The Smurfs (French: les schtroumpfs; Dutch: de smurfen) are Belgian cartoon franchises, mainly focusing on fictional, human like small blue creatures living in mushroom shaped houses in the forest. The Smurfs were first created in 1958 by Belgian cartoonist peyo (pseudonym of Pierre curiford) and introduced as a series of comic characters called les schtroumpfs. There are more than 100 Smurf characters whose names are based on adjectives that emphasize their characteristics, such as "jokey Smurf", who likes to play jokes on his Smurfs. "Smurf" is the first female Smurf in the series. Wearing a Phrygian hat, Smurfs represent freedom in modern times.

According to peyo, the term "Smurf" is the original Dutch translation of the French word "schtroumpf". According to peyo, was it invented while eating with cartoonist Andrew? Franquin, when he doesn't remember the word salt.

Smurfs' franchise began with comics and later expanded to advertising, movies, TV series, ice cream, video games, theme parks and dolls.