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The Devil's Adman
I NOW SPEAK from experience when I tell you that it's baffling and oddly unsatisfying to find one of your most treasured fantasies pop up on Belgian television. Especially when it's not the one with Uma Thurman.
No, as often as I amused myself years ago with thoughts of doing violence to Smurfsalong with Barney the Dinosaur and the two straight Teletubbies-it's just really weird to find out that someone has actually gone and done it. Or at least made an officially sanctioned cartoon of it. Think Smurfageddon.
Two weeks ago, viewers of the evening news in Belgium were treated to an ad created by Publicis, featuring the lovable, animated blue Smurf characters created by the late Belgian cartoonist Peyo. The spot opens with idyllic shots of the Smurf village, filled with hand-holding Smurfs singing the sunny Smurf song. Suddenly, very unSmurf-like bombs drop from the sky. Explosions rip through the village; fires rage, Smurfs die. A baby Smurf sits in the middle of the smoky chaos, surrounded by Smurf bodies, wailing inconsolably. A tagline appears: "Don't let...