The Smurfs are known worldwide, but few people know that their home is Belgium. In 1958, the Smurfs first appeared in the comic magazine Spirou. Their creator, Pierre Culliford, who used the pseudonym ‘Peyo’, was a graduate of the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Brussels and had been working at Spirou since 1952. The idea for the Smurfs’ iconic blue colour came from Peyo’s wife, Janine, who worked alongside him as a colourist. She rejected pink, brown, and yellow because they were too close to human skin tones. She also ruled out green because the Smurfs would blend into the foliage surrounding their forest village. So, they had to be blue.
The Smurfs are big business
More than 50 million copies of Smurfs comic stories have been sold. Their adventures have become a catalyst for thousands of related products, including branded figurines, TV series, feature films, amusement parks, exhibitions, plush toys, board games, backpacks, sweets, cookies, shower gels, toothbrushes, and even Smurf-themed chewing gum.
The sale of rights to use images of Papa Smurf and his friends generates substantial revenue. Retail sales exceed 1 billion euros annually. Paramount has taken over the franchise and has now released the fourth instalment of the cult characters’ adventures titled The Smurfs: The Movie. The Czech premiere is scheduled for 17 July. The film is directed by Chris Miller, who was nominated for an Oscar for Puss in Boots (2011). The production was handled by Paramount Animation and Nickelodeon Animation.
The Smurfs have simply stayed on course from the beginning. According to statista.com, on the ranking of animated films by Sony Pictures, The Smurfs in the USA and Canada hold a respectable fifth place (2025, in millions of USD).
Globally, the Smurfs also hold the fifth position (November 2024, millions of USD, various studios):
Old Smurfs campaigns that hit the mark
The popularity of the Smurfs provided a huge boost to marketing from the very beginning, and the ‘blue power’ is still with us today.
In 1978, the British gas company National Benzole launched a series of Smurf figurines. To promote these figurines and its own service stations, National Benzole created a series of animated ads featuring the Smurfs, which began airing on 20 May 1978. In these ads, various Smurfs worked at the National Benzole service station, fuelling and repairing cars.
Video: National Benzole – Smurf Commercials
Among the older campaigns that received a lot of attention was a 1983 ad for Smurf Berry Crunch cereal, which contained blue Smurf berries. However, the food colouring used to colour the berries surprisingly caused the stools of children who ate them to turn a shade of blue. As a result, the cereal was quickly pulled from the shelves.
Video: Smurf Berry Crunch
In 2005, another memorable Smurfs advertising campaign was created. The client was UNICEF, which aimed to raise funds for the rehabilitation of child soldiers in the former colonies of Burundi and the Democratic Republic of Congo. The ads were broadcast late at night on Belgian television so that children would not be traumatised. The advertisement shows the destruction of the Smurf village by bombs dropped from warplanes and ends with the image of a crying Smurf baby surrounded by corpses.
Video: UNICEF – The Smurfs
Smurf invasion at Albert stores
In 2013, the retail chain Albert jumped on the Smurfs bandwagon, riding the wave linked to the release of the 3D Smurfs film. In addition to TV ads featuring the Smurfs, there was a point collection promotion for Smurf plush toys in supermarkets, online contests, themed banners in stores, and various Smurf-themed events.
Video: Albert – The Smurfs
Burger King
This year, the presence of the blue characters was observed in Burger King outlets. The connection with the release of the new film in cinemas is obvious. Since 20 January, mischievous Smurfs, smiling, and humming employees—and, of course, a limited collection of Smurf-inspired toys—can be found at Burger King.
Video: Burger King and the Smurfs
McDonald’s riding the blue wave
The Smurfs clearly like fast food. Last year, they took over McDonald’s outlets. “By working together with McDonald's, we created a fantastic, fun and ultimately unique programme that brings the enchanting world of The Smurfs to millions of people around the globe,” said George Leon, Executive Vice President, Sony Pictures Customer Marketing, at the launch of the campaign. “Our partnership is just one example of how two beloved brands can engage kids and families in new and meaningful ways.” The collaboration is clearly paying off for both parties.
After all, it wasn’t the first time the Smurfs caused a commotion at McDonald’s. Check out this compilation of ads for the Smurfs Happy Meal:
Video: McDonald's – Happy Meal and the Smurf
Haribo in blue
Haribo also capitalised on the popularity of the blue characters. The Smurfs float through space alongside various Haribo candies, until they are swallowed by a black hole (or perhaps a blue hole)?
Video: Haribo and the Smurfs
The Smurfs set the fashion trend
Food is not the only domain of the little blue characters. In recent years, the Smurfs have experienced a boom in fashion for both youth and adults. This was undoubtedly helped by the launch of a collaboration with the renowned New York brand Supreme. On the occasion of the Brand Licensing Europe 2022 trade show, the Smurfs Fashion Show took place, where the latest collections for children and adults were presented. Among the event’s partners were brands such as Benetton Group, Billebeino, VILA, Gap, MC2 Saint Barth, Airwalk, Universal Music Group, Sangacio, EMP, and C&A.
Video: The Smurfs Fashion Show (2022)
The Smurfs are going full throttle
Many brands have leveraged the iconic blue characters because of their universal appeal to both children and adults. Television ads are not limited to the release periods of new films, although such occasions naturally attract various well-known brands. In addition to TV ads, many of these brands also promote their products through placements within the films themselves. For example, Coca-Cola had a cameo appearance in the 2011 film, where it appeared in a New York vending machine. The same film also featured brands like Philips, Sony, and American Express.
What makes the Smurfs so appealing to advertisers? First and foremost, it’s their blue, easily recognisable colour, which provides a strong visual identity. Another advantage is that each Smurf has its own distinct characteristics and personality, allowing their use in advertising to be tailored to different target audiences and enabling the Smurfs to be featured in various contexts and campaigns.
The Smurfs are not tied to any specific product or industry, which allows them to be used in various types of campaigns – from the food industry and children’s toys and products to technology, telecommunications, and environmental initiatives. They can be part of television ads, digital campaigns, merchandising, product packaging, or limited-edition product releases.
The Smurfs evoke strong emotions associated with nostalgia, friendship, and joy. People who grew up with the Smurfs in their childhood have an emotional connection to them, which allows brands to effectively target both younger generations and adult consumers. This intergenerational aspect makes the Smurfs a unique marketing tool capable of reaching entire families. So, with the release of a new film in theatres, we can certainly look forward to a wave of new advertisements inspired by the adorable little blue Smurf characters.