Rare NBC Smurfette Studio Tour Welcome Sign Comes to Heritage Auctions – The Lucille Bliss (Voice of Smurfette!) Archives is in this Upcoming Animation Art Sale
View the Animation Art Signature Auction featuring The Smurfs memorabilia from the collection of Lucille Bliss, the voice of Smurfette. Bidding opens online November 25th. Auction date December 13-15, 2019, Beverly Hills, CA.
The Smurfs was one of the most popular animated television series of the 1980s, and one of the longest-running shows in the history of Saturday Morning Cartoons. It ran from a total of nine seasons, from 1981 to 1989, for a total of 256 episodes; there were also four holiday-themed specials and three additional specials like Smurfily Ever After and The Smurfic Games. The original Hanna-Barbera produced series won three Daytime Emmy Awards, in 1983 and 1984 (both for Outstanding Children’s Entertainment Series), and 1985 (Outstanding Animated Program). It also won the prestigious Humanitas Prize in 1987, under the Children’s Animation Category.
As any devoted fan will tell you, the most popular Smurf was Smurfette, who was originally the only female member of the clan. Smurfette was introduced as a spy and troublemaker in the Smurf ranks, sent by the evil Gargamel (sworn enemy of the Smurfs), but she was transformed into a real Smurf by one of Papa Smurf’s magic spells. She is smart, caring, and resourceful, loving everyone around her. She is quite often the voice of reason in the Smurf Village.
Smurfette was voiced by Lucille Bliss (1916 – 2012), known in the animation trade as “The Girl with a Thousand Voices.” Her career stretched back to 1950, as the voice of Anastasia Tremaine in Disney’s 1950 film Cinderella, and as the voice of Crusader Rabbit, first cartoon series developed for television, from 1950-52. Modern audiences remember best for her work on Invader ZIM, and Miss Bitters.
NBC Studio Smurf Tour Sign for Sale from Estate of Lucille Bliss
Miss Bliss collected items from her many years in animation, and one of the most important and unusual is a painted wood sign in the shape of Smurfette that greeted visitors touring the NBC-TV Studios in New York’s famed 30 Rock building. The sign is a full-figure cut-out image of Smurfette standing 56” tall, and is quite impressive. View the Animation Art Signature Auction.
Lucille Bliss Personalized The Smurfs TV Show Jacket for Sale
Also from the Estate of Lucille Bliss is her personalized NBC black satin-like baseball-style jacket with Smurfs embroidered graphics on back and a small Smurfette on one sleeve. The back shows an NBC Peacock emblem with “Smurfs, We’re #1” above the logo. The name “Lucille” is stitched on the front. Lucille’s collection of Smurf and Cinderella toys, plus her large collection of Disney publicity stills, have been consigned to this auction as well.
The popularity of The Smurfs continues, with a popular 2011 3D-CGI film released by Columbia Pictures, a series of direct-to-video films, and a new television series, The Smurfs: A New Touch of Blue, scheduled to be broadcast in 2021. From its humble beginnings as a Belgian comic book by Peyo (Pierre Culliford) that first saw print in 1958, followed by a German animated series in the 1960s and a toy franchise, to the worldwide popularity of the movie and television films, The Smurfs remain a much-loved part of childhood for many generations.
Buy The Smurfs Memorabilia from the Estate of Lucille Bliss
Now is a rare chance to own items from the personal collection of perhaps the most important and popular Smurf voice, Lucille Bliss. Bidding opens online November 25, 2019.
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