Smurfs

The Smurfs (French: Les Schtroumpfs) is a comic and television franchise centered on a group of small blue fictional creatures called Smurfs, created and first introduced as a series of comic strips by the Belgian cartoonist Peyo (pen name of Pierre Culliford) on October 23, 1958. The original term and the accompanying language came during a meal Peyo was having with his colleague and friend André Franquin in which, having momentarily forgotten the word "salt", Peyo asked him (in French) to pass the schtroumpf. Franquin replied: "Here's the Schtroumpf - when you are done schtroumpfing, schtroumpf it back" and the two spent the rest of that weekend speaking in schtroumpf language. The name was later translated into Dutch as Smurf, which was adopted in English.

At the time he came up with the creative idea for the Smurfs, Peyo was the creator, artist, and writer of the Franco-Belgian comics series titled Johan et Pirlouit (translated to English as Johan and Peewit), set in Europe during the Middle Ages and including elements of sword-and-sorcery. Johan serves as a brave young page to the king, and Peewit (Pirlouit, pronounced Peer-loo-ee) functions as his faithful, if boastful and cheating, midget sidekick.

In 1958, Spirou magazine started to publish the Johan and Pirlouit story La Flûte à six trous ("The Flute with Six Holes"). The adventure involved them recovering a magic flute, which required some sorcery by the wizard Homnibus. In this manner they met a tiny, blue-skinned humanoid creature in white clothing called a "Schtroumpf", followed by his numerous peers who looked just like him, with an elderly leader who wore red clothing and had a white beard. Their first appearance was published in Spirou on October 23, 1958. The characters proved to be a huge success, and the first independent Smurf stories appeared in Spirou in 1959, together with the first merchandising. The Smurfs shared more adventures with Johan and Pirlouit, got their own series and all subsequent publications of the original story were retitled La Flûte à six Schtroumpfs (also the title of the movie version of the story, which in English became "The Smurfs And The Magic Flute").

1. The Purple Smurfs (original French title: Les Schtroumpfs noirs, "The Black Smurfs") is the first album of the original French-language Smurfs comic series created by Belgian artist Peyo. It was first published as an album in 1963, but the stories it contained had already been published in Spirou magazine. The main story Les Schtroumpfs noirs was first published in number 1107 (July 2, 1959). Apart from the titular one, it contains two other stories: The Flying Smurf (Le Schtroumpf Volant) and The Smurfnapper (Le Voleur de Schtroumpfs).

2. King Smurf (original French title: Le Schtroumpfissime) is the second comic book adventure of the Smurfs, and the name of the main fictional character who assumes power in the absence of Papa Smurf. The story was written and drawn by Peyo with Yvan Delporte as co-writer.

3. The Smurfette (French: La Schtroumpfette) is the third album of the original French-language Smurfs comic series. The story has also been made into an episode of the Smurfs animated cartoon show, where the only known significant difference is that Smurfette stays in the village for the rest of the show's run. Apart from the titular story, it contains another one called La Faim des Schtroumpfs ("The Hunger of the Smurfs").

4. The Egg and the Smurfs (original French title L'Œuf et les Schtroumpfs) is the fourth album of the original French-language Smurfs comic series created by Belgian artist Peyo. Apart from the titular adventure, it contains two other stories: The Fake Smurf and The Hundredth Smurf.

5. The Smurfs and the Howlibird (original French title Les Schtroumpfs et le Cracoucass) is the fifth album of the original French-language Smurfs comic series created by Belgian artist Peyo. Apart from the titular one, it contains other story: The Smurf not Like the Others.

6. The Astrosmurf (original French title Le Cosmoschtroumpf) is the sixth album of the original French-language Smurfs comic series created by Belgian artist Peyo. Apart from the titular one, it contains another story : The weather smurf.

7. The Smurf Apprentice (original French title L'Apprenti Schtroumpf) is the seventh album of the original French-language Smurfs comic series created by Belgian artist Peyo. Apart from the titular one, it contains other two stories: Smurftraps and Romeo and Smurfette.

9. Schtroumpf Vert et Vert Schtroumpf is the ninth comic album adventure of the Smurfs, written and drawn by Peyo with Yvan Delporte as co-writer. The story is considered a parody on the still ongoing language war between French- and Dutch-speaking communities in the authors' native Belgium. The plot is similar in a way to King Smurf, an earlier adventure, in that the usually harmonious community of Smurfs falls into disarray due to the failure of father-figure Papa Smurf to exercise his leadership. When released in book form, the French and English versions included a number of one-page stories with the Smurfs undertaking various forms of sport from archery to fishing with comical results.

10. Smurf Soup (original French title: La Soupe aux Schtroumpfs) is the tenth album of the original French-language Smurfs comic series created by Belgian artist Peyo. Apart from the titular story, it contains several one-page Smurf gags.

11. The Olympic Smurfs (original French title: Les Schtroumpfs Olympiques) is the eleventh album of the original French-language Smurfs comic series created by Belgian artist Peyo. It was first published in Spirou in 1980 and appeared in book format in 1984.

12. Baby Smurf (original French title: Le Bébé Schtroumpf) is the twelfth album of the original French-language Smurfs comic series created by Belgian artist Peyo. Apart from the titular story, it contains three more: The Handy Smurf, The Smurf Paint and A Smurfy Party.

13. The Smurflings (original French title: Les P'tits Schtroumpfs) is the thirteenth album of the original French-language Smurfs comic series created by Belgian artist Peyo. Apart from the titular one, it contains other story: The Clockwork Smurf.

14. The Aerosmurf (original French title: L'Aéroschtroumpf) is the fourteenth album of the original French-language Smurfs comic series created by Belgian artist Peyo. Apart from the titular one, it contains other four stories: The Gluttony of the Smurfs, The Masked Smurfer, Puppy and the Smurfs and Jokey Smurf's Jokes.

15. The Strange Awakening of Lazy Smurf (original French title: L'Étrange Réveil du Schtroumpf Paresseux) is the fourteenth album of the original French-language Smurfs comic series created by Belgian artist Peyo. Apart from the titular one, it contains other four stories: The Smurfs' Little Train, The Smurf and his Dragon, The Firemen Smurfs and A Mole among the Smurfs.

16. Finance Smurf (original French title: Le Schtroumpf Financier) is the sixteenth album of the original French-language Smurfs comic series created by Belgian artist Peyo. One day, a Smurf gets sick of the aggravating currency-based life and decides to leave the Smurf Village. Other Smurfs agree and leave with him, even Papa Smurf. In fact, everyone leaves save for Finance Smurf, who tells them they cannot leave because they owe him money. Their response is to throw him all the money back. At first Finance Smurf refuses to revert to the old ways and even gloats about having the whole Village for himself. But eventually, he changes his mind when he decides he doesn't want to be alone, so he asks everybody to return to the village and the old system based on cooperation. The coins are then converted into golden musical instruments.