The Smurfs - Racist and Anti-Semitic?

My mind was just blown. In scouring the internet for articles, I came across one from the Huffington Post about The Smurfs. The article is about a book, written by French sociologist and author Antoine Bueno, called "Le Petit Livre Bleu" or "The Little Blue Book," which discusses the racist and anti-semitic themes within The Smurfs. 

Papa Smurf - Benevolent Leader or Cruel Dictator?

I'm not sure how to feel about this. There are some interesting points made. The comments about "The Black Smurfs" were especially disturbing , but overall, I'm just not sure. I really want to get my hands on this book because I love The Smurfs. They are a happy part of my childhood. I still have many of my old toys. I love them enough that I am seriously considering seeing the movie, even though I am fairly positive that it will be a flop (there are some things Neil Patrick Harris cannot make better), but now I am looking at them in a whole other light. 


I know a lot of beloved pop culture characters have dark or twisted origins, but this one bothers me a little more than I'd like, mostly because other than the weirdness with Smurfette being the only female for the longest time, The Smurfs were one of the few cartoons I never really saw a dark side to. Goes to show what I know. I wonder if the Snorks have those kind of themes too.


Below is a video about the book and the reactions of people hearing this theory.





What do you think? Plausible theory or just plain looniness? 

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