The Smurfs

The song "La la la la la la la la la la la" (or "The Smurfs Theme" for short) became a national trademark worldwide in the 1980s when the Smurfs cartoon reached huge popularity. It was actually in 1958 when they debuted in a comic strip illustrated by a Belgian artist named Peyo. Peyo had just finished school and in his search for a job found two of interest: a dental assistant and an illustrator. He was turned away from the dental office interview because he was late. Belgium was packed with comic strip artists in the 1950s and Peyo found a position working for Le Journal de Spirony. Soon his human comic characters Yohan and Peewit became well-known in their medieval tales. When Peyo created the Smurfs as side characters in those stories, he discovered that they had even wider appeal. The little elf-like creatures with humanistic personalities were devised to be three apples high and live in a village constructed of mushroom houses. Entrance to outsiders was forbidden unless the Smurfs willingly brought them into their hidden magical village. Much of the world knew of the Smurfs but they did not enter America until the late '70s when children's albums like Smurfing Land, Father Abraham in Smurf Land, and Best of Friends (reminiscent of the Chipmunks) were marketed along with plastic figurines and the classic Hanna Barbera Saturday morning cartoon was developed. The Smurfs were at their peak during the mid-'80s and characters such as the evil wizard Gargamel and his cat Azrael, Papa Smurf, Smurfette, Brainy, Grouchy, Baker, and Handy became icons in their own right. Rumors sprung during this time that Smurfs were satanic, despite the release of a Christmas album containing some daringly Christian messages. The Smurfs craze lasted for an entire decade and even though...