So Now You Know
While it's true the Smurfs became a worldwide hit after Hanna-Barbera featured them in an animated series in the 1980s, their origin is quite different.
In 1947, Belgian cartoonist Pierre Culliford, better known as Peyo, created a comic called Johan et Pirlouit about a young boy and his faithful (if boastful and cheating) dwarf sidekick. In 1958, in the ninth issue of the comic, the duo met tiny, blue-skinned creatures called "Les Schtroumpfs."
In 1947, Belgian cartoonist Pierre Culliford, better known as Peyo, created a comic called Johan et Pirlouit about a young boy and his faithful (if boastful and cheating) dwarf sidekick. In 1958, in the ninth issue of the comic, the duo met tiny, blue-skinned creatures called "Les Schtroumpfs."
