Making a television debut, the iconic gang of little blue Smurf Village inhabitants has made its way to India.
In some Smurf-tacular news, the much-loved Smurfs, one of the most popular characters, are expanding their adventures and now will have a village in Sonic, part of India’s leading kids’ entertainment franchise Nickelodeon, starting from 13th June,2022, Monday to Sunday at 11:30am .
Rising through the ranks, Sonic, since inception has engaged and entertained kids with stories that brings happiness to their lives. Sonic has always introduced young viewers to storylines and characters that are engaging and relatable. By bringing ‘Smurfs’ to Indian television after 40 years, Sonic aims to cater to the audience with content that continues to raise the bar. The show will feature popular Smurf characters, including Papa Smurf, Smurfette, Brainy, Hefty, Clumsy, and others, embarking on new adventures full of humour, heart, and high-stake action. The new addition comes in the form of Willow, who leads a tribe of girl Smurfs. The smurftacular show will have a stellar voice cast spearheaded by David Freeman as Papa Smurf, the father figure keeping the other Smurfs in order, Berangere McNeese as Smurfette, a curious Smurf who is eager for new adventures, Youssef El Kaoukibi as Brainy, the one who considers himself the smartest of the bunch, Catherine Hershey as Willow, the brave and wise matriarch of a new tribe of girl Smurfs, and finally Lenny Mark Irons as Gargamel, a conniving human wizard with a bottomless thirst to capture the Smurfs.
Speaking about bringing Smurfs to India, Anu Sikka – Head Creative, Content & Research, Kids TV Network, Viacom18 “Sonic since it’s inception, has successfully grown to become an entertainment hub with engaging stories, endearing characters and a solid kids’ connect. We have consistently catered to our young viewers’ evolving preferences with innovative entertainment and immersive storytelling. Bringing internationally acclaimed ‘Smurfs’ will further bring variety and scale to Sonic’s growing content library. With this launch, we hope to further add depth to our programming strategy and fulfil our mission of entertaining kids.”
Pulling out all stops for the launch of ‘Smurfs’ is a robust multi-screen and multi-touchpoint marketing plan that is sure to engage young audiences. The highly innovative promotional plan will leave no stone unturned in reaching out to kids. A fun filled robust digital plan will include initiatives such as fun mashups and reels, contests leading up to Global Smurfs day, innovative posts, AR filters and gaming to transport the kids into the ‘Smurf’ world. Ensuring maximum excitement, Global Smurfs Day will be celebrated on 25th and 26th June through on ground activations in malls. Visitors will also get a chance to participate in fun games. Taking the overall marketing initiative, a step forward, Sonic has also partnered with select renowned QSR brands. With influencers on board, a new AR filter for Smurfs will be created to further establish the characters.
Created by Belgian comic book writer Pierre Culliford, also known as Peyo, in 1958, The Smurfs reside in a community of small, blue, human-like characters who live in mushroom-shaped houses in a forest.
Get ready for a smurftacular journey starting 13th June, Monday to Friday at 11:30 am only on Sonic.