"Smurfs" scriptwriter Yvan Delporte dead at 79

Posted:
Mar 10, 2007

Comics writer Yvan Delporte, the main scenarist of the first Smurfs cartoons, died Monday in his native Brussels following an illness. He was 79.

Born on June 24, 1928, Delporte worked with Smurfs creator Peyo, a fellow Belgian, to write 1965's Les Aventures des Schtroumpfs (The Adventures of the Smurfs). Released as a 90-minute black and white animated feature, it soon vanished into obscurity.

Delporte had better luck as co-writer of the theatrical cartoon feature La Flûte à Six Schtroumpfs (The Smurfs and the Magic Flute). Originally released in 1976, it came to the United States in 1983 after the Smurfs gained fame there.

The 1981 Hanna-Barbera Smurfs TV series stated in its credits that it was supervised -- and based upon concepts -- by Delporte and Peyo.

He was also a writer for the 1975 Belgian TV series Bollie en Billie (Boule et Bill), which ran for 26 five-minute episodes.

Delporte was editor-in-chief of Belgium's Spirou magazine between 1955 and 1968, replacing Charles Dupuis. He started at the magazine as a retoucher and handler of other odd jobs.

He had a long-lasting collaboration with André Franquin, working with him with the creation of Gaston Lagaffe and the co-authorship of Idées noires.

He also worked with Eddy Paape (Jean Valhardi) and Will (Isabelle). Beyond The Smurfs, his work with Peyo included Benoît Brisefer.