smurfy news abounds!
firstly 2008 is the 50th anniversary of the smurfs, or umm smurfiversary: apparently before hanna-barbera introduced us americans to the smurfs it was a comic strip for years and years in belgium.
http://www.happysmurfday.com/en/en/home
http://www.usatoday.com/life/television/news/2008-01-14-smurfs_N.ht
“Their debut on U.S. television in 1981 launched their global rise to stardom and made the Smurfs a household name. A Smurf is a Pitufo in Spanish, a Schlumpf in German, Nam Ching Ling to the Chinese, a Sumafa in Japan and Dardassim in Hebrew.” <from the usa today article.
In the English language we call these little blue men “Smurfs” but they are called many other names around the world.
Smurf names in different languages
France: Schtroumpf
Spain: Los Pitufos
Catalonia: Barrufet
Netherlands: De Smurfen
Belgium: De Smurfen or Les Schtroumpfs
Germany: Schlumpf
Italy: Puffo or Puffi
Portugal: Estrumpfe
Greece: Stroumfakia
Turkey: Pirinler
Finland: Smurffi
Sweden: Smurferna
Iceland: Strumpar
Denmark: Smolf
Norway: Smolf
Poland: Smerf
Hungary: Torpikek
Japan: Sumafu
China: Lan jing ling
Israel: Ha – Dardasim
Czechoslovakia: šmoulové (plural) or šmoula (singular)
in italy they were called “i puffi” said: e poofie ^the above is^from: http://www.kittyscavern.com/names-of-smurfs.htm
season one of the smurfs is out on dvd, http://www.amazon.com/Smurfs-Season-One-Vol/dp/B000XXWKFW/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=dvd&qid=1212901105&sr=8-1http://www.amazon.com/Smurfs-Season-One-Vol/dp/B000XXWKFW/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=dvd&qid=1212901105&sr=8-1
and the big news: smurfs movie out sometime in the next 6 months-2 yrs, depending on which website you believe. i am a bit of a purist when it comes to cartoons and i prefer old skool, not b+w but not cgi either. the new movie is labeled as 3-D but i guess that means cgi. i have also read that it has been written as a trilogy! for reals. i like my cartoons flat and fun but will i make the exception for the smurfs? we shall have to wait and see.
http://hollywood-animated-films.suite101.com/article.cfm/the_smurfs_go_cgi
time magazine 01.2008 smurficle : http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1703303,00.html?imw=Y
in the time article they mention the unicef smurf. there were hidden white smurfs around several european cities and if you were lucky enough to find one you could then paint/decorate it and submit it for a contest. sounds fun! i would have loved running around milan or brussels looking for a smurf! it was all part of the 50th smurfiversary celebration.
smurfs official smurfsite http://www.smurf.com/home-en
http://bluebuddies.com/smurf_movie.htm
movie stuff: http://www.slashfilm.com/2008/02/17/first-look-the-smurfs-movie/