The Smurfs
Created by Pierre Culliford
Blue and small, and standing only three apples tall. The original Smurfs were created and introduced as a series of comic characters by the Belgian artist Peyo, Pierre Culliford (1928-1992), in 1958. Since then The Smurfs brand has expanded to one of the most successful franchises in the world – with a 95% global brand awareness.
Interested in a collaboration with The Smurfs?
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Niklas Österling
Senior Brand & Sales Manager
The Smurfs News
95%
Global Brand Awareness
+75
billion downloads of the Smurf online games
50
Million Smurf books sold worldwide
300
available titles
120
publishers in over
90 countries
3
theme parks in China,
Dubai and Russia
About Pierre Culliford
Pierre Culliford (Peyo) was born in Brussels on 25 June 1928. He started working as a cinema projectionist when he was 15 and then went to work in an animation studio, but it was not until he joined the magazine Spirou that he found success with Johan & Peewit. It was during this series that he introduced the beloved Smurfs.
The famous Smurf Collection of comic books, based on Peyo’s creativity and originality, is the cornerstone of the Smurf work. Since 1958, the Smurf comics have been translated into 25 languages and over 25 million copies have been sold.
Today, the Smurfs have 120 publishers across more than 90 countries. The brand is owned by Peyo Company, a family business established by Pierre Culliford.
– Peyo, creator of The Smurfs“As a boy, I loved to draw… But in fact, all children draw; some of them decide to become adults, serious people, and then there are others who refuse to make the transition and who create cartoon characters.”
Popular Characters in 3D
The Smurfs TV Series
Seasons 1, 2, and 3 of The Smurf TV series can be seen worldwide via Nickelodeon, Paramount+, Netflix, Viaplay and YouTube!
All your favorite characters are there, like Papa Smurf and Smurfette, and your favorite villain, Gargamel. The series also features brand new girl smurf characters and a new Girl’s Village!
New Blockbuster Movie
The movie Smurfs premiered in July, 2025!
Smurfs is an animated musical by Chris Miller (Trolls, Batman, Lego Movie). Pop superstar Rihanna plays Smurfette and contributes parts to the movie soundtrack.
Joining Rihanna is an all-star cast featuring actors such as Nick Offerman, Natasha Lyonne, Daniel Levy, James Corden, Octavia Spencer, Sandra Oh, Kurt Russell, and John Goodman.
United Nations Partnership
The Smurfs have an ongoing partnership with the United Nations and its 17 Sustainable development goals. These goals aim to eradicate extreme poverty, combat inequalities and injustice, and effectively tackle climate change by 2030.
The UN and The Smurfs have also teamed up with the European Union to inspire everyone (young and old) to take action to clean beaches or riverbanks across the world through the #EUBeachCleanup campaign.
The Smurfs Theme Parks
The Smurfs have three theme parks around the world. These include:
Motiongate – UAE, Dubai
Dreamisland – Russia, Moscow
Dreamcity – China, Shanghai – take a virtual tour here!
