"The Smurfs" (French: Les Schtroumpfs, English: The Smurfs, German: Die Schlümpfe) is a comic series created in 1958 by Belgian cartoonist Peyo and his wife. It depicts the story of a group of blue elves wearing little white hats living in a vast forest. In 1959, Belgian television began airing "The Smurfs" animated series. In 1981, the American National Broadcasting Company purchased the rights, hired part of the original production team, and produced and broadcast the American version of "The Smurfs" animated series. The American version introduced the character "Smurfette," which gained worldwide popularity among children after its broadcast. When broadcast by Taiwan's China Television, it was translated as "藍色小精靈." In the mid-1980s, mainland China imported the English version from the United States. After dubbing, the first season of 27 episodes aired in 1986, followed by the dubbing of around a hundred more episodes.