Smurfs celebrate 60th birthday

Blue birthday cake for the Smurfs!

Belgium celebrated the 60th anniversary of the beloved blue cartoon characters the Smurfs on Tuesday.

Dozens of children attended the event, which included a large cake and a virtual exhibit of the Smurf village.

A child peeks inside a Smurfs house during the Smurfs exhibition marking the 60th anniversary of their creation by Belgium cartoonist Pierre Culliford, known as Peyo, in Brussels, Tuesday, Oct. 23, 2018. [Photo：AP]

The Smurfs were first introduced as comic book characters in 1958, created by Pierre Culliford, who used the pseudonym "Peyo."

Celebrations are being held at "The Smurf Experience" interactive exhibit in Brussels.

The interactive show is spread over 1,500 square-meters (1,600 square feet).

The exhibit boasts nine rooms, including the Smurfs' village, a cage where evil sorcerer Gargamel wants to imprison them, and an array of sound and video presentations.

The true attraction, however, is the chance to get to the Smurfs' eye level.

"The Smurf Experience" is the creation of Spanish set designer and story-teller Marcos Vinals Bassols.

"The idea was to become (as) small as a Smurf and to live an adventure in the size of a Smurf. So, our concept is that Smurfs are 1.2 meters high (47 inches) as an average kid, I would say, and all the scenic (stage) elements and props and sets are designed in that size."

The Smurfs dwell in mushroom-like homes and are said to stand only three apples high.

Their stories center on their adventures against evil wizard Gargamel, who obsesses over capturing them and destroying their village.

A child watches Smurfs character Gargamel being displayed in a virtual projection during the Smurfs exhibition marking the 60th anniversary of their creation by Belgium cartoonist Pierre Culliford, known as Peyo, in Brussels, Tuesday, Oct. 23, 2018. [Photo: AP]

"Smurf Experience" communication manager and spokesperson Chloé Beaufays calls the show "a full immersion into the universe of the Smurfs."

"We enter a forest and we're immediately immersed into the Smurfs' magic universe. At the beginning the forest is the real size, with real size decorations; but little by little, as we move forward, we shrink to the size of a Smurf; that means as tall as three apples."

As visitors walk through the exhibit, the Smurfs' village and its characters increase in size, making visitors feel smaller and smaller.

Children dressed as Smurfs hug a person wearing a Smurf costume during a Smurfs exhibition marking the 60th anniversary of their creation by Belgium cartoonist Pierre Culliford, known as Peyo, in Brussels, Tuesday, Oct. 23, 2018. [Photo: AP]

Video animations, loud sound effects, audio guides and a virtual reality tour all help visitors plunge into the Smurfs' universe.

The Smurf Experience will run at the Brussels Expo Event Center till January 27 next year.

Beaufays says plans are in place to take the show around the world.

"From 2019 the 'Smurf Experience' will be on an international tour. At the moment, it's impossible to tell where it will go, but we have very serious contacts in Europe, in the United States and in Asia, because Asians are also very fond of the Smurfs."