Once upon a time, not so long ago, in Brussels, Belgium there lived a kind cartoonist, PIERRO "PEYO" CULLIFORD. He so loved the world and all of its people, he conceived an idea for a fairytale. It had 100 new characters looking somewhat like people, only more cuddly, three apples high and blue in color.
Now all PEYO (his chosen name) needed for his wonderful little blue people was a name people could identify them with. He gave this a lot of thought but couldn't come up with anything that fit. Then one night at the dinner table he happened to ask his father to pass the salt and pepper; calling them "SCHTROMPF" a French colloquialism, meaning "watchamacallit." In Dutch this translates to SMURF.
And so, quite by accident LES SCHTROUMPFS / THE SMURFS were born. They first saw the light of print throughout Europe in 1957 as a comic strip in the pages of the comic weekly Spirou under the title of JOHAN ET PIRLOUIT. PEYO's first creation begun in 1947, which PEYO had brought to Spirou in 1954.
From this strip evolved his most endearing creation LES SCHTROUMPFS / THE SMURFS. It soon became the main staple of Spirou and reached unheard of heights of popularity internationally by way of 25 best selling books and toys throughout Europe.
Peyo has won honors for his creations with several cartooning awards.
PEYO found an audience among adults as well as children. "In Europe I know doctors and lawyers who have come home exhausted and picked up one of my books and were totally relaxed. It's a form of recreation."
The World of Smurfs is, indeed, worldwide! Smurfs, as we know them in the English-speaking countries, answer to many other names: Schtroumpf in Belgium and France; Puffi in Italy; Pitufos in Spain; Sumafu in Japan; Smolf in Denmark & Norway; Schlumpf in West Germany; Smurfen in Holland; and Ha-dar-door-seamn' in Israel.
In 1965, Schleich (a West German firm), started marketing delightful "Cartoon Character Collectibles" in the form of 2" figurines. These Smurf figurines are a great favorite among collectors who thrive on the challenge of assembling a complete set. Such a set would consist of hundreds of pieces. In addition, fascinating variations were made, many of which are very RARE and considered "Gold" by the serious collector. Serious Smurf collectors have it all: Destroyed molds, discontinued markings, and even some one-of-a-kind paint variations. All figurines are hand-painted; human errors are often found on pieces.
Of course, The World of Smurfs also offers the collector a full range of highly diverse items: Absolutely everything from Animation Art to Posters, Postcards and Zipper pulls. Smurf Memorabilia from the 50s and 60s are highly sought after.
In 1986 collectors united with the formation of the Smurf Collectors' Club. (200 members) Some of the members have traveled all over Europe to collect Smurf Memorabilia. There is even a member who dreams of someday opening a Smurf Museum. He owns Memorabilia in every language mentioned above. His collection numbers in the hundreds of thousands, everything and everything pertaining to Smurfs.
NOTE: The Smurf Collector's Club was brought to a close and all club members were referred to MushroomVillage.com which continues to be, as the SCCI was, the world's largest association of Smurf collectors.
