What's three apples tall, wears a white pointy hat and is blue all over? Three generations of children know the answer, of course: "It's the Smurfs!"

The popular creatures with their own special Smurf language were created by Pierre "Peyo" Culliford, a cartoon artist born in Brussels in 1928 who died in 1992.

Les Schtroumpfs, as Peyo originally named them, made a first fleeting appearance as extras in a story published by Belgian magazine Spirou on October 23, 1958.

Readers immediately took a liking to the party-loving, little blue creatures living in mushroom-shaped houses in the forest, prompting the publisher to come up with a separate comic strip about them.


In 1975, the Smurfs appeared in their first full-length feature movie in Belgium. International stardom came after their 1981 debut on the US NBC network in cartoons produced by the Hanna-Barbera studios.

Smurf mania has since spread around the world. Watched by children in dozens of countries, the Smurfs have generated a global turnover of some 5 billion dollars since their debut.

And though they might be turning 50 years old this year, their popularity remains unaffected in the age of the internet.

A Google search for the term "smurf", for instance, produces nearly 7 million entries.

And officials from IMPS, the Smurf licensing company, estimate annual revenues from the sale of Smurf video games and other merchandise in Europe at between 5 and 12 million euros.

Ferrero, Haribo, BASF and Henkel are among the multinationals that have recently expressed an interest in boosting sales by associating their brands with the Smurfs, while Junk Food, a United States chain, is targeting its teenage clients with Smurf T-shirts.

Peyo's son Thierry Culliford says his father had always been attracted to the world of gnomes and goblins.

"Another reason for setting his stories in the Middle Ages is that he wasn't very good at drawing cars," Culliford said at a press conference in Brussels this week.

Though exact estimates tend to differ, it is believed that there are about 100 male Smurfs, one female - Smurfette - and a baby Smurf.

With the exception of Papa Smurf, the bearded village chief, all Smurfs look alike. They are named either according to their principal activity (handy, farmer, cook, painter), or according to their personality (brainy, lazy, grouchy or vain).

Peyo's relatives say that while he was never politically active, his scripts were inevitably influenced by real world events.

One story, in which northern and southern Smurfs argue over the Smurf language, is believed to be a parody of Belgium, which is divided between French-speaking Walloons and Dutch-speaking Flemish.

Another theory holds that the Smurf village is meant to replicate an ideal communist society.

Its proponents note that Papa Smurf wears red while their sworn enemy - Gargamel the sorcerer, who wants to transform them into gold - is a metaphor for capitalism.

A more realistic interpretation, which would also explain their global popularity, is provided by Peyo's belief that "deep down, we are all Smurfs".

The Smurfs' 50th birthday is to be celebrated over the coming months with a series of initiatives in Brussels and across Europe.

These include a 3D full-feature movie using modern computer technology and small Smurf-like white figurines mysteriously popping up overnight in 20 cities in 15 European countries.

Those who find them are invited to paint them and submit their artwork to a Smurf website.

Celebrities are to be asked to paint giant Smurf statues, which will then be auctioned off for charity by the United Nations Children's Fund.

Moreover, Smurf cartoons currently in the pipeline will reflect some of the changes that have marked society since their debut.

One notable innovation will concern the introduction of dozens of Smurfettes ready to liven up their traditional village life.

DPA