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A spiraling cluster of news & events from distant decades
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The Smurfs
Many remember the Smurfs from the 1980s Emmy award-winning Saturday morning cartoon classic. The Hanna-Barbara series, including several television specials, was a popular family favorite that spanned the entire decade.
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But how many people are aware of the interesting history of these little blue creatures?
It starts with the Belgian cartoonist Peyo who, on October 23rd 1958, introduced the Smurfs to the world through a Franco-Belgian comics serial in Le Journal de Spirou called "Johan & Pirlouit" (translated to English as Johan and Peewit). The heroes of this serial enlisted the help of a Schtroumpf. The word 'Smurf' was first used in Dutch, as the comics were simultaneously published in French and Dutch. The diminutive blue characters soon had their own successful comic series.
In the late 1970s, Smurf merchandise was distributed in America by a California company called Wallace Berrie and Co.. A Smurf doll found its way into the hands of NBC Television executive Fred Silverman's daughter, and as we all know he eventually developed a series based on the Smurfs for his Saturday morning television lineup.
The PVC smurf figurines were first introduced in 1965 with over 400 different figures having been produced so far. Just about every occupation, sport, musical activity and special occassion has been made into a smurf character over the years. Along with the smurf figurines, other merchandise includes playsets and buildings, and just about anything from bed linen and curtains to lunchboxes and alarm clocks!
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