No, we’re not quoting a ’60s campfire song. It’s actually part of the
chorus sung by scores of ageless Smurfs during their animated series’ ’80s run.

We all know more about the ’80s Smurfs and their constant struggle to
defend their village against the evil Gargamel. But did you know that these
cornflower creatures got their start in French comic strips and short stories
way back in 1958?

Comic artist Peyo (full name: Pierre Culliford) first featured them in his
medieval ‘Johan et Pirlouit’ (or Johan and Peewit) series in the popular ’50s
periodical, Spirou. But while Johan and Peewit maintain a small bit of
their international popularity, it was the Smurfs (Les Schtroumpfs in French)
who really began to soar to worldwide fame. They were featured in their own
Spirou strip in 1959, which led to songs featuring the small blue elves, as well
as two feature films, Les Aventures des Schtroumpfs (The Adventures of
the Smurfs) in 1965 and La Flûte à six schtroumpfs
(The Smurfs and the Magic Flute) in 1976.

And here’s where American enters the picture. 1981 saw the U.S. debut of
Hanna-Barbera’s adaptation of the characters. The Smurfs ran for a rather
impressive nine years, yielding 256 episodes in total. The Smurfs and the
Magic Flute was released in America in 1983.

Peyo passed away in 1992, but his creations live on and bear his legacy.
Today, the Smurfs live on in home video and a pretty nifty video game, released
in 2001, called Smurf Racer.