Born in 1958, the little blue characters created by the Belgian cartoonist Pierre Culliford, nicknamed “Peyo”, are now sixty years old, but despite this they continue to maintain an innate youthfulness. Maybe because of their easy-going and eternally youthful ways, maybe because of their originality, the Smurfs are still beloved by whole generations.
For all of these people, and also for those who are merely interested, we have prepared a list of “Smurf trivia” that you might not know.
How the Smurfs were born
The original name of the Smurfs was Schtroumpfs and they were born in 1958 in a thoroughly offhand way. Peyo, on holiday with a friend at the beach, found himself at a table and asked his companion to pass him the salt cellar, the name of which had momentarily escaped him. Jokingly, he said, “Passe-moi le…Schtroumpfs” (Pass me the Smurf) and burst into thunderous laughter, to which his friend responded with laughter, and said, “When you have finished smurfing, put it back in its place”. The two continued to have fun in this way for a while, until Peyo decided to put it all down in black and white.
The first appearance of the Smurfs
Peyo was the author of Johan & Pirlouit (Johan & Peewit in English), a comic set in medieval Europe, in which Johan was a brave squire of the king and Peewit was his friend, a court jester. In their adventures, the two continuously met new characters out and about in the villages they visited, and in the comic strip of 23rd October 1958, they conjured up the Schtroumpfs during their search for the magic flute with six holes. This was the first time that the Smurfs made their appearance.
First gadgets and then cartoons
A unique element that characterises the Smurfs is the fact that before becoming an animated series, they were placed on the market in the 1970s as miniature dolls, enjoying such commercial success that the manufacturers decided to make them into an animated series.
Collecting
Smurf merchandise has become a phenomenon of social habits – so much so that miniature dolls showing the little blue characters in the most varied poses can be found on many shelves and desks. Indeed, Schleich produces 8 new characters every year, including them in various series dedicated to sport, to professions, to the world of school, to the signs of the zodiac or to anniversaries.
The theme songs of Italian cartoons
The theme songs of the Italian cartoons are almost all sung by Cristina D’Avena and carry the Five Records name, as the animated series was acquired in 1982 by the Fininvenst group. A number of songs exist, however, which have never been aired, sung either by Cristina D’Avena or by other singers such as Victorio Pezzolla in “The Land of the Smurfs”.
Alleged subliminal messages
The most malicious claim that, in theory, the Smurfs – as is the case with other popular animated cartoons – contained subliminal messages of a socio-political nature, which aimed to “build” and “educate” the society of the future. A few have identified in the Smurfs the ideal Marxist-Leninist society, in which Papa Smurf (dressed in red) represents Carl Marx and the Smurfs represent the proletariat.
Not just little dolls: love for the Smurfs becomes tech with Tribe
If you are a fan of these friendly blue characters and don’t want to give up your everyday technology, don’t forget that Tribe has produced a series of fun USB keys that represent the beloved blue characters who are as tall as two apples or a little more.
