Santa Monica Fire Department Graduation Class of 2011 - Images by Fabian Lewkowicz

A 40ft. tall Smurf welcomes guests at Santa Monica Place during Global Smurfs Day on Saturday, June 25, 2011.

Sinjin Wyne, 2, with his dad Nate, says hello to Papa Smurf at Santa Monica Place during Global Smurfs Day on Saturday, June 25, 2011. 

in celebration of the birthday of Peyo, the creator of the Smurfs (born June 25, 1928), Columbia Pictures and Sony Pictures Animation coordinated events all over the world as part of Global Smurfs Day, a worldwide event in anticipation of the release of the Smurfs’ trip to movie theaters, it was announced today by Marc Weinstock, president, Worldwide Marketing for Sony Pictures.

Columbia Pictures’ and Sony Pictures Animation’s The Smurfs will be released in theaters on Friday, July 29, 2011..

Commenting on the announcement, Weinstock said, "There are few characters as iconic as The Smurfs – for more than 50 years, they have been icons of popular culture, appealing across generations. Peyo’s creation endures, and that’s why Global Smurfs Day is a fitting way to celebrate his birthday."

On Global Smurfs Day, as participants enjoyed fun Smurf-related activities in cities worldwide, they were invited and encouraged to come to the events in Smurf costume in an attempt to set a new Guinness World Records™ title for Largest Gathering of People Dressed as Smurfs within a 24-hour period in Multiple Venues.

The events was synchronized around the world – that will see the most Smurfs that have ever been gathered at the same time. To achieve recognition from Guinness World Records™ the global events must collectively add up to more than 2,510 Smurfs. Adjudicators from Guinness World Records™ were on hand in 12 cities around the world as it is expected that hundreds of participants in each city will come to the event dressed as Smurfs (white Smurf hat, white pants and shoes, and body painted blue). While all were asked to arrive at the event in head-to-toe Smurf costume, each event had Smurfs hats and blue T-shirts available.

Among the cities participating in the record attempt as part of Global Smurfs Day are Brussels, Belgium (Peyo’s home country); Athens, Greece; Scheveningen (The Hague), Holland; Dublin, Ireland; Mexico City, Mexico; Panama City, Panama; Warsaw, Poland; Moscow, Russia; Johannesburg, South Africa; New York, USA; and London, UK.

Events included a Smurfs Experience in London as The O2 is turned into The "O-Blue" and a family event at New York’s "Smurf Street Blueport" (a/k/a South Street Seaport); also, Peyo’s family was on hand to join in the fun in their home country of Belgium.

In addition, there was a Global Smurf Day events in many other locations around the world. For example, in Spain, the village of Júzcar, in the province of Malaga – one of the famous White Towns of Andalusia, renowned for their characteristic whitewashed walls – kicked off the celebrations by painting the entire town blue for the occasion.

In addition, "life-size" (that is, 7½-inch tall) Smurf figurines inhabited Paris’s Trocadero Terrace (in front of the Eiffel Tower), the main square in Reykjavik, Iceland, Bogotá, Colombia’s El Dorado International Airport, and high-traffic areas in Geneva and Zurich, Switzerland. In Taiwan, the landmark Red House was transformed into a "Blue House," populated by Smurf figurines. In Copenhagen, Denmark, the event was at the Tivoli Gardens amusement park, where participants enjoyed face painting, dance-alongs, and more fun-filled events.

The Smurfs make their first 3D trip to the big screen in Columbia Pictures/Sony Pictures Animation’s hybrid live-action and animated family comedy, The Smurfs. When the evil wizard Gargamel chases the Smurfs out of their village, through a magical portal, and into our world, they land in the middle of New York’s Central Park.

Just three apples high and stuck in the Big Apple, the Smurfs must find a way to get back to their village before Gargamel tracks them down. Directed by Raja Gosnell. The producer is Jordan Kerner. The screenplay is by J. David Stem & David N. Weiss and Jay Scherick & David Ronn from a story by J. David Stem & David N. Weiss, based on the Characters and Works of Peyo.

A kite flys above the Santa Monica Pier on Monday, May 9, 2011.

Dean Pollard builds a sand Labyrinth at Santa Monica Beach in honor of the summer soulstice on Tuesday, June, 21, 2011. A labyrinth is an ancient symbol dating back 3500 years. Labyrinths have long been used as meditation and prayer tools. A labyrinth has only one path. It is unicursal. The way in is the way out. There are no blind alleys. The path leads you on a circuitous path to the center and out again.

First grade students from Franklin Elementary school dig for sand crabs during a field trip to Heal the Bay’s Pier Aquarium on Monday, June 13, 2011.