video: http://moonagewebdream.blogs.com/moo...8208544643.wmv
Bombs target Smurfs in new UNICEF ads
By Helena Spongenberg
The Associated Press
The cartoon Smurfs and their village are being bombed by airplanes in this poster provided by UNICEF. The words in French read, "Don't let war destroy the children's world."
BRUSSELS, Belgium ? Smurfette is left for dead. Baby Smurf is left crying and orphaned as the Smurfs' village is carpet-bombed by warplanes ? a horrific scene and imagery not normally associated with the lovable, blue-skinned cartoon characters.
These are the scenes being shown as part of a new UNICEF ad campaign on Belgian television.
"It's working. We are getting a lot of reactions and people are logging on to our Web site," said UNICEF Belgium spokesman Philippe Henon.
The Belgian office of the U.N. children's fund said it has decided to use the creations of late Belgian artist Peyo to shock a complacent public into backing its fund-raising efforts to help former child soldiers in Africa.
The 20-second video clip now airing on Belgian TV aims to show that war can happen in the most innocent of places, Henon said.
"We get reactions from all over the place," he said. "People are shocked and want to know the reasons behind this cartoon image."
The appeal is meant to raise money for UNICEF projects in Burundi, Congo and Sudan, Henon said. However, due to its graphic and disturbing scenes, the cartoon is not for everyone. It is aimed at an adult audience and is shown only after 9 p.m., to avoid upsetting young Smurf fans.
The video is peacefully introduced by birds, butterflies and happy Smurfs playing and singing their theme song when suddenly bombs rain down onto their forest village, scattering Papa Smurf and the rest as their houses are set ablaze.
The bombs kill Smurfette, leaving Baby Smurf orphaned and crying at the edge of a crater in the last scene of the video, which ends with the text "Don't let war destroy the children's world."
It calls on viewers to donate.
UNICEF traditionally uses real-life images of playing and laughing children but decided to change its approach for something that would shock people, Henon said.
"We felt that in comparison to previous campaigns, the public is not easily motivated to do things for humanitarian causes and certainly not when it involved Africa or children in war," he said.
The UNICEF campaign was launched this month and will last until April.
"We see so many images that we don't really react anymore," said Julie Lamoureux, account director at Publicis, an advertising agency that drew up the campaign for UNICEF Belgium.
"We wanted to show adults how awful war is by reaching them within their memories of childhood."
The Smurf ad will be followed by a similar ad in November to promote UNICEF's "let children live in peace" camp
By Helena Spongenberg
The Associated Press
The cartoon Smurfs and their village are being bombed by airplanes in this poster provided by UNICEF. The words in French read, "Don't let war destroy the children's world."
BRUSSELS, Belgium ? Smurfette is left for dead. Baby Smurf is left crying and orphaned as the Smurfs' village is carpet-bombed by warplanes ? a horrific scene and imagery not normally associated with the lovable, blue-skinned cartoon characters.
These are the scenes being shown as part of a new UNICEF ad campaign on Belgian television.
"It's working. We are getting a lot of reactions and people are logging on to our Web site," said UNICEF Belgium spokesman Philippe Henon.
The Belgian office of the U.N. children's fund said it has decided to use the creations of late Belgian artist Peyo to shock a complacent public into backing its fund-raising efforts to help former child soldiers in Africa.
The 20-second video clip now airing on Belgian TV aims to show that war can happen in the most innocent of places, Henon said.
"We get reactions from all over the place," he said. "People are shocked and want to know the reasons behind this cartoon image."
The appeal is meant to raise money for UNICEF projects in Burundi, Congo and Sudan, Henon said. However, due to its graphic and disturbing scenes, the cartoon is not for everyone. It is aimed at an adult audience and is shown only after 9 p.m., to avoid upsetting young Smurf fans.
The video is peacefully introduced by birds, butterflies and happy Smurfs playing and singing their theme song when suddenly bombs rain down onto their forest village, scattering Papa Smurf and the rest as their houses are set ablaze.
The bombs kill Smurfette, leaving Baby Smurf orphaned and crying at the edge of a crater in the last scene of the video, which ends with the text "Don't let war destroy the children's world."
It calls on viewers to donate.
UNICEF traditionally uses real-life images of playing and laughing children but decided to change its approach for something that would shock people, Henon said.
"We felt that in comparison to previous campaigns, the public is not easily motivated to do things for humanitarian causes and certainly not when it involved Africa or children in war," he said.
The UNICEF campaign was launched this month and will last until April.
"We see so many images that we don't really react anymore," said Julie Lamoureux, account director at Publicis, an advertising agency that drew up the campaign for UNICEF Belgium.
"We wanted to show adults how awful war is by reaching them within their memories of childhood."
The Smurf ad will be followed by a similar ad in November to promote UNICEF's "let children live in peace" camp
i hope no kids accidentally see that
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