Are the Smurfs communists? Blue cartoon characters accused of being secretly red

They may be blue on the outside, but cartoon characters the Smurfs have been accused of being red on the inside with allegations that they are secretly communists.



In accusations, reminiscent of the McCarthy witch hunt, the blue beings have been labelled a 'crypto-Marxist cell'.



The cartoon characters, which star in The Smurfs 3D movie that opens today in the U.S., are said to have several characteristics that show they are surreptitious socialists.

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Good cover? Smurfette, Papa Smurf, and Clumsy Smurf this morning rang the opening bell of the New York Stock Exchange

'They have a dictator like leader, and they all have defined roles,' said Technorati.com editor Curtis Silver, who wrote about the Smurfs' psychology for Wired magazine.



'When it comes to their day-to-day life, they're like a Communistic group.'

The Smurfs, which were created in 1958 by Belgian illustrator Pierre Culliford, are accused of living in a communist-like society where all citizens are equal and labour for the common good.



In the Smurfs' village, all residents live in identical mushroom houses, dress alike and sing the same song again and again.



Shock: The Smurfs are accused of living in a communist society

Film stars: Neil Patrick Harris and Jayma Mays with Clumsy Smurf promoting the movie, which is out today

They have no economy, money is not used and each character has its own clear role. Chef Smurf only cooks, Baker Smurf only bakes and Farmer Smurf only farms.



'The workers own all the capital equally, and there is no upper class of owners or capitalists to oppress them,' wrote Marc Schmidt, author of the book 'Secrets of Pop Culture'.



'Unlike real-life Marxist countries, the Smurfs managed this feat without resorting to totalitarianism or repressing personal freedom, so it is a utopia,' he added.



Group leader Papa Smurf is moreover accused of having a thick white beard, similar to grandfather of communism Karl Marx, and wearing red in a possible show of his party devotion.

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