And The Blot feels smurfing old! Well, not anywhere near as old as The Smurfs, but you get the point. I can’t believe those little blue guys and three girls (Smurfette, Sassette Smurf and Granny Smurf) have been around that long. My knowledge of them only began in the 80’s when Hanna-Barbera first started producing the cartoon. I always knew they were the creation of Belgian cartoonist Peyo, but to find out they were first produced in a Belgian comics magazine back in 1958 blew me away. As a comics fan I had heard that Belgians love their comics and that their country has a rich comic book/cartoon history, and now the rest of the world will find out too as The Smurfs start a year long tour to celebration their 50th Anniversary. Over the course of the next year, a Smurfs exhibit will be touring 20 European cities. (link) I found this informative video on The Smurfs’ 50th Anniversary tour here.
Along with the European tour, The Smurfs “will mark 50 years with a series of new comic adventures, statuettes, an exhibition at Brussels' cartoon museum, a set of commemorative stamps and, in a reflection of changing times, more females in their mushroom cottage village.” (link) A deal has also been struck with Paramount Pictures for the creation of a full length computer-animated 3-D style motion picture. (link) Hopefully my two favorite non-Smurf characters, Johan and Peewit, will be included in the new movie. IMPS, the company that holds the rights to all things Smurfs, is also hoping to strike a deal for a new series of Smurf cartoons for the silver screen “to add to the 272 that Hanna-Barbera made in the 1980s.” (link) Did you know that “one million Smurf DVDs were sold last year alone?” (link) What a staggering number.
The Smurfs are also joining forces with “UNICEF to promote children's rights and education worldwide.” (link) So for all you closet Smurfaholics out there, you can be bid on some special 50th anniversary items and the proceeds from the auction of the Celebrity Smurfs and the sales of the Smurf statues will go to UNICEF to help “improve the everyday lives of children all around the world.” (link)I guess it’s time for The Blot to bust out his Smurf collection that’s been collecting dust for the past 20 years the next time I go to my mother’s house so I can appropriately celebrate The Smurfs’ 50th Anniversary.
You can check out the official Smurfs website here.
There is also an official Smurfs’ 50th Birthday website – Happy Smurf Day.com
To find out more about The Smurf’s 2008 anniversary celebration you can check out these four great online articles: here, here, here and here.
