How's this for twisted...UNICEF in Belgium has produced a commercial featuring the Smurfs to teach children about the realities of war. How? Bomb the Smurf village of course.

The commercial starts out pure Smurfs: the birds are chirping and the Smurfs are singing...until the bombs start dropping, destroying their village and leaving a baby Smurf to cry in the middle of the chaos. "Don't let war affect the lives of children" it says in the end.

And it could have been much, much worse. A representative at the ad agency says "We wanted something that was real war - Smurfs losing arms, or a Smurf losing a head -but they said no."

While a lot of people are approving of the message (the family of the Smurfs creator, the official Smurf fan club), did it really have to be the Smurfs? Or any childhood institution for that matter? What if Mister Rogers Neighborhood or Sesame Street was bombed? It's a striking image of course but is it worth it to traumatize young children in the process? Not really.