Belgium is the original birthplace of the Srnurfs. They are tiny, blue fictional creatures and they all live in mushrooms. The Smarts is a creation of a Belgian comic artist known as Peyo which is a pen name for Pierre Culliford. “Smart” is actually a Dutch translation of the French word “Schtroumpf”. The word “Schtroumpf” according to the creator, Peyo, was invented at meal time with Andre Franquin, a fellow cartoonist. Peyo couldn’t recall the word for salt and ended up using the word “Schtrournpf”.
How The Smurfs Originated
The adorable, tiny, blue creatures first appeared in the Spirou magazine in 1958. At that time, the magazine started publication of the story “The Flute with Six Holes”. The adventure in this story involved the recovery of a magic flute. This required the wizard Homnibus’s sorcery skills. Through this adventure, there appeared tiny, humanoid creatures with blue skin and white clothing. They were called “Schtroumpf”. They all looked similar and had a red clothed, elderly leader with a white beard.
Many people loved the blue characters, which led to the first Smurf stories in 1959 on Spirou. Although the Srnurfs began as a comic it soon expanded into movies, advertising, ice capades, TV series, video games, dolls and theme parks.
Who Are The Smurfs?
Basically, the Smurfs live in similar mushroom-like houses found in a clearing within a very deep forest full of grass, vegetation and a river. The Smurf community is very cooperative, kind and loves to share. Each Srnurf has a unique skill that he/ she contributes to the society.
Although humans such as Gargarnel, the arch enemy of the Smurfs, live nearby, it is nearly impossible for them to get into the Smurf village. They can only do so if a Smurf leads them in
There are about 105 Smurfs and their names typically describe each smurf’s personal characteristics. For example Jokey Smurf likes playing practical jokes on others, whereas Clumsy Smurf habitually wreaks havoc, although unintentionally.
The list of Smurfs includes:
1. Papa Smurf: He is the leader in the community. He is also the only one who wears red. Papa Smurf is known for bringing the others to safety whenever a crisis occurs or in case of any danger. Everyone else would inevitably turn to him when things go wrong. Papa is always making useful magical potions and spells.
2. Handy Srnurf: Handy always has a pencil placed on his ear. He is quite handy in fixing things in the tiny village. Handy will regularly come up with amazing technological inventions. These include the Weather Smurfing Machine, Smurfmobile and even the telesmurf (telephone). The others often criticize and abandon Handy’s inventions.
3. Clumsy Smurf: This is one smurf who often gets tripped up by his very own two feet. He’s clothing fits rather loosely, giving him an even more clumsy appearance. He loves collecting rocks. He is best of friends with Brainy smurf.
4. Vanity Smurf: Vanity always has a mirror in sight. This is because he is extremely vain. He constantly worries about his appearance. Moreover, he has a flower attached to his cap, adding to his vain appearance.
5. Lazy Smurf : Lazy is aptly named because he is just that lazy. Lazy has a tendency of falling asleep anywhere and at any time, whether day or night.
6. Brainy Smurf: Although Brainy appears as a true expert on all matters, he’s usually wrong. He is known for publishing missives: “Quotations of Brainy Smurf”. Everybody reviles him, except for Clumsy who is his best friend.
The other smurfs include: Greedy, Jokey, Hefty, Dreamy, Grouchy, Poet, Harmony, Actor, Farmer, Painter, Clockwork, Tailor, Architect, Miner, Reporter, Barber, Timber, Doctor, as well as Gutsy Smurf. Moreover, almost all characters look alike. They are mostly male with only a few female Srnurfs. The female srnurfs include: Srnurfette, Nanny Smurf and Sassette.
Srnurfette is one of the few female smurfs created by Gargarnel with the intention of luring the other smurfs. Gargamel created her magically from clay. Her mission was to stir trouble and cause jealousy within the smurf world. Unfortunately, Gargamel’s plan failed. Smurfette was initially an ugly smurf. Fortunately, Papa Smurf did some magic smurfery on Smurfette turning her into a truly beautiful smurf. She changed into a loving and caring Smurf.
Typically, a smurf is short (three apples high) and has blue skin. They normally wear white trousers that have a tiny hole through which their short tails fit. Each has a white hat like the Phrygian cap. Sometimes a Smurf may have an additional accessory which identifies a unique personality. For instance, “Handy” Smurf has overalls rather than the white trousers, a pencil above his ear and a brimmed hat.
A smurf will often be seen skipping around joyfully on both feet. However, they can sometimes walk and even run. They love eating leaves of “smurfberries” which is a species of Smilax known as sarsaparilla. Each Smurf represents certain characters of everyday people. These include: laziness, grouchiness, clumsiness and so on They are also reputed to be 100 years old except for Baby, Papa, Grandpa, Smurfette and Nanny Srnurf.
Originally, there were only 99 Smurfs. However, the number increased gradually with the introduction of new Smurf characters like Sassette and Nanny. This is because the first Smurfs were all male. Only later were female additions made that included Smurfette and Sassette. Sassette was a creation of the Smurflings, just as Smurfette was created by Gargamel.
Characteristically the Smurf language frequently uses the word “smurf” with many different meanings attached to it A Smurf will frequently replace either nouns or verbs in speech with the word “smurf”. For example, a Smurf may say, “Let’s go smurfing on the River Smurf.” This means that the word “Srnurf” may mean “to be”, “to make”, “to do” or “to like”.
The storylines in each Smurf episode is a simple and exciting tale of bold adventure. The wizard Gargamel is the arch enemy of the Smurfs within each tale. He spends his days working out plans to capture, eat, or completely destroy all the Srnurfs. This wizard is completely obsessed with destroying the tiny, blue creatures. He has an equally evil cat known as Azrael.