History of The Smurfs
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VOICE OVER: Rebecca Brayton
Created in 1958 by Belgian cartoonist Pierre Culliford, who wrote under the pen name 'Peyo', they originally debuted in the Belgian magazine Spirou as Les Schtroumpfs. Starting out as side-characters created for the medieval comic Johan and Pirlouit, these tiny blue-skinned creatures became a reoccurring staple of the series. Gaining instant popularity, they garnered their own stories in 1959 and began receiving countless forms of merchandising, which included miniatures, games, toys and their own 80s cartoon series. In 2011, these creatures will finaly receive a cinematic reboot in their own big-budget live-action family film. Join http://www.WatchMojo.com as we take a look back at the history of The Smurfs.
History of The Smurfs
These blue creatures have dazzled generations of children. Welcome to WatchMojo.com and today we’ll be taking a look at the Smurfs.
They were created in 1958 by Belgian cartoonist Pierre Culliford, who wrote under the pen name ‘Peyo.’ Originally debuting in the Belgian magazine Spirou as Les Schtroumpfs, they were side-characters created for the medieval comic Johan and Pirlouit story “The Flute With Six Holes."
In that strip, the Smurfs first appeared as dozens of tiny, blue-skinned humanoid creatures in white clothing that followed an elder dressed in red.
Instantly popular, they garnered their own stories in 1959 and began receiving countless forms of merchandise, which included miniatures, games and toys.
They became so popular that they were quickly adapted into dozens of different comic book series, which included a 1965 black and white animated film called ‘Les Adventures des Schtroumpfs’, 1976’s “The Smurfs and the Magic Flute”; and the iconic Hanna-Barbera Saturday morning cartoon series ‘The Smurfs.’ Running from 1981 to 1989, the cartoon series originally aired 256 episodes and several TV Specials before entering syndication.
Featuring Papa Smurf as the leader of the community, it included characters such as Grandma Smurf, Grandpa Smurf and Smurfette. Meanwhile, the Smurf population grew and more of the creatures were given names based on their personalities. These included such classic characters Brainy, Greedy, Handy, Lazy and Jokey.
While the 80s series created the most popular depiction of the Smurfs, there have been several high profile changes to their universe over the years. For example, when they first debuted, they lived in ‘The Cursed Land’, which was a series of dense marches, dense forests, scorching deserts and high mountain ranges. There they used Storks to travel the long distances, before being given mushroom-like houses in a rocky land, and were eventually placed in a beautiful forest.
Interestingly, their 80s lifestyle has caused several critics to label the blue creatures as communists. This is due to the Smurf economy running on cooperation and being devoid of money. In this structure, each Smurf contributes a solitary service and receives whatever they need, including housing and food.
As for the villains, the series’ iconic antagonists were introduced in the TV program as the evil wizard Gargamel and his cat Azrael. Throughout the show’s history, Gargamel’s goal has been to destroy the Smurfs or capture them to perfect a gold-creating potion.
In 2011, the Smurfs finally received a high profile refresh when they were re-imagined as the stars of a big-budget live-action family film. Depicted with CGI, the feature departs from the established canon and transported the creatures from the medieval ages to Central Park in present day New York.
These blue creatures have dazzled generations of children. Welcome to WatchMojo.com and today we’ll be taking a look at the Smurfs.
They were created in 1958 by Belgian cartoonist Pierre Culliford, who wrote under the pen name ‘Peyo.’ Originally debuting in the Belgian magazine Spirou as Les Schtroumpfs, they were side-characters created for the medieval comic Johan and Pirlouit story “The Flute With Six Holes."
In that strip, the Smurfs first appeared as dozens of tiny, blue-skinned humanoid creatures in white clothing that followed an elder dressed in red.
Instantly popular, they garnered their own stories in 1959 and began receiving countless forms of merchandise, which included miniatures, games and toys.
They became so popular that they were quickly adapted into dozens of different comic book series, which included a 1965 black and white animated film called ‘Les Adventures des Schtroumpfs’, 1976’s “The Smurfs and the Magic Flute”; and the iconic Hanna-Barbera Saturday morning cartoon series ‘The Smurfs.’ Running from 1981 to 1989, the cartoon series originally aired 256 episodes and several TV Specials before entering syndication.
Featuring Papa Smurf as the leader of the community, it included characters such as Grandma Smurf, Grandpa Smurf and Smurfette. Meanwhile, the Smurf population grew and more of the creatures were given names based on their personalities. These included such classic characters Brainy, Greedy, Handy, Lazy and Jokey.
While the 80s series created the most popular depiction of the Smurfs, there have been several high profile changes to their universe over the years. For example, when they first debuted, they lived in ‘The Cursed Land’, which was a series of dense marches, dense forests, scorching deserts and high mountain ranges. There they used Storks to travel the long distances, before being given mushroom-like houses in a rocky land, and were eventually placed in a beautiful forest.
Interestingly, their 80s lifestyle has caused several critics to label the blue creatures as communists. This is due to the Smurf economy running on cooperation and being devoid of money. In this structure, each Smurf contributes a solitary service and receives whatever they need, including housing and food.
As for the villains, the series’ iconic antagonists were introduced in the TV program as the evil wizard Gargamel and his cat Azrael. Throughout the show’s history, Gargamel’s goal has been to destroy the Smurfs or capture them to perfect a gold-creating potion.
In 2011, the Smurfs finally received a high profile refresh when they were re-imagined as the stars of a big-budget live-action family film. Depicted with CGI, the feature departs from the established canon and transported the creatures from the medieval ages to Central Park in present day New York.
CuriousUserX90
“The Original Tigger voiced Gargamel.”
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