The Smurf Village is alive and kicking

The smurf village in Juzcar, SpainSmurf Village in real life? Well, yes. Head for the small village of Juzcar, Spain. It is located pretty close to Malaga and is a must for every Smurf fan out there. But don’t wait, make sure to get here as soon as possible because Juzcar might be transformed into a regular white village soon again. 

Smurf Village in Juzcar, Spain

In 2011, Sony Pictures wanted to promote their new Smurf movie. In order to do that they wanted something big to “make a bang”. So they found a village – a small village that might look like it would be the perfect smurf village. It is said that they chose Juzcar because it is famous for its mushrooms and we all know that the Smurfs love mushrooms (and they live in them too).

Said and done. Sony Pictures got an ok to remake Juzcar into the world’s first – and only Smurf Village. They bought 4 200 liters of blue paint and transformed the village into a blue feast for the eyes. And then they placed huge smurfs all over the place and the place was reborn.
This place is located not far from Ronda, Spain where the famous bridge is located
The smurf village in Juzcar, Spain

The worlds first and only Smurf Village

It didn’t take long before loads of people started to visit this place. Celebrities flocked to Juzcar and the village also had buses coming with tourists daily. During one period the locals also dressed up like smurfs and walked around. Everything was all and well and you could buy memorabilia everywhere. But then something happened. I’m not sure what happened but what I have read – Sony Pictures told the people of Juzcar that they were not allowed to call themselves a smurf village anymore and that they were not allowed to sell items with the smurfs.

The twist must have something to do about royalty fees and stuff because in the beginning, Sony Pictures had promised to paint the village back to white after the campaign. However, the people that lived there (about 200 people) liked the new look so they voted to keep Juzcar blue. So Sony Pictures were now done with their campaign and the village stayed blue.
The smurf village in Juzcar, Spain

Not allowed to be called a Smurf Village anymore

By the end of last year, I read an article saying that Juzcar is not allowed to be called a Smurf Village anymore. They are not allowed to sell stuff that is connected to the Smurfs and the article said that the village will be painted white again. However, that is not the case because when we got there in November (2017), the village was just as “smurfy” as ever. And when I talked to the people there no one said that they will be any repainting in the near future.

Sure there are not people dressed like Smurfs walking the streets but there are still statues of the smurfs placed in the village and there are still things that you can buy. But with that said – we are not sure for how long it will be okej for Sony Pictures to let Juzcar be.
The smurf village in Juzcar, Spain

Our visit to the Smurf Village

I loved, loved, loved this place and Mini fell in love with it too. This really was like walking into a saga – a real live smurf village. We strolled around for hours here, just looking at the buildings and at all the details. There are incredible details that are easy to be missed. Like the cat Gargamel that you can see, lurking around in different windows around the village.

This is the place where you want to just relax and walk around. There is no need to do shopping here – this is the place where you just want to walk around. And there are tourists here but not that many so you can get some great “alone time” too. Yes, there is nothing else to see here but all blue houses and smurfs. But at the same time, this place is awesome. Don’t hurry while being here. Take your time and enjoy it!
The smurf village in Juzcar, Spain
The smurf village in Juzcar, SpainFor more things to do in the Andalusia area things to do in the Andalusia area click here

2 Comments

  1. Sarai

    Smurfs don’t have cars and the smurfs don’t have normal houses like us😤😤🙄🙄

    Reply
    • Annika & Mini

      Sure, smurfs don’t have cars and all of that. But this village was painted blue for the movie so we don’t feel that it’s wrong to call it a smurf village 🙂

      Reply

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