Smurfs Turfed Out Of Spanish Smurf Village

A village in southern Spain whose houses were painted bright blue to advertise the 2011 movie The Smurfs has been banned from associating itself with the iconic cartoon.

Every house in the whitewashed Andalusian village of Juzcar was painted blue in 2011 by Sony Pictures, in what was supposed to be a temporary measure to advertise the film studio’s upcoming release. But residents of the sleepy village liked the colour – and the tourism potential of being the world’s only ‘Smurf village’ – so much that they voted to keep the bright hue.

The village well and truly caught smurf fever. Many of its blue walls were daubed with the likes of Papa Smurf and Smurfette, while locals began selling Smurf souvenirs to the many tourists who began to flock to see the unusual sight.

It is estimated that the sleepy village of 250 inhabitants welcomed as many as 50,000 tourists a year, many of them day-trippers from the nearby Costa del Sol.

But while the influx of tourists was a boon for locals, things became complicated when the heirs of Pierre Culliford, the Belgian artist who invented the popular blue cartoon characters, demanded royalties on any Smurf-related sales.

http://instagram.com/p/BXx7saqlpKn/?tagged=júzcar

Juzcar town hall agreed that locals would pay 12% in royalties on all Smurf-related income, but the local council announced at the beginning of August that the time had come for the Smurfs to leave the village for good. In a message on its website, the local council announced that it had lost the right to market itself as a Smurf town, and all Smurf-related activities would end on August 15, from which time there would be ‘no more references to the brand’. It did confirm, however, that the village’s buildings would remain blue.

http://instagram.com/p/BVcYuLbljAI/?tagged=júzcar

Juzcar was a typical Andalusian whitewashed village when it was chosen by Sony Pictures to be the new home of the Smurfs (or Los Pitufos, in Spanish). Every one of the village’s buildings, including its church and gravestones, was painted blue, using around 4,000 litres of paint.

http://instagram.com/p/BULPRC8AIOb/?tagged=júzcar

Find places to stay with our partner, Hotels.com

Since you are here, we would like to share our vision for the future of travel - and the direction Culture Trip is moving in.

Culture Trip launched in 2011 with a simple yet passionate mission: to inspire people to go beyond their boundaries and experience what makes a place, its people and its culture special and meaningful — and this is still in our DNA today. We are proud that, for more than a decade, millions like you have trusted our award-winning recommendations by people who deeply understand what makes certain places and communities so special.

Increasingly we believe the world needs more meaningful, real-life connections between curious travellers keen to explore the world in a more responsible way. That is why we have intensively curated a collection of premium small-group trips as an invitation to meet and connect with new, like-minded people for once-in-a-lifetime experiences in three categories: Culture Trips, Rail Trips and Private Trips. Our Trips are suitable for both solo travelers, couples and friends who want to explore the world together.

Culture Trips are deeply immersive 5 to 16 days itineraries, that combine authentic local experiences, exciting activities and 4-5* accommodation to look forward to at the end of each day. Our Rail Trips are our most planet-friendly itineraries that invite you to take the scenic route, relax whilst getting under the skin of a destination. Our Private Trips are fully tailored itineraries, curated by our Travel Experts specifically for you, your friends or your family.

We know that many of you worry about the environmental impact of travel and are looking for ways of expanding horizons in ways that do minimal harm - and may even bring benefits. We are committed to go as far as possible in curating our trips with care for the planet. That is why all of our trips are flightless in destination, fully carbon offset - and we have ambitious plans to be net zero in the very near future.