The Smurfs

This article is about the characters and the media franchise. For the eponymous comic book series, see The Smurfs (comics). For other uses, see Smurf (disambiguation).

The Smurfs
Current logo (2019–present)
Created byPeyo
Original work"The Flute with Six Holes" (French: "La Flûte à six trous") (1958) in comic Johan and Peewit
OwnerStudio Peyo
Years1958–present
Print publications
ComicsThe Smurfs comics
Films and television
Film(s)The Smurfs in film
Animated series
Games
Video game(s)List of The Smurfs video games
Audio
Original musicThe Smurfs music
Miscellaneous
MerchandiseThe Smurfs merchandising

The Smurfs (French: Les Schtroumpfs; Dutch: De Smurfen) is a Belgian comic franchise centered on a fictional colony of small, blue, humanoid creatures who live in mushroom-shaped houses in the forest. The Smurfs was created and introduced as a series of comic characters by the Belgian comics artist Peyo (the pen name of Pierre Culliford) in 1958, wherein they were known as Les Schtroumpfs.

There are more than 100 Smurf characters, and their names are based on adjectives that emphasise their characteristics, such as "Jokey Smurf", who likes to play practical jokes on his fellow Smurfs. "Smurfette" was the first female Smurf to be introduced in the series. The Smurfs wear Phrygian caps, which came to represent freedom during the modern era.

The word "smurf" is the original Dutch translation of the French "schtroumpf", which, according to Peyo, is a word he invented during a meal with fellow cartoonist André Franquin when he could not remember the word salt.[1][2][3]

The Smurfs franchise began as a comic and expanded into advertising, films, TV series, ice capades, video games, theme parks, and toys. By 2008, the franchise had generated $4 billion in revenue, making The Smurfs one of the highest-grossing media franchises of all time.[4]

  1. ^ Cite error: The named reference Franquin was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  2. ^ De Coster, Marc (2007). "Smurf (Blauw Stripfiguurtjemo)". etymologiebank.nl (in Dutch). Meertens Institute. Retrieved July 29, 2018.
  3. ^ "Peyo". lambiek.net. Retrieved July 29, 2018.
  4. ^ Blenkinsop, Philip (January 14, 2008). "Smurfs braced for movie and more females". Reuters. Archived from the original on May 22, 2022. Retrieved May 22, 2023.