[Fram]

Cartoons: approximately 250 (there were often more episodes in one weekly installment though): in total some 75 hours of Smurf cartoons.

Comics: 24 albums, I believe, with one to 5 stories each, and then some books with short gags (one page usually). Many more comics in the magazines and in loose books (e.g. in the 12 square books of 2 or 3 stories each, and the stories in the Pirate collection).


About this Smurfette business: there was some discussion between Peyo and Delporte on the one hand, and the writers at Hanna-Barbera on the other hand, as to what character and looks the Smurfette was supposed to have. The Smurfette is a rather old fashioned kind of woman character, while the US in the early eighties was more for feminism and so on. In the end, Peyo won, as he did with most of those discussions in the first years. But there was no discussion about the inclusion of Smurfette: the question was just what she would be like.
In later years, he loosened the control of the cartoons, which explains the more bizarre (i.e. not very Smurfy) storylines, like all the magical stories with pixies and flying carpets and so on.

[Rachel]

Thanks Fram, you are as usual a fantastic source of info.

Wow. that is a lot of smurfing.

[barrufet]

The smurfette character is from 1969. The original album is from that year.
The magic flute FILM is from 1983 but the movie began to exist in 1975 (I think).
So it is really a mistery why the smurfette is NOT in the movie.
The magic flute ALBUM is from 1958. Maybe Peyo wanted to respect the original characters of the original story, with no smurfette, no Gargamel, no Azrael, etc.

[Guest]

I asked my contact about this Smurfette business again this week and he said that the Smurfette used for the HB cartoons was a different Smurfette to the one from the comics. He said that the Smurfette from the HB cartoons was a different creation made specifically to appeal to the US market. Make of that what you will.

[Fram]

Certainly not qua looks, and I don't think the character is especially different. I'm sorry, but I have to disagree with your contact here.

And the Smurfette (la Schtroumpfette) first began to appear in Spirou magazine in 1966 (Spirou 1459 from 31/03/1966) and finished 22/09/1966 in Spirou 1484. So the Smurfette (black-haired version and blonde version) were created in 1966.
The album appeared only a few years later, as was usual for young series in those days (the editor first wanted to be sure that the series was popular in the magazine and had enough material to fill a number of books, which was better for sales as you build customer fidelity that way).

[Guest]

Don't be sorry, I am just passing on what he said, I am not saying I agree with him, personally I trust what you say more than anyone Fram regarding the smurf characters and their history, you are the resident expert in my eyes! It is just interesting to discuss. I think what intrigues me more is that usually these incorrect snippets that get passed on usually start from something, and I am curious to know where this strange notion came from, and by mentioning it here someone one day may shed some light on it!

[barrufet]

If you want my opinion I hate the HB episodes.
Nothing to do with Peyo.
All the classical stories were changed, too many explosions, too many magic.
Original Peyo stories were more simple, efective and brilliant.

This is an opinion from someone who grew up with the classical albums and then saw all the changes in the terrific episodes drawn by HB.
The only film that is worthwhile for me is the film "The magic flute", which respects the original story (no Gargamel, no new characters, no explosions, no smurfette, ...). And this is because Peyo was there.
Sorry to disagree with most of american people who love the HB series...

[DrunkSmurf]

Hi Everyone,

I think I see what is being said:

Hanna Barbera changed smurfette's *personality* for the American market.

The email that started this stream possibly misunderstood that distinction. Clearly the PVC smurfette dates from the early 70s and the comic book was around in the 70s also. I owned a smurfette PVC in 1980 two years before the cartoon began!

[Guest]

Well originally my source told me that Smurfette didn't exist before the HB cartoons so obviously he was wrong on that one, which I realised although I did ask Fram if he knew where that notion could have come from. So I tried to clarify what he meant this week and that's when he said about the personality change. I still think he is wrong, but he hasn't dreamed this up from nothing, there was obviously something discussed in the past to do with Smurfette which he is remembering incorrectly, and I would love to know what it is.

[Fram]

Well, there were discussions between HannaBarbera and Peyo (and Delporte, who often collaborated with Peyo on the stories, and was a kind of gobetween between Peyo and HannaBarbera) about the character of the Smurfette, because HannaBarbera thought her too stereotypic, not modern (or feminist) enough. They were probably right from their point of view, but Peyo insisted that she should be they way he portrayed her. Right as well, as they bought his series, so they should respect it. I believe in the end Peyo won, i.e. Smurfette in the cartoons is a lot like Smurfette in the comics, although perhaps a bit more adventurous and brave. So I suppose the notion your source had comes from these discussions, but contrary to what he believes is the Smurfette from the cartoons largely the same as the Smurfette from the comics in the end.

[swarlock]

Ok I'm talking from memory here so I could be wrong: I think the Magic Flute is chronologically before the The Smurfette story, hence why she is not in it...

Correct. A european animation company made that movie and was for all intents and purposes truer to the comics than the HB version.

I like them both.

[Eep²]

What I don't understand is why Smurfette is in the first episode, The Abominable Snowbeast, and others after, but before, the ACTUAL episode in which she is made, 28 episodes later in The Smurfette?? Is this just a bad timeline mixup on Hanna Barbera's part or are the episodes out of order?