French town breaks smurf-number world record [Previously held by Germans]

The Straights Times ^ | May 18, 2025, 06:23 PM

[BenLurkin]

LANDERNEAU, France - A small town in western France has set a world record for the greatest number of smurf-costumed people gathered in the same place, according to organisers, who counted over 3,000 this weekend.

Landerneau, population 16,000, on the far western tip of France’s Britanny region, had tried twice before to wrest the record from Lauchringen, a town in Germany that managed to gather together a seemingly unassailable 2,762 smurfs in 2019.

But on May 17, the French challengers finally pulverised that record, assembling 3,076 people clad and face-painted in blue, wearing white hats and singing smurfy songs.

“We smurfed the record,” said one participant.

Smurfs, created by Belgian cartoonist Peyo in 1958 and called “Schtroumpfs” in French, are small, human-like creatures living in the forest.

The fun characters have turned into a major franchise that includes films, series, advertising, video games, theme parks and toys.

“A friend encouraged me to join and I thought: ‘Why not?‘,” said Ms Simone Pronost, 82, sipping a beer on the terrace of a cafe, dressed as a smurfette.

Ms Albane Delariviere, a 20-year-old student, travelled all the way from Rennes – more than 200km away – to join.

“We thought it was a cool idea to help Landerneau out,” she said.

Landerneau mayor Patrick Leclerc, also in full smurf dress, said the effort “brings people together and gives them something else to think about than the times we’re living in”.

Mr Pascal Soun, head of the association organising the event, said the gathering “allows people to have fun and enter an imaginary world for a few hours”.

Contestants were relieved that weather conditions were favourable, after the previous record attempt, in 2023, was sunk by heavy rain that kept many contestants away.

[Mastador1]

And I thought the Japanese were strange.

[Slings and Arrows]

> Slings do you still have that “not a ping” ping?

Sure do!

Target-rich environment ping!

[Ranxerox]

Isn’t there just one female Smurf?

[martin_fierro]