Thanks to Pierre "Peyo" Culliford, the father of the Smurfs, these adorable creatures made their first appearance in 1958 and went on to become the world-famous characters we now know.
Whether you call them Les Schtroumpfs, Die Schlümpfe, Los Pitufos or even give them another name, the incredible success of the Smurf figurines is the same in every country all over the world.
Although most cartoon characters are known through their books before becoming TV characters, the opposite was true of the Smurfs in the US. success of the Smurf comics led to them being adapted for television.
Yet the story of their arrival at Hanna Barbera and the success with NBC is almost worthy of a film in itself. How many people know, for example, that even the multi-award-winning composer Michel Legrand has lent his voice to the Smurfs?
Our favourite Smurf is, of course, Drum Smurf. Even after Peyo's death in 1992 this musical character is doing "smurfingly."
