Usually, children do not mainly delve into the peculiarities of the architecture of southern Spain. But they will notice that the houses in the Juzcar village are not white, as they are all over the Costa del Sol, but blue. And the walls of houses acquired this colour quite recently when filmmakers came to visit residents with an unusual offer. So in 2011, a new attraction of the Costa del Sol appeared: Juzcar — the Smurfs village in Spain.
Many children have seen the cartoon about the Smurfs, so they will be happy to stay with cute characters. The Smurf Village has many images and sculptures of blue men in white caps. Their figurines line the shelves of souvenir shops, shop windows of restaurants and even the windows of the houses of ordinary residents. The most significant sculptures are installed at the entrance to Juzcar and in the central square.
Perhaps the faces of the gnomes quickly become familiar, but not a single child will pass by the wall with the inscription "Pitupared". You can write whatever you like on this wall — but visitors usually try to leave their names.
The Spanish village of Juzcar has become a popular tourist destination thanks to a tip from Sony Pictures, but there's no reason to stay longer. A few photos next to the Smurfs, ice cream at the Smurf Café, and a memorial inscription on the wall — that's the whole programme.
Kids can still play in the playground. But the locals have created an extra celebration for themselves. Every year they celebrate the transformation of Juzcar into a smurf village by dressing up as the characters, generating extra revenue for the community. Another celebration is expected in conjunction with the release of a sequel to the cartoon story about the blue men.
