Choke on hot blue nostalgia, Generation X.
The Smurfs, that popular animated program I and many of my friends watched religiously as children of the '80s, is finally coming out on DVD. The Smurfs: Season One, Volume One is a two-disc set including the first nineteen episodes of the first season, along with "The Smurfs Springtime Special" and "Smurfs: The Music Video." The set comes out December 4.
While very much a part of '80s popular culture, The Smurfs actually have their origins in Belgium as a creation of the cartoonist Peyo in the late '50s. The tiny blue creatures first appeared in Peyo's comic titled Johan & Pirlouit. Over the following decades they made the leap from print to film, eventually ending up on TV screens in the United States.
Personally, my favorite Smurf was always Brainy, so I've placed a clip featuring him below. Who were your favorite Smurfs?
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
8-04-2007 @ 3:07PM
MrC said...
Part of me would love it if they put original french episodes with subtitles on the release, I want to see how much it was changed (much like anime on US TV in the 80s)
Reply
8-04-2007 @ 3:56PM
David said...
I like how the female Smurf is still a whore even on the DVD cover!
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8-04-2007 @ 4:38PM
koboy said...
Ut's funny, I am french and in France "Smurfs" are "Schtroumfs".
I didn't know the name changed in different countries !
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8-04-2007 @ 8:59PM
Jane said...
Brainy was my favorite, too!
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8-06-2007 @ 11:59AM
Gordy said...
Handy Smurf was the Man--um the Smurf. You just knew Smurfette was torn between him and Hefty Smurf.
Peewit was cool too.
Reply
8-09-2007 @ 10:56PM
Richard Ott said...
I used to watch both The Smurfs & The Bugs Bunny/
Road Runner Show on and off season, taking turns when
each show aired on Saturday mornings until 1985, after
which I just watched The Smurfs from 1985 on, not
missing a single smurfy episode. My favorite characters on
The Smurfs were the smoogle, Papa Smurf and Gargamel.
Paul Winchell was a master with his evil laugh, even back
in the 1960's, and with Gargamel up to 1990, it seemed
his voice never changed from his Dick Dastardly years.
The smoogle was a cute red pet the Smurflings owned,
along with Puppy. His character just arrived in 1988 as
the final season approached, but he was very cute. Papa
Smurf kept all 100 Smurfs in line, and whenever he visited
Humnibus, Brainy Smurf would try his best to run the
village, but he always landed upside-down on his head
whenever the other Smurfs had to put up with his mouth.
Anyway, I'll only be sorry if the CGI Animated movie of
The Smurfs may not be based around the latest storyline
which they went time traveling, and never came home to
their village, but then, Smurfs & The Magic Flute wasn't
that great, either, but surprisingly, NBC survived for the
next 7 years with their cartoon series. I sure miss them.
Reply