Heil Papa Smurf! Smurfs Called Anti-Semitic And Racist,

The tribe of little blue creatures who live peacefully among the mushrooms are "steeped in Stalinism and Nazism," according to the book which was sparking headlines the globe. "Collective work always focuses on self-sufficiency for food and energy," Antoine Bueno states in "Le Petit Livre Bleu" (The Little Blue Book). "The Smurfs do not have private property; their leader is Papa Smurf who shows very authoritarian and paternalistic characteristics." Bueno, 33, also makes the connection that the little blue men's biggest enemy, the magician Gargamel, seems to have a Jewish background -- citing similarities to the anti-Semitic images of the World War II era. The writer also claims that the Smurfs do not just resemble Nazis, but are sexist Nazis to boot, with Smurfette -- traditionally the only woman living in the Smurfs' village -- allegedly meeting the Aryan ideal of beauty with her blonde hair and refined features. The Smurfs were first created by Belgian artist Peyo in 1958. The book has sparked a deluge of fury on the internet from Smurf aficionados, British newspaper The Daily Telegraph reported Saturday, with the author prompted to insist he meant no harm. "I love the Smurfs," he wrote on Nouvelobs website. "I just wanted to explain with this book that popular works teach us lot about the society we come from. I am not accusing Peyo of racism himself, otherwise you can well imagine [his heirs] would have attacked me. "However, I believe his work [like many others] carries and concentrates a certain number of stereotypes particular to a given society and era."

Giving an example of their racism, Mr Buéno told the Wall Street Journal: 'The first comic strip, The Black Smurfs, was intimately concerned with what you might classify as a racial threat. 'Because in that album, the Smurfs are sick. And when they’re sick, they don’t turn purple or red or anything like that, they become black. And when they become black, they lose all trace of intelligence. 'They become completely moronic. And further more, they can no longer speak, they just go "nyap nyap nyap".' In another story, a Smurf gets stung by a black fly that again turns his skin jet black, drives him insane and deprives him of speech. Soon the entire village has changed colour. He said: 'They lose all trace of intelligence and become completely moronic. 'It's roughly the way Africans were viewed by white colonisers in the 19th century.' The Smurf's sickly colour was later turned to purple. The Smurfs creator, Belgian artist Peyo, told a Flemish paper: 'I disagree with his interpretation. It is between the grotesque and the not serious.' But the book has caused a near revolt for Smurf aficionados everywhere who are outraged by his comments. Read more: