I'm sure that most of you reading this remember those adorable little blue creatures we called The Smurfs.  But how many of you know that they originated all the way back in 1958 as secondary characters in a Belgian magazine comic strip?  In honor of the 50th Anniversary of the world meeting The Smurfs for the first time, that and the extensive new line of Smurf T-shirts we are now carrying, I am here to give you all a little background on the lovable land of The Smurfs...

Our story begins long ago in Brussels, Belgium, when Pierre Culliford, aka Peyo the father of The Smurfs, left school in pursuit of a job.  Peyo had before him two distinctly different career opportunities: an opening for a dental assistant, and a position as an illustrator.  Having missed his chance at becoming a rinse and spit master by fifteen minutes, he soon found himself working for "Le Journal de Spirou" (Spirou Magazine).  Peyo's favorite series, Johan & Peewit (pronounced Peewee), soon became a fan favorite as well.  It was the only series that he drew entirely by himself.  On October 23, 1958, in a story entitled La flûte à six trous, Johan & Peewit encounter a small blue creature dressed in white, along with several of his companion who looked just like him called les schtroumpfs, on their quest to recover a magical flute.  The popularity of these characters spawned their return in more Johan & Peeewit adventures, and eventually landed them their own series in 1959.  They even inspired Pierre Kartner, aka Father Abraham, a Dutch singer, to record and release the first Smurf single "The Smurf Song", which was a massive hit in Belgium and Holland. 

It didn't take long for a marketing executive to see the potential of such popular characters.  The first Smurf figurines were produced in 1959 in three different styles, were only 5 centimeters tall, and only available in French- and Dutch-speaking countries.  In 1965 the German toy company Schleich, was the first to mass-produce the PVC collectibles.  In the 1970s, rival German toy company, Bully also produced these little, blue marketing gems as a promotion for Kellogg's but later sold them separately. 

Intrigued by his daughter's plush Smurf doll, an American television executive began negotiations to develop a cartoon based on The Smurfs, and acquired the North American rights to the images with the stipulation that Peyo would have a substantial amount of creative control.  In 1981 Hanna-Barbera began work on the series and it debuted in the Saturday morning line up on September 12, 1981 and ran until December 19, 1990.  Over the nine seasons 421 episodes and 6 specials were produced.  The mass popularity of the cartoon stemmed from their basic appeal and storylines of bold adventure.  The individual characters encompassed a variety of personality traits making it easy for nearly anyone to find at least one Smurf to relate too.

For the few who may have never experienced The Smurfs, here is a brief description of their existence:

Far away, in a small medieval village of mushroom-shaped houses, lived a happy, easy-going bunch of blue-skinned creatures called Smurfs, that were only three apples tall.  No outsider can find the village unless invited and led there by a Smurf.   All Smurfs wear white trousers and a white cap, with occasional additional accessories depicting their particular personality.  Papa Smurf, the oldest and wisest, and the leader of the community, he alone is donned in red and has a full beard.  It is debated to this day if Smurfs have hair, but evidence leans towards them being bald.   It is true they could all walk and run, but mostly chose skipping as the preferred mode of transit.  The Smurfs favorite thing to eat are smilax leaves, and, particular only to the American TV series, the smilax berries, which, of course, are called smurfberries.  It is said that there are approximately 100 Smurfs, all of whom are 100 years old, except, of course, Papa Smurf who is 542.  Smurfs never age, so Baby Smurf will always be a baby.  The harmony of the Smurfs is based on the cooperative nature of the community, built on the principle that each individual Smurf brings something different to the table and contributes their talents gladly.  The happiness of the Smurfs is occasionally disrupted by the vigilant pursuit of the evil, yet hap-hazard wizard Gargamel and his scapegoat, flee-bitten cat, Azrael. 

Over the years, several conspiracy theories have surfaced concerning the social structure of the Smurf community.  Most often The Smurfs are described as a communist civilization.  Victor Fuste of the Stanford Daily is quoted referring to the Smurfs as a "Child-oriented representation of a Marxist community."  Smurfs have also been described as anti-semetic, based on the stereo-typical Jewish characteristics of the villain, Gargamel, for example, his hooked nose.  Still others claim that The Smurfs are a front for the white-supremacist group, the Klu Klux Klan because of their supposed white "hoods".  One theory that warrants some consideration, however, is the fact that Smurfette embodies very unflattering female stereotype characteristics.  For more on these theories, go to Straightdope.com.

In reality, The Smurfs are doing a lot to help many unfortunate children of the world.  In conjunction with their 50th Anniversary,

the International Merchandising, Promotion & Services s.a. is teaming up with Unisef to raise money as they celebrate.  For more information and to find out how you can become a part of it, please visit happysmurfday.com

CLICK HERE  to see full episodes of The Smurfs.