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UNICEF Smurf Bombing
 UNICEF SMURF BOMBING
Smurf bombs away! The UN bombed the Smurf Village. Why were The Smurfs killed by Peyo and the United Nations? Watch the uncensored video of when the Smurfs get bombed!
UNICEF SMURF BOMBING
Did UNICEF bomb the Smurf Village?

Yes. The intention was to create an advertisement that would shock and motivate viewers about a political cause (child soldiers). The reality was that Belgian children saw the advertisement - which features bombs destroying the Smurf Village and setting it aflame.

The text featured at the end of the advertisement reads, "Laat oorlog de wereld von de kinderen niet verwoesten." which translates roughly to "Do not let war destroy the children of the world", or "Don't let war affect the lives of children".

But what about the effect on children who see the ad itself?
Watch the UN Bomb the Smurfs Video

In October 2005, a 30-second advertising spot was broadcast during evening television by UNICEF. The idea was to draw attention to the tragedy of war known as "child soldiers". Child soldiers are, as the name implies, children that are forced or conscripted into military service. At the time, UNICEF was trying to raise $150,000 to rehabilitate Burundi child soldiers.

Unfortunately, things did not go as intended. First, with the exception of the 1-second text message at the end of the ad which ties the effect of war to children (summary: it's bad), the cartoon simply shows the Smurf village being destroyed. It's hard to infer any message at all, other than total shock. Second, the simple fact is that children watch television, and they saw the advertisement: they saw Smurfs killed, the Smurf village being destroyed, Baby Smurf crying, and were justifiably horrified.

UNICEF Kills the Smurfs
UNICEF Kills the Smurfs 		Reaction to UN Smurf Bomb

Reaction was immediate. News spread like wildfire across the internet. The video clip went viral all around the world, and took on a life of its own. If the idea of destroying the Smurf village made some tenuous sense to UN bureaucrats in Belgium, it definitely did not translate to the worldwide audience - people were universally stunned by the ad. So much of the intent was lost that many people who were unfamiliar with the Smurfs simply watched to see little blue people "blown up".

Newspapers, like the Orange County Register, provided succinct comic analysis of the situation, as seen on the picture to the left.

Smurf Village Bombed by UN
UNICEF Bombs the Smurfs 		United Nations' Response

The United Nations did issue a response of a sort.

First off - some background. Publicis, the agency responsible for the ad, actually wanted the video to be more graphic. Not only did they want Smurfs to be killed, they wanted to show limbs being blown off the Smurfs.

They were debating the degree of brutality and gruesomeness the ad would feature - rather than asking if the ad even communicated a clear message at all.

The UN and the Smurfs people were happy with the ad. Hendrik Coysman at IMPS (the Smurfs rights holders) said, "that crying baby really goes to your bones" - of course, he doesn't really address the intent of the ad. Shocking? Yes! Clear message? No. It is undeniable that destroying the Smurf village is shocking - but no one knows why the village was destroyed in the first place. The ad made little sense.

People around the world were confused, bewildered, and outraged - why destroy the Smurfs? Eventually, a one-page FAQ went up on the UN website. It states that the "advertisement is not intended for children" (despite featuring children's cartoon characters) and is exclusively for the "Belgian audience" (are the Belgians particularly bloodthirsty?). Although it was shown nationally on Belgian TV, the UN is not hosting the video on its own site "in the interest of limiting the opportunities for children to view the cartoon". Sheepishly, it also says, "The (Peyo) family gave full approval".

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