By Tim Binnall
A French town feels anything but blue after the community made good on its five-year-long quest to set a new world record for the largest gathering of people dressed as Smurfs. The unusual achievement reportedly occurred this past weekend in the village of Landerneau. The town previously tried for the title in 2020, but missed out on the record due to a technicality. A second attempt in 2023 saw the community come up short when torrential rain caused attendance to plummet. At the urging of Paramount Pictures, which is releasing a new Smurfs movie this summer, the town was convinced to take yet another shot at the record over the weekend, with the third time proving to be the charm.
All told, a whopping 3,076 people came together on Saturday to smash the previous record of 2,762 Smurfs set by the German town of Lauchringen back in 2019. In a testament to the enthusiasm surrounding the event, even Landerneau mayor Patrick Leclerc was among the many attendees dressed as one of the beloved blue beings that Belgian cartoonist Peyo brought to life back in 1958. While the record-setting event was understandably cause for celebration in the village, it remains to be seen if the former title-holding town in Germany will attempt to reclaim the Smurf crown.
Meanwhile, the news out of France should give hope to the Canadian community of Drumheller, which tried to set the mark for the largest gathering of people dressed as dinosaurs last year, but also saw Guinness officials toss their bid on a technicality. Perhaps the Smurf-like persistence displayed by Landerneau will inspire their Canadian counterparts to overcome their proverbial Gargamel and claim the title that maddeningly slipped through their fingers before being taken by a Florida science center earlier this year.