What do you get when over 3,000 people put on white hats, paint their faces blue, and sing smurfy songs? A new world record and a very blue weekend in western France.

More than 3,000 people in white hats and blue face paint turned the small town of Landerneau in western France into a sea of Smurfs over the weekend, setting a new world record for the largest gathering of smurf-costumed individuals.

Organisers counted 3,076 participants, officially breaking the previous record of 2,762 set by the German town of Lauchringen in 2019. With a population of just 16,000, Landerneau had tried twice before to reclaim the title but was unsuccessful.

"We smurfed the record," said one participant after the colorful crowd sang smurfy songs and celebrated in full costume.

The Smurfs, created in 1958 by Belgian cartoonist Peyo and known in French as "Schtroumpfs," have grown into a global franchise that includes movies, TV series, video games, theme parks and toys.

"A friend encouraged me to join and I thought: 'Why not?'," said Simone Pronost, 82, who was spotted sipping beer on a cafe terrace in a smurfette outfit.

Some participants traveled far to be part of the whimsical feat. "We thought it was a cool idea to help Landerneau out," said Albane Delariviere, a 20-year-old student from Rennes who made the trip of over 200 kilometers.

Landerneau mayor Patrick Leclerc joined the crowd in full smurf attire, saying the event "brings people together and gives them something else to think about than the times we're living in."

Pascal Soun, who led the organising group, added that the goal was to offer a few hours of fun in a magical setting. "The gathering allows people to have fun and enter an imaginary world for a few hours," he said.

The successful attempt came as a relief after bad weather ruined their 2023 shot at the title. Their 2020 bid, which had drawn more than 3,500 Smurfs, was disqualified by Guinness World Records because of a missing document.

It took a little outside help to bring the record home. Landerneau's Smurf fans were nearly ready to call it quits until Paramount, the studio behind the upcoming "Smurfs, The Movie" set for release in July, convinced them to try again. The company handled the event’s PR and gave away 1,200 free tickets to a preview screening.