The Smurfs Are Off to Conquer the World — Again
The invasion has started. The announcement went out from Brussels, which became command central on Monday, directing thousands of tiny plastic Smurfs to head not only into the streets of Brussels itself but into Paris and Berlin, in a massive United Nations approved campaign. Well, approved by the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), that is. It is all part of the 50th Anniversary of the blue-skinned creatures, whose nearly all-male society has fascinated children and adults all over the world, infecting languages everywhere with the verb "to smurf" — which can mean almost anything you want. Above it all, a Smurf Zeppelin patrols the skies.
They may only be "three apples high", but the cheeky, blue-skinned Smurfs have left a giant footprint on the world since first appearing in a humble comic strip half-a-century ago. Since then, they have become global cartoon stars: they have appeared in video games and had theme park attractions devoted to them. In total, more than 300 million tiny plastic Smurf figurines have proliferated around the world.
And now these white-capped, blue dwarfs are getting set for the silver screen: Paramount Pictures is currently developing a CGI 3D Smurf feature through its Nickelodeon Films unit which would bring the mischievous creatures to a whole new generation (the currently untitled movie is tentatively scheduled for a 2010 release). In parallel, IMPS (International Merchandising, Promotion & Services) which runs the Smurf empire, is working on its own new cutting edge animation that could revive the dormant television series once again.
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They may only be "three apples high", but the cheeky, blue-skinned Smurfs have left a giant footprint on the world since first appearing in a humble comic strip half-a-century ago. Since then, they have become global cartoon stars: they have appeared in video games and had theme park attractions devoted to them. In total, more than 300 million tiny plastic Smurf figurines have proliferated around the world.
And now these white-capped, blue dwarfs are getting set for the silver screen: Paramount Pictures is currently developing a CGI 3D Smurf feature through its Nickelodeon Films unit which would bring the mischievous creatures to a whole new generation (the currently untitled movie is tentatively scheduled for a 2010 release). In parallel, IMPS (International Merchandising, Promotion & Services) which runs the Smurf empire, is working on its own new cutting edge animation that could revive the dormant television series once again.