60th Anniversary of Smurfs: IMPS is preparing to paint Europe blue

To celebrate the 60th anniversary of the Smurfs, IMPS is preparing to paint Europe blue with a series of partnerships.

TF1, the Smurfs’ licensing agent, brokered the transactions.

The Smurfs will take over six Hammerson shopping centers in Europe through May 6, featuring numerous, branded interactions including creative workshops, Smurfette-themed fashions and a Smurfs quiz.

The Centre Wallonie-Bruxelles in Paris will host “Peyo,” a retrospective exhibit that focuses on the eponymous artist, from May 25 to Oct. 28.

The tiny blue characters will ride into summer with sunscreen brand Mustela, which will release the ‘My Smurfs Sun Protection Kit’. The new kit includes SPF 50-plus sun lotion, an anti-UV t-shirt and a UV indicator bracelet. The safety kits are now available in select pharmacies and shops across Europe.

Brussels Airlines recently unveiled the first Airbus A320 to be decorated with animated characters. The aircraft, dubbed Aérosmurf, was painted by 14 artists over 14 consecutive days. The plane will be in use until 2023.

For passengers flying with Aerosmurf, the experience continues inside. Little smurf footsteps on the carpet are leading the Aerosmurf guests to their seats, while a Smurfs video and adapted boarding music complete the Smurfs experience.

The Smurfs is a Belgian comic franchise centered on a fictional colony of small, blue, human-like creatures who live in mushroom-shaped houses in the forest. The Smurfs was first created and introduced as a series of comic characters by the Belgian comics artist Peyo (the pen name of Pierre Culliford) in 1958.