Happiness and Joy from a ‘Smurfy’ PerspectiveHappiness and Joy from a ‘Smurfy’ Perspective

They are little, blue and a firm part of the modern cultural zeitgeist. For 66 years, The Smurfs franchise, owned by the Peyo Company, has steadily captured the attention of audiences for generations. As an evergreen brand with a rich history of entertainment and publishing to draw from, product categories have long featured The Smurfs, whether via licensed merchandise such as toys, games and fast-moving consumer goods.

“The Smurfs was created by Peyo in 1958 and they first gained popularity in Europe through comic books, figurines and advertising campaigns for several brands,” says Fabienne Gilles, chief commercial officer, consumer products and experiences, Peyo Company. “Peyo loved to see his drawings come to life and become real objects in the early years of merchandising. The merchandising and international development was from the start an essential element of Peyo’s vision, as he was also professionally interested in advertising and promotion, and not only the art. Peyo was dedicating two to three hours a day to European merchandising, a precious time that he couldn’t spend on his main activity: the creative side of telling stories and drawing comics and cartoons. But he was convinced that it was an important part of the job. Through time and over generations, we as a studio and a company have followed Peyo’s vision and legacy to continue developing new content and art, along with developing the business of licensing, which carry on the values of The Smurfs.”

Related:The Worldwide Blue Phenomenon of The Smurfs

In recent decades, fashion brands and retailers like PUMA, Supreme, Emporio Armani, Zara, Chinti & Parker and many others have taken notice of its innovative collections that define product trends and attract new audiences. But how is the company staying ahead of the curve and succeeding in crowded categories year-over-year?

The Smurfs x ...Lost collection

The Key to Success: Authentic Brand Values

Peyo Company gave License Global a glimpse into The Smurfs’ approach to licensed products. One element of the strategy stood out above the rest – the determination to adhere to Peyo Company’s authentic brand values.

It took persistence, creativity and, of course, a deep fan connection with the brand to execute one of the biggest partnerships to date for The Smurfs with the Italian fashion house, Emporio Armani.

“I think that my favorite fashion collaboration is the one with Emporio Armani,” says Marie Van Buggenhout, senior licensing manager, Peyo Company. “It has been a long journey to make this partnership happen, but I’m very proud of it because it is unique and aligned on our common values.”

Related:Smurf Values in Fashion

Launched first for winter 2023 and followed up with a second collection for spring/summer this year, Emporio Armani paired with The Smurfs to bring to market an array of apparel and accessories, including T-shirts, soft jersey tracksuits, caps and sunglasses for boys and girls. The summer ’24 Armani offerings also include eyewear made from materials with sustainable characteristics (nylon fiber and rubber, which are both partially bio-based).

The collections, while on-trend and of-the-moment, also speak to one of the core values of The Smurfs, and by extension, Peyo Company – environmental responsibility. While many companies have recently embraced sustainable fashion products and collections, The Smurfs and Peyo Company have been a steadfast creator of sustainable fashion for several years.

“Since 2017, The Smurfs are proud to be an ambassador to the United Nations and its 17 sustainable development goals,” says Van Buggenhout.

The goal of the program, she says, is to end poverty, fight inequality and address the urgency of climate change to build a better future for everyone.

“Emporio Armani and The Smurfs decided to collaborate a second time together to encourage new generations to consume responsibility by uniting their values and make the message stronger,” says Van Buggenhout. “Indeed, Emporio Armani is engaged in sustainability with its values and the brand has a strong focus on sensitive environmental issues. The Smurfs are proud to be part of this journey by bringing a fun touch from their magical world to this unique collection.

Related:The Smurfs Get the PUMA Treatment

“That’s what I like in that collaboration,” continues Van Buggenhout. “The fact of working with a luxury brand on serious and important topics, while staying fun and magic.”

The collection’s purpose is to raise awareness of sustainability and responsible consumption among younger generations. The specially designed packaging is also in line with the Armani Group’s sustainability strategy and the Armani Sustainability Values (ASV) protocol, which defines sustainability requirements for its materials and processes.

The Smurfs x MIWA

Thinking Outside the Box

The Smurfs brand is also known for its memorable blue color. In fact, the color is so iconic that thousands of people gather in Landerneau, France, every year to paint their bodies blue and dress up as The Smurfs.

Most of the time, the blue color is a strength for the Peyo Company when negotiating partnership deals. Yet some partnerships require a palette that is more diverse. So, the Peyo team adapts, which is also an integral part of the company’s licensing strategy.

“We came up with the idea of creating fashion style guides linked to trends that are present in the fashion market,” says Van Buggenhout. “We also have developed style guides with new graphic treatments and colors, so there is something for everyone.”

Another major element of Peyo’s licensing strategy is its ability to remain open to inspiration that may come in unfamiliar forms or from surprising places.

“Our strategy has always been to think outside the box and be where people don’t expect us,” says Van Buggenhout. “To position The Smurfs as a fashion icon, it is important to work with renowned and international brands, so it has a trigger down effect on the mass-market brands afterwards. The storytelling of those collabs is highly important and should match The Smurfs’ values. Authenticity is key.

“I work with companies and go to countries all over the world and most of the time, I see something during my travels that gives me an idea for another collaboration. Our goal is to take The Smurfs into the unknown and always think outside the box,” Van Buggenhout continues.

With Peyo’s size and ability to deliver a tailor-made collaboration experience, The Smurfs can adapt to changing customer tastes.

“As a small family company with only 40 people working for The Smurfs from Belgium, Peyo Company has its own in-house studio; and our studio, designers and cartoonists are always up for creating tailor-made designs to match the storytelling our partners want to convey through their apparel and accessory collections,” says Van Buggenhout. “Together with the team, we are always looking for new trends and new style guides.”

Fashion is just one of the many categories that The Smurfs appear and succeed in. Since 2021, the Peyo Company has been developing gaming as an additional category differentiator. This decision proved to be sound, and in 2023, more than 3.8 billion gamers generated an estimated revenue of $3.38 billion dollars tied to Smurfs titles, according to Peyo Company.

The first of five new console games was released in October 2021 by France-based games specialist, Microids. The fourth game, “Village Party,” was launched in the summer and the final, more ambitious 3D game, “Dreams,” launched in September.

“The Smurf characters and villages are ideal for console games because it’s easy to create a universe that players can immerse themselves in,” says Charles Leveugle, group marketing manager, Microids.

Design Sketch for The Smurfs x Emporio Armani summer collection

Perennial Nostalgic Appeal

Not to be undersold is The Smurfs continual appeal, generation to generation.

Today’s adults were introduced to The Smurfs by their parents, who will undoubtedly continue to pass down The Smurfs tradition to their children.

These deep roots in global culture are a strength not many brands can claim in 2024. With this long history comes countless IP iterations to draw from for product inspiration, whether through classic or vintage designs for the many varied characters that span the property.

“Our brand heritage, its storytelling and the fact that we are a multigenerational IP and a pop-culture icon enable us to propose different ways of collaborating with our licensees and retailers,” says Van Buggenhout. “Through the years, The Smurfs have been subject to several graphic treatments. Vintage drawings, sketches visuals, classic images, 3D shapes … there is one for everyone’s taste.”

This year, The Smurfs celebrate their 66th anniversary, and with it comes fresh content, including new episodes of its TV series (available on Nickelodeon and Netflix) and an upcoming film with Paramount Pictures/Nickelodeon set to arrive in 2025. The film will boast an all-star voice cast, including Rihanna as Smurfette, Nick Offerman, Natasha Lyonne, Daniel Levy, Amy Sedaris, Nick Kroll, James Corden, Hannah Waddingham, Sandra Oh, Kurt Russell, John Goodman and many more.

“Content is very important for us and keeps the original DNA of the property while introducing The Smurfs’ magical world and universal values to today’s kids,” says Gilles. “Since 2021, Peyo Company is the proud co-producer of ‘The Smurfs’ CGI-animated series, together with Dupuis Audiovisuel. The animated series is broadcasted and streamed worldwide on Nickelodeon, local TV channels and Netflix. And our new pride and joy is the upcoming Paramount musical movie that will be theatrically released next July. When launching a TV series, a movie or even a video game, it is essential to extend the brand experience to the audience with a strong consumer product and book publishing program. There is a main brand approach for merchandising related to the evergreen and nostalgia side of the brand, that is then adapted to each type of release, should it be for a longer period in the case of a TV series or a shorter period, if we’re talking about a movie or even a video game.”

Fresh IP, a commitment to core brand values and internal flexibility that allows The Smurfs to stay fresh and innovative year after year will surely see the Peyo Company celebrating the beloved blue icons for decades to come.

“Whenever you hear people talk about The Smurfs, they always have a big smile on their faces,” says Van Buggenhout. “And that’s what we aim to spread when we create collaborations – happiness and joy.”

This story was taken from the December 2024 issue of License Global. Read the full issue here …