Not only did the residents vote to keep the town painted blue, but they also went a little Smurf-crazy. Take a walk through its streets, and you'll find many Smurf paintings on buildings and Smurf statues in the parks. Gifts shops have popped up all over selling Smurf key chains and T-shirts. Order food in a cafe, and there is a good chance that your spaghetti will be blue. And if you are as obsessed with fungi as the Smurfs, you can learn all about it in the local mushroom museum. David Fernandez Tirado, the mayor responsible for this makeover, has even been nicknamed "Papa Smurf."
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No beard, but we're guessing plenty of Smurfettes.
But why did the town decide to give itself blue fever (besides improving Mayor Papa Smurf's pillow talk)? Like Sony and Gargamel before them, Juzcar realized these Smurfs could make them rich. Considering Spain is in a massive economic slump and unemployment is at an all-time high, lots of the country has to rely on corporate investments and tourism to get by. Painting the town blue wasn't just publicity for The Smurfs movie, but also free publicity for the town itself. For a place that was once so nondescript and off the beaten path that fewer than 300 tourists visited yearly, the mayor now says it isn't uncommon for more than a dozen busloads of people to come in a weekend. Thanks to The Smurfs, Juzcar now prospers. So there's at least one good thing that came out of that godawful movie.
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Even those in town might be sick of Smurfs, judging by the most adorable lynching ever.
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