2023 is set to be a Smurf-tastic year
Most people around the world have heard the story of a tiny village deeply tucked away in a forest in Europe. More commonly known as the Smurf Village, it is unlike any other village. It is filled with mushroom-shaped houses and run by strange blue creatures called Smurfs, who are three apples high and do daily activities in white trousers and white floppy hats (or red).
Created by Belgium cartoonist, Peyo, in October 1958, the Smurfs originally appeared in the comic, “Johan and Peewit” (originally published in French as “Johan et Pirlouit”). But the small blue creatures received so much attention that the Belgian magazine, Spirou, decided to print the Smurfs as an independent comic – the first being “The Purple Smurfs,” also known as “Les Schtroumpfs Noirs.” Since then, success has continued for the characters in merchandising, publishing, TV and film, video games and location-based experiences, and it is now time to cheer for the Smurfs’ 65th anniversary. To kick off the celebration, thousands of people gathered in Landerneau, France, this past March to paint their bodies blue, dress up as Smurfs and decorate their windows with Smurf figurines, posters and stickers. However, the anniversary festivities will not end in the streets of Landerneau. In fact, they will continue throughout the year as the Smurfs recently launched clothing collaborations and started new adventures into Web3 in April and have plans to release a tv series and comic books later this year.
By combining the innovation of blockchain technology with values of community and sustainability, the Smurfs released their first PFP collection, also known as The Smurfs’ Society — the official Smurfs NFT project. The collection consists of 250 unique 3D characcharacters with 50 individual variants. Some of the NFT characters people may find include Emperor Smurf, Conspirator Smurf, Guitar Player and Hacker Smurf. Each NFT comes with exclusive utilities and benefits. To add to the excitement, an exclusive 65th anniversary new augmented reality (AR) comic book from Papercutz will be published. Available on Free Comic Book Day (May 6), readers can enjoy a dynamic reading experience with pages that activate a virtual environment. To make this Smurfy year an even Smurfier one, the TV series – “The Smurfs” – is set to be released on Netflix. It is going to be launched on the streaming platform in the U.S. in May and globally later this year. The Smurfy fun never truly ends. In February 2025, an animated musical film featuring Rihanna will be released in theaters.