Brussels
UNICEF is running an ad on Belgian television that dramatizes the horrific impact of war on children by showing Smurfs wailing as bombs fall and their Smurf village is blown up. The Smurfs, little blue cartoon creatures, are a Belgian invention, first appearing in a 1958 comic. A spokesman for the U.N. children’s agency said that images of real children crying and starving had lost the power to shock in today’s world. Seeing their childhood icons destroyed, though, might just jolt Belgian adults into giving money. The ad is deemed not suitable for children and runs only after 9
P.M.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
Quiz of The Week: 15 – 21 NovemberQuiz Have you been paying attention to The Week’s news?
-
Can the UK do more on climate change?Today's Big Question Labour has shown leadership in the face of fraying international consensus, but must show the public their green mission is ‘a net benefit, not a net cost’
-
The Week Unwrapped: Will US Catholics rebel against the Pope?Podcast Plus what are the ethics of freezing your late partner?
