Happy 50th Birthday, Smurfs!
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Wow. Can you believe that today marks the 50th birthday of those funny little blue guys, the Smurfs? They were a huge part of my childhood pop culture in the early 80s and I suppose for some reason I thought they were completely contemporary to the times. I had no idea thy have been around for so long.
The Smurfs were created in 1958 by Belgian Pierre Culliford, known by his pen name “Peyo.” They were initially introduced as Schtroumpf; but the rest of the world knew them as the Smurfs. The little guys started out as supporting characters in Peyo’s 1958 “Johan and Pirlouit”, which was set in the Middle Ages., but by 1960 they had their own comic strip. It was in 1981 that the Hanna-Barbera animated cartoon most of us grew to know and love was introduced.
In celebration of the 50th birthday of the Smurfs, there is a whole lot being planned. We could see 3-D animation film by next year and even new comics and a remastered release of the 80s cartoon series. At 50, these guys aren’t Over the Hill at all. They are just gearing up for a whole new generation.
I never really liked the Smurfs, but I had no idea they had been around for that long!