There’s nothing quite like parents and children bonding over a bunch of tiny, shirtless blue creatures that fear the fangs of a mangy feline.
Just when you thought you and your son would never share another thing in common–BAM!–the Smurfs are suddenly cool again, and all is right with the world.
The Smurfs hit the pop culture scene in 1981, and more than 250 episodes later they grew into animated icons. This year Macy’s named the blue elf-like creatures as the store’s “Holiday Ambassadors” and a full-length Smurf movie will be released in 2011. All the hype surrounding Smurfette, Papa Smurf and crew has helped propel the lovable cartoon characters back in the spotlight. These days kids of all ages are considered cool for lovin’ on the topless, blue-skinned, mushroom-living forest inhabitants.
For me the Smurfs were a Saturday morning staple, as were the Snorks and the Get Along Gang. However, never in my wildest dreams would I have thought that my favorite cartoon characters would withstand the test of time and be as heartily embraced by today’s kids, including my own. Yet, according to a new poll, popular animated creatures from the 1970s and 80s, such as the Smurfs, Scooby-Doo and the Care Bears are a huge hit with 21st century tweens.
Experts claim that the aforementioned characters are universally appealing in nature. Adding to their timelessness is the fact that characters, such as Strawberry Shortcake and members of the Peanuts gang are heavily marketed. These days you can find everything from pencils to plastic coin purses adorned with cartoon characters made famous in the 70s and 80s, which is a good thing for kids whose parents were mega fans of the animated creatures. After all, parents are more apt to give in to their kids pleas for merchandise emblazoned with characters they once loved as children than toys that are associated with characters they know little or nothing about.
What old-school cartoon character was your favorite? Do your kids like the same one?
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