in common the fact that we are dedicated to the cause of children and to the promotion of every child and the right of every child to survive.”

Those who can’t find a white Smurf, can also buy one from UNICEF on the day the special “Smurfs birthday exhibition” hits the city. A special Smurf-shaped zeppelin will mark that day, and, according to the IMPS people, you won’t be able to miss it (“look, up in the sky! Is it a bird? Is it a plane? No, it’s a giant floating Smurf dirigible!”).

(downloadable wallpaper for Smurfday from the official birthday site, (c) IMPS)

Next to this, a new 3D animated film is in the making, and the Smurfs books will be published in collected editions by Hachette. The Belgian post office will present a new Smurf-themed set of stamps (is it just me, or does the Belgian post office do rather well with comics-themed stamps? – Joe), and a hundred new vinyl Smurf figurines will be presented to avid collectors. It is as yet unknown whether the Black Smurf, originally banned from the US and for that reason highly in demand with Smurfaholics, will be among those (IMPS have also set up an official Smurf 50th anniversary site you can visit: Happy Smurfday – Joe). Two things are certain, however: Johan and Pirlouit, the heroes of the series in which the Smurf made their debut, will feature in the new Smurf adventures and new female Smurfs will enter the lives of the little blue men. At least that will provide Smurfette with somebody to talk to.