Turning To Smurfs To Feel Less Blue by Paige Sumowski

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Yup. The blue dudes (plus Smurfette) who live in mushroom houses deep in the forest and battle the evil wizard Gargamel and his cat Azrael.

(I think we should all take a moment to appreciate Gargamel.)

Recently, as I'm sure you are aware, the coronavirus has taken hold of our lives. The fear of COVID-19 has spread (pun intended) world-wide, and much of Europe is living with anxiety. But would one small town give up on their dream of winning the Guinness World Record title for "Most People Dressed As Smurfs" because of a viral respiratory disease? 
Of course not! 

The people of Landerneau, France, were determined to enjoy life, to "not stop living," as Mayor Patrick Leclerc explained. Well, that and to beat Lauchrigen, Germany's impressive record of 2,762 people wearing smurf costumes. So, despite the 1,000 French people infected, the 16 French people killed, and French President Macron's warning to limit contact with the elderly and avoid crowded areas, these Smurfs threw their party. 

As stores across the world sold out of Purell and masks, stores in Landerneau were selling out of Smurf costumes. As people across the world were quarantined, people in Landerneau crowded in the street, their faces painted blue. As people across the world avoided travel, about 150 people from across France traveled by bus, bike, and train to Landerneau and volunteered to help.

By 6:30 p.m. on Saturday, March 7th, Landerneau had beaten the world record with 3,549 Smurfs, or "Schtroumpfs" as they call them in France! Smurfs drank to their accomplishment as cannons shot confetti into the air, and everyone danced to "I Will Survive" by Gloria Gaynor (which now is, ironically, a handwashing challenge to prevent the coronavirus). One Smurf described his peers as "champions of the world," and his friend agreed, saying that this was "more important" than the COVID-19 virus. (You do you, boo.) 

Meet the "champions of the world." I'm so proud.

This received some backlash, being called a "potentially... very dangerous viral bomb" and an "irresponsible move" (haters), and that Sunday, France banned gatherings with more than 1,000 people. However, these Smurfs, while providing a reprieve for themselves, relieved tensions in our current climate, serving as entertainment for many people on social media. 

What do you guys think of this? Was it irresponsible and dangerous to hold this large gathering, or were these conga line dancing Smurfs exactly what the world needed right now? Tell me what you think below! 

Comments

  1. AnonymousMarch 15, 2020 at 1:06 PM

    I think it's really cool how they just decided to live their lives (yolo). Was it the best decision to make for the safety of the public? Probably not, but hey, it makes for a good story to break up all of the scary news headlines lately.

    ReplyDelete
  2. DanielleMarch 15, 2020 at 7:00 PM

    Probably not the smartest move, but definitely fun and uplifting! Great topic - interesting and fun.

    ReplyDelete

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