The small town of Husca, Spain: the transformation of the Smurf Village

"There is a group of Smurfs on the other side of the mountain and the sea. They are lively and smart, they are naughty and sensitive.

They live freely in the big green forest. ...", this familiar theme song and the Smurfs animation are childhood memories of many people, but few people know that there really is a Smurfs town on the other side of the mountain. This small town is located in the mountains of Andalusia, Spain. It is the first and only officially authorized "Smurf Village" in the world. This small town is the town of Husca.

1. The Smurfs animation is released, Husca’s opportunity

The small town of Husca is located in the Ronda Mountains (Ronda, Andalusia Autonomous Region, Spain)

Malaga), is a traditional Andalusian town with "white walls and red tiles". Around Huska, there are countless "twin brothers" of Huska. Because the summers in Andalusia are too hot, and the houses painted white can reflect the sun, almost all the towns in this area have the same color and style. Huska is one of them with mediocre qualifications. It is neither on a major transportation route nor has unique scenery. This town has only 200 residents and only receives no more than 300 tourists every year.

In 2011, Sony launched the 3D animated film "The Smurfs", which was in urgent need of promotion. At this time, Sony chose this mountain town in Andalusia as the film's promotional base. Why did Sony choose the town of Huska? It’s because the Smurfs live in mushroom houses, and Huska is famous for its mushrooms—Huska has a very long history of growing fungi (mushrooms). Every autumn, the mountains around the town are covered with various types of mushrooms. It is said that more than 150 varieties can be seen. Another reason may be that Andalusia itself is a cultural tourism destination, with attractive food, diverse outdoor hiking routes, etc.

So on the eve of the movie’s release, painters used 4,000 liters of blue paint to paint the exterior walls of all 175 snow-white houses in the entire town blue—including the town government buildings, churches and cemeteries. This paradise behind the grassland has officially become the home of the Smurfs.

Local residents not only cooperated in changing the wall color, but the residents of Huska Town who are well versed in art also participated in the "wall beautification" activity. They performed various blue decorations on the blue wall. The creation of the elves' murals creates a sense of reality as if the Smurfs live here, leaving a deep impression on tourists who visit and take photos.

It is reported that before the town was renovated, Sony Corporation had reached an agreement with the local residents. After publicity, the houses would be repainted white for free. Unexpectedly, the town with its changed appearance would become famous. As a result, the town welcomed an endless stream of guests, and the town has undergone earth-shaking changes since then. It can truly be said to be "a town changed by a bucket of paint."

2. Give full play to the advantages of the Smurfs IP< /p>

After Huska obtained the new identity, he immediately redesigned the town’s logo for promotion. The color was Smurf blue, and the outline of the Smurfs and the mushroom were perfectly combined. It was very It accurately conveys the town's tourism theme - Smurfs, and the town's special resource - mushrooms. At the same time, the town's signage system - the road signs entering the village, the street signs, and even the urban furniture in the park - from the trash cans to the newsstands in the visitor center, have been replaced with the image of the Smurfs.

1) Launching the Smurfs-themed IP hotel

In order to provide tourists with a more life-like and in-depth experience of the "Smurfs" tour, the town will also improve the accommodation environment. Upgraded and renovated, and launched a Smurfs-themed IP hotel, which is what we now call a specialty B&B.

2) Smurf Market

In order to cater to the theme positioning of "Smurfs" and extend the industrial chain, the town government planned a creative Smurf Market. You can buy Smurf dolls, decorations and other derivatives as well as local specialty products here. This move successfully transformed the advantages of local tourism resources into economic development advantages.

3) Add Smurfs-themed adventure tours and themed festivals

In order to turn sightseeing into an experience and increase local economic income, the town launched the Smurfs-themed Smurfs in a timely manner during the movie's release. The family activities of the Elf Adventure Tour and the Huska "Smurf Parade" event held from time to time allow consumers of different ages, levels and types to come here to watch, play and have a wonderful time.

3. Use cultural IP to add highlights to local characteristic resources

Because it is located around the valley and adjacent to ecological reserves such as Grazalema Natural Park, the small town of Juzcar was originally a A cultural tourist destination, it is rich in various natural resources (the most famous of which are fungi [mushrooms]) and outdoor hiking routes. In order to effectively integrate local characteristic resources with the Smurfs-themed IP, the town added Smurf patterns and cartoon images to the traditional Mushroom Festival (Jornadas

Micologicas), which suddenly transformed the originally boring festival into something more interesting. Lots of fun.

When Huska turned blue, the town government and residents made clever articles around this elf-like color, which brought a large number of people to Huska and worldwide popularity. During the summer tourist season, it is the peak period for tourists in Husike. If you visit Huska now, you can still find a plaque with the words "Huska, the world's first Smurf town" in the town square.

In this way, starting from changing the color of the village, Huska built itself into a unique town. In fact, not only Huska, but also many regions in the world attract many tourists because of their unique wall painting art. ,

Cinque Terre, Italy

The Cinque Terre area includes Montesorro, Vernazza, Corniglia, Manarola, and Riomaggiore,

And the areas and islands extending from the coast to the Ligurian Sea. It attracts hundreds of thousands of tourists from all over the world every year. In addition to the beach scenery, Cinque Terre attracts tourists because of its wall paintings and colorful houses. The houses and churches are well-proportioned, which are even more charming under the afterglow of the setting sun.

Iwha Mural Village, Seoul

Iwha Mural Village is located in the Iwha-dong area of ??Jongno-gu, Seoul. It is called an art village by the locals. Mural Village was originally just a poor ordinary village. The local municipal government hired more than 70 artists to create paintings here. The creations attracted a large number of domestic and foreign tourists. Later, it became the setting for many Korean dramas such as "Rooftop Prince". The Mural Village became famous as the filming location.

Zalipie Village in Poland

Zalipie Village is named "the most beautiful village in the world" because the tradition of hand-painting has continued here uninterrupted for more than 100 years. Hand-painting originated from the tradition of housewives in villages covering up the stains left by chimneys on their houses more than 100 years ago. Housewives used hand-painted flowers to cover up the stains, gradually forming a distinctive decorative tradition. But with the disappearance of the chimneys, the functionality of this ancient tradition gradually lost. A female artist named Felicja Curylowa (1904~1974) appeared in the Salipai village. She used unprecedented enthusiasm to and talent revitalized the art of hand-painting, and extended the local regulations for painting to ceilings, furniture, fabrics, tree trunks and other places where painting can be done. The tradition of recovery has been passed down in Salipai Village. Every spring, a hand-painting competition is held here. , the paintings are constantly updated every year.