Maybe it's not known in the US, but the Smurfs are genuine European creatures. They originated in Belgium not later then 1958 as a special character in a magazine called "Spirou". Their creator was the cartoonist Pierre Culliford with the artist name Peyo. He called them schtroumpf which is a very funny sounding name for French Speakers. In the early 1960's they appeared in Germany. Since the original name sounds like "stockings" for German ears they changed it into Schlumpf for Germany and finally Smurf for English speakers.
When the Smurfs eventually arrived in America they had yet passed a more then 20 year history indeed.
We will try to get this little baker to Belgium to meet his ancestors.
Greetings from Germany