French town breaks smurf number world record
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 Saturday, 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 Simone Pronost, 82, sipping a beer on the terrace of a cafe, dressed as a smurfette.
Albane Delariviere, a 20-year-old student, travelled all the way from Rennes -- more than 200 kilometres (125 miles) away -- to join.
"We thought it was a cool idea to help Landerneau out," she said.
AFP | Fred TANNEAU
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".
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.
In 2020, an initially successful bid -- with more than 3,500 smurfs -- was invalidated by Guinness World Records on a technicality because of a missing document.
Landerneau's smurf enthusiasts were almost ready to give up but film production company Paramount persuaded them to have another go.
Paramount, which is set to release "Smurfs, The Movie" in July, convinced them with an offer to handle the event's PR and provide 1,200 free tickets for a preview of the film.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
IOL News
10 hours ago
- IOL News
'Impossible to feel sad when you hear them': Watch 1,276 SA marimba players break world record
A group of Marimba players strutted their stuff attempting to set a new Guinness World Record in Cape Town. A total of 1,276 marimba players from South Africa and Zimbabwe lit up the GrandWest Grand Arena in Cape Town on Saturday, August 2, 2025, as they set a new world record. The aim was to have the largest group of marimba players assembled and playing together in one place. The previous world record was 550 players, at a Guatemala event, EWN reported. The feat has reportedly been verified by Guinness World Records. The ensemble brought together talented musicians aged between eight and 62, and represented over 70 schools from South Africa, and two from Zimbabwe.
TimesLIVE
17 hours ago
- TimesLIVE
Two Cape Town chefs share their culinary secrets using their fave brews
WHY BEER Two Cape Town chefs were tasked with using beer as the main ingredient in creating a culinary masterpiece. Both rose to the occasion and produced fish and chicken dishes not often associated in the cooking of both — one uses beer to marinate the fish, the other features beer as the perfect accompaniment. Chef Ekinde de Vos of Den Anker on Cape Town Waterfront, renowned for their vast selection of beers and Blouberg's popular eatery Salt & Sage's chef Sarah Oldridge happily 'played with their food' to create perfect harmony using beer to create delectable food. DEN ANKER Victoria & Alfred Waterfront, Cape Town CHEF EKINDE DE VOS KINGKLIP MARINATED IN MAREDSOUS TRIPEL I chose fish because it is a difficult ingredient to pair with beer. If you think of fish, you think of white wine, the classic French combo that works so well; this time I wanted to challenge myself to create a perfect pairing experimenting with different brews. The malty brew of the Maredsous Tripel is a strong amber beer with a creamy white head. The bouquet is a complex combination of fruit (banana), alcohol, notes of raisin and other dried fruit, with a hint of caramel, slightly reminiscent of sweet syrup — which worked well with fish offering that almost lightly sweet/savoury flavour South Africans love. I chose to marinate the fish in the beer for about two to three hours, it doesn't make the fish tough — actually beer is great for marinating meat, chicken and seafood because it adds flavour without taking away from the integrity of the ingredient. The fish pretty much melts in your mouth with a soft bitterness in the background and a lingering flavour which leaves one with a pleasant and warm feeling, perfect for a wintry dish. KINGKLIP MARINATED IN MAREDSOUS TRIPEL Serves 2 2 portions of kingklip Marinade: 330ml bottle of Maredsous Tripel, 30ml (2 tbsp) mustard, 15ml (1 tbsp) honey, pinch of salt and 1 stem of fresh rosemary Sauce: 1 x 330ml bottle Maredsous Tripel 10ml (2 tsp) wholegrain mustard or more to taste 15ml (1 tbsp) honey Pinch of salt and pepper 150g butter 200ml cream 5ml (1 tsp) each of soft butter and flour, mixed 1. Bring a bottle of the beer to the boil for the marinade to allow the alcohol to evaporate. Add remaining ingredients for marinade, then cool before pouring over the fish and set aside. 2. For the sauce bring the beer to the boil to evaporate the alcohol. Reduce heat to a simmer and whisk in mustard and honey until fully mixed in. Add the cream and gently whisk in the butter, adding a little at a time. Season to taste and add a butter and flour roux to thicken slightly and stir until it coats the back of a spoon. 4. Remove fish from marinade and dry with paper towel. Gently fry in butter till just cooked through and then serve with the sauce poured over and add seasonal vegetables and serve. SALT & SAGE Blouberg, Cape Town CHEF SARAH OLDRIDGE CHICKEN ROULADE WITH LA CHOUFFE My Chicken Roulade with La Chouffe has become a popular addition to our menu, it has taken off so well this winter. Chicken is certainly one of South Africa's much-loved proteins and I've given it the edge by deboning the bird and turning it into a roulade with a mushroom farce and a rich stuffing.I then butter roast till it is deliciously crisp and serve it with a mushroom cream, tender stem broccoli, broccoli purée, a portion of crisp chicken skin and creamy chicken jus (a gravy). The detailed plating and intricate components of this dish demand a pairing of a special brew which is complimented by the full flavours of the La Chouffe, a Belgian blond ale with fruity notes, a hint of citrus which cuts the richness perfectly with warming spicy undertones and a delicate sweetness.
eNCA
19 hours ago
- eNCA
Filmmakers try to cash in on India-Pakistan battle
NEW DELHI - Indian filmmakers are locking up the rights to movie titles that can profit from the patriotism fanned by a four-day conflict with Pakistan, which killed more than 70 people. The nuclear-armed rivals exchanged artillery, drone and air strikes in May, after India blamed Pakistan for an armed attack on tourists in Indian-administered Kashmir. The fighting came to an end when US President Donald Trump announced a surprise ceasefire. Now, some Bollywood filmmakers see an opportunity to cash in on the battle. India tagged its military action against Pakistan "Operation Sindoor", the Hindi word for vermilion, which married Hindu women wear on their foreheads. The name was seen as a symbol of Delhi's determination to avenge those widowed in the April 22 attack in Kashmir's Pahalgam, which sparked the hostilities. Film studios have registered a slew of titles evoking the operation, including: "Mission Sindoor", "Sindoor: The Revenge", "The Pahalgam Terror", and "Sindoor Operation". "It's a story which needs to be told," said director Vivek Agnihotri. "If it was Hollywood, they would have made 10 films on this subject. People want to know what happened behind the scenes," he told AFP. Agnihotri struck box office success with his 2022 release, "The Kashmir Files", based on the mass flight of Hindus from Kashmir in the 1990s. Coloured narratives The ruling right-wing Bharatiya Janata Party gave that film a glowing endorsement, despite accusations that it aimed to stir up hatred against India's minority Muslims. Since Hindu nationalist Prime Minister Narendra Modi took office in 2014, some critics say Bollywood is increasingly promoting his government's ideology. Raja Sen, a film critic and screenwriter, said filmmakers felt emboldened by an amenable government. "We tried to wage a war and then we quietened down when Mr Trump asked us to. So what is the valour here?" Sen told AFP of the Pakistan clashes. AFP | Shammi MEHRA Anil Sharma, known for directing rabble-rousing movies, criticised the apparent rush to make films related to the Pahalgam attack. "This is herd mentality... these are seasonal filmmakers, they have their constraints," he said. "I don't wait for an incident to happen and then make a film based on that. A subject should evoke feelings and only then cinema happens," said Sharma. Sharma's historical action flick "Gadar: Ek Prem Katha" (2001) and its sequel "Gadar 2" (2023), both featuring Sunny Deol in lead roles, were big hits. In Bollywood, filmmakers often seek to time releases for national holidays like Independence Day, which are associated with heightened patriotic fervour. "Fighter", featuring big stars Hrithik Roshan and Deepika Padukone, was released on the eve of India's Republic Day on January 25 last year. Anti-Muslim bias Though not a factual retelling, it drew heavily from India's 2019 airstrike on Pakistan's Balakot. The film received mixed-to-positive reviews but raked in $28 million in India, making it the fourth highest-grossing Hindi film of that year. This year, "Chhaava", a drama based on the life of Sambhaji Maharaj, a ruler of the Maratha Empire, became the highest-grossing film so far this year. It also generated significant criticism for fuelling anti-Muslim bias. "This is at a time when cinema is aggressively painting Muslim kings and leaders in violent light," said Sen. AFP | TAUSEEF MUSTAFA "This is where those who are telling the stories need to be responsible about which stories they choose to tell." Sen said filmmakers were reluctant to choose topics that are "against the establishment". "If the public is flooded with dozens of films that are all trying to serve an agenda, without the other side allowed to make itself heard, then that propaganda and misinformation enters the public psyche," he said. Acclaimed director Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra said true patriotism is promoting peace and harmony through the medium of cinema. Mehra's socio-political drama "Rang De Basanti" (2006) won the National Film Award for Best Popular Film and was chosen as India's official entry for the Golden Globe Awards and the Academy Awards in the Best Foreign Language Film category. "How we can arrive at peace and build a better society? How we can learn to love our neighbours?" he asked. "For me that is patriotism."
