A small town in western France has set a new world record for the largest gathering of people who dressed the Smurfs, organizers say, and over 3,000 participants were counted over the weekend.
Landerneau, a 16,000 town in western Brittany, has made two attempts to request records from Rauchlingen, the German town of 2019 that gathered 2,762 Smurfs.
However, on Saturday, French enthusiasts finally broke through, gathering 3,076 people in blue costumes, sang “Song of Smurphy” with faces painted and white hats.
The Smurfs were created in 1958 by the Belgian cartoonist Peyo and known in French as “schtroumpfs” – like small human beings living in the forest.
The beloved character has since become global franchises, spawning movies, television series, advertising, video games, theme parks and toys.
“A friend encouraged me to join, and I thought, ‘Why not?’,” 82-year-old Simone Pronost dressed Smurfett.
Alban de la Riviere, a 20-year-old student, traveled from Rennes, more than 200 km (125 miles) away to participate in the festival.
“We thought helping Randerneau was a cool idea,” she said.
Landerneau mayor Patrick Leclerc also said that the event “connects people and gives them something else to think about than in the days we live in.”
Pascal Thorne, the association head behind the rally, said the event “allows people to enjoy themselves for a few hours and enter the imaginary world.”
Participants were relieved that the weather would improve after many people blocked attendance after last year’s attempt was hampered by heavy rain.
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