The Smurfs

ORIGIN: Based on a comic strip by Belgian cartoonist Peyo that was first published in 1958.

DISTRIBUTOR:  I.M.P.S. in non-English-speaking territories, Warner Bros. in English-speaking territories.

CREATOR: Pierre Culliford, alias Peyo

TV SHOW: Classic 2-D animated series consisting of 272 half-hour episodes over nine seasons.

SYNOPSIS: Far, very far from here, in a little village full of mushroom-shaped houses, live the Smurfs. The little characters are tree apple high, have blue skin and are dressed in white trousers and a cap. They have lived many adventures, which are brought alive in the series.

TRAILER: Click here to view a clip from The Smurfs.

EXECUTIVE PRODUCERS: Joseph Barbera and William Hanna

BROADCASTERS: The current broadcasters of the series are Boomerang (Germany), PIWI (France), M6 (France), Ketnet (Dutch-speaking Belgium), Star Channel (Greece), TVP (Poland), Mediaset (Italy), RTL KLUB (Hungary), Radio Televizija Slovenija (Slovenia), TV3 Catalunya (Catalunya), CYBC (Cyprus), Z@ppelin/VARA Netherlands, Radio-Canada (French-speaking Canada), Boomerang (U.S. and Australia), Canal Caracol (Colombia) and Televisa (Mexico), TV Barrandov (Czech Republic), Channel 2 (Iceland), Teletoon Retro (English speaking Canada), Nickelodeon (South Korea).

MAJOR TOY LICENSEES: JAKKS Pacific

OTHER PRODUCTS: Food, apparel, shoes, back-to-school products, CDs, comic books, audio books, DVDs home accessories, toys and games.

STRATEGY FOR ROLLOUT: For the Belgian company I.M.P.S., its goal for its flagship The Smurfs property includes establishing long-term partnerships with key TV broadcasters, licensees and retailers worldwide to maximize the presence of the brand. At MIPTV, CEO William Auriol says, the company will be looking to "concretize the requests from channels and distributors who wish to broadcast The Smurfs in their territory, and consequently to further expand our brand in territories that have not been explored enough in the past."

He adds: "I.M.P.S. is continuing to see great interest in the classic animated Smurfs series. The values that the Smurfs represent are universal and timeless, they appeal to people all over the world and to all generations. The performance of the cartoon series in terms of ratings, which are very high, justify the continued interest in The Smurfs series. It’s an evergreen character, but we have nevertheless adapted our brand strategy and image to the constantly changing trends and we continue to work with strong brands, quality products and the best retailers to create Smurf universes worldwide."