The Smurfs (comics)
| The Smurfs Les Schtroumpfs |
|
| Created by |
Peyo |
|---|---|
| Publication information | |
| Genre | Action/adventure, Humor |
| Publication date | October 23, 1958 |
| Status | Ongoing |
| Country of origin | Belgium |
| Original language | French |
| Publisher |
Dupuis |
| Formats | Original material for the series has been published as a strip in the Belgian comics magazine Spirou magazine, and as a set of graphic novels. |
| Main character(s) |
Smurfette Papa Smurf |
| Number of books published: | 31 |
| Website: | official website |
| Creative team | |
| Writer(s) | Peyo and Studio Peyo |
| Artist(s) | Peyo and Studio Peyo |
| Creator(s) | Peyo |
| Reprints | |
| The series has been reprinted, at least in part, in Dutch, English, German, and Polish. | |
The Smurfs (French: Les Schtroumpfs) is a Belgian comic series, created by cartoonist Peyo (pen name of Pierre Culliford). The titular creatures were introduced as supporting characters in an already established series, Johan and Peewit in 1958, and starred in their own series from 1959. Thirty Smurf comic albums have been created, 16 of them by Peyo. Originally, the Smurf stories appeared in Spirou magazine with reprints in many different magazines, but after Peyo left the publisher Dupuis, many comics were first published in dedicated Smurf magazines, which existed in French, Dutch and German. A number of short stories and one page gags have been collected in comic books next to the regular series of 30. By 2008, Smurf comics have been translated into 25 languages, and some 25 million albums have been sold. A new Smurfs comic album sold in 2009 in French alone some 140,000 copies. A new Smurfs comic album was released in 2012, now making thirty total titles. Another one was issued in 2013, now making thirty-one total titles.
In 1952, Peyo created a series in Spirou magazine titled Johan et Pirlouit (Johan and Peewit), set in Europe during the Middle Ages. Johan serves as a brave young page to the king, and Pirlouit (pronounced Peer-loo-ee) functions as his faithful, if boastful and cheating, midget sidekick.
On October 23, 1958, Peyo introduced a new set of characters to the Johan et Pirlouit story La flûte à six trous (tr. "The Flute with Six Holes"). This alone caused no great excitement, as the brave duo constantly encountered strange new people and places. This time, they had the mission of recovering a magic flute, which required some sorcery by the wizard Homnibus. And in this manner, they met a tiny, blue-skinned humanoid creature in white clothing called a "Schtroumpf," followed by his numerous peers who looked just like him, with an elderly leader who wore red clothing and had a white beard called Papa Smurf. The characters proved to be a huge success, and the first independent spin-off Smurf stories appeared in Spirou in 1959, together with the first merchandising.
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Wikipedia