The Smurfs (1981)

The Smurfs (originally broadcast as Smurfs and syndicated as Smurfs' Adventures) is an animated sitcom that originally aired on NBC from September 12, 1981 to December 2, 1989. Produced by Hanna-Barbera Productions, it is based on the Belgian comic series of the same name, created by Belgian cartoonist Peyo (who also served as story supervisor of this adaptation) and aired for 256 episodes with a total of 417 stories, excluding three cliffhangers and seven specials. It was the longest-running Saturday morning animated series in the United States until Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles surpassed it in 1996 with it's tenth season.

History

In 1976, Stuart R. Ross, an American media and entertainment entrepreneur who saw the Smurfs while traveling in Belgium, entered into an agreement with Editions Dupuis and Peyo, acquiring North American and other rights to the characters, whose original name was "les Schtroumpfs". Subsequently, Ross launched the Smurfs in the United States in association with a California company, Wallace Berrie and Co., whose figurines, dolls and other Smurf merchandise became a hugely popular success. NBC President Fred Silverman's daughter, Melissa, had a Smurf doll of her own that he had bought for her at a toy shop while they were visiting Aspen, Colorado. Silverman thought that a series based on the Smurfs might make a good addition to the Saturday-morning cartoon lineup.

Smurfs, produced by Hanna-Barbera Productions in association with SEPP International S.A. (from 1981 to 1987) and Lafig S.A. (in the years 1988 and 1989), debuted on NBC in 1981 in an hour-long timeslot. The series became a major success for the network (one of the few hits to emerge from the Silverman era) and one of the most successful and longest-running Saturday morning cartoons in television history, spawning seven spin-off television specials on an almost yearly basis. The characters included Papa Smurf, Smurfette, Brainy Smurf, the evil Gargamel, his cat Azrael, and Johan and his friend Peewit. The Smurfs was nominated multiple times for Daytime Emmy Awards and won Outstanding Children's Entertainment Series in 1982–1983.

By 1989, the show was in its ninth season and had reached the 200-episode threshold, an extreme rarity when most cartoons were gone after two seasons and 22 episodes (it also far exceeded the typical 65-episode run of a first-run syndicated show of the era). In an effort to come up with new ideas to keep the show fresh, NBC changed the format of the show, taking some of the Smurfs out of the forest and omitting the Smurf Village. These changes were adopted to a lost-in-time format similar to The Time Tunnel (at the same time NBC had a hit with the prime time series Quantum Leap which also dealt with time travel). The show continued through the end of the season, airing the last original episode 2 December 1989 on NBC, after a decade of success, NBC later cancelled The Smurfs along with other Saturday-morning cartoons to make way for another block of live-action programming on 9 April 1990. In addition, Smurfs creator Peyo ended further collaborations between The Smurfs and Hanna Barbara in protest to their decision to use the Smurfs in the April 1990 special Cartoon All Stars to the Rescue without his permission; he would later die in December 1992. The Smurfs had its last re-run on NBC on 25 August 1990. The total number of individual eleven minute and twenty-two minute cartoons in the entire series run came to 417.

Episodes

Voice cast and characters

Production

Animation work was done in-house by Hanna-Barbera Productions for the first 5 seasons, production work was done by Wang Film Productions/Cuckoo's Nest Studios for seasons 6-7 and, only for Season 7, by Toei Animation.

Use of classical music

The background music for The Smurfs was composed by Hoyt Curtin, Hanna-Barbera's primary musical director, but Curtin's work on the series is noted for its frequent use of classical music as themes or leitmotifs. Notable classical works excerpted in The Smurfs include:

Isaac Albéniz, Suite española, "Asturias"

Johann Sebastian Bach, Brandenburg Concerto No. 2, BWV 1047, Allegro moderato

Johann Sebastian Bach, Concerto for harpsichord, strings & continuo No. 5, BWV 1056, Arioso. Largo

Johann Sebastian Bach, Orchestral Suite No. 3, BWV 1068, Gavotte

Ludwig van Beethoven, Piano Sonata No. 8 (Pathétique), first movement

Ludwig van Beethoven, Piano Sonata No. 14 (Moonlight), third movement

The above two tunes are frequently used in scenes where the Smurfs are in danger, or which otherwise have a great deal of dramatic tension.

Ludwig van Beethoven, Piano Sonata No. 23 (Appassionata), first movement

Ludwig van Beethoven, Symphony No. 1, first movement

Ludwig van Beethoven, Symphony No. 6 (Pastoral), first and fourth movements

Ludwig van Beethoven, Symphony No. 9 (Choral), second movement

Hector Berlioz, Symphonie fantastique, second movement

Léon Boëllmann, Suite gothique, Toccata

Alexander Borodin, Polovtsian Dances, Fifth Dance: "Dance of the Boys"

Johannes Brahms, Wiegenlied (Brahms)

Anton Bruckner, Symphony No. 2, third movement

Claude Debussy, Prélude à l'après-midi d'un faune (used primarily in season 1)

Claude Debussy, Prelude Book 2 No. 6, Général Lavine – eccentric

Paul Dukas, The Sorcerer's Apprentice

Edward Elgar, Pomp and Circumstance March No. 1 ("Land of Hope and Glory")

Edward Elgar, The Wand of Youth, Suite No. 1

César Franck, Symphony in D minor, first and second movements

Edvard Grieg, Peer Gynt: "Morning Mood" and "In the Hall of the Mountain King"

"Morning Mood" is frequently heard when Mother Nature makes an appearance

Edvard Grieg, Lyric Suite, "March of the Dwarfs"

Albert Ketèlbey, In a Persian Market

Lev Knipper, Polyushko-polye, known in English as "Meadowlands", "Song of the Plains", or "Cavalry of the Steppes"; used in season 2 only

Zoltán Kodály, Háry János Suite

Franz Liszt, Hungarian Rhapsody No. 2, Friska (episode "Harmony Steals the Show")

Franz Liszt, Piano Concerto No. 1

Franz Liszt, Totentanz

Franz Liszt, Transcendental étude No. 6, "Vision"

Felix Mendelssohn, Spring Song

Felix Mendelssohn, Wedding March (Mendelssohn) (episode "The Three Smurfketeers")

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, The Magic Flute

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, The Marriage of Figaro

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Symphony No. 35 in D major, K.385 "Haffner", 4th movement, "The Smurflings" episode (just a very slowed down version)

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Symphony No. 40 in G minor, K.550, 1st movement, (episode "The Haunted Smurfs")

Modest Mussorgsky, Pictures at an Exhibition: Gnomus, Tuileries, Gargamel's theme variation about 1.5 minutes in, and a scene segue part about 10 minutes in, are used in the cartoon.

Modest Mussorgsky, Night on the Bare Mountain

Sergey Prokofiev, Symphony No. 1 ("Classical"): Gavotta

Sergey Prokofiev, Romeo and Juliet

Sergey Prokofiev, Peter and the Wolf

Sergey Prokofiev, Lieutenant Kijé

Sergey Prokofiev, Scythian Suite

Sergei Rachmaninov, Prelude in G minor

Maurice Ravel, Gaspard de la nuit: Le gibet

Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov, Scheherazade (introducing theme for Gargamel)

Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov, The Snow Maiden: Dance of the Tumblers

Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov, The Golden Cockerel

Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov, Flight of the Bumblebee

Gioachino Rossini, William Tell Overture

Camille Saint-Saëns, Symphony No. 3 ("Organ"), first movement

Franz Schubert: Rosamunde: Ballet Music No. 2

Franz Schubert: Serenade

Franz Schubert, Symphony No. 8 ("Unfinished"), first movement, used as Gargamel's theme and used in scenes when the Smurfs are in danger

Jean Sibelius, Finlandia

Richard Strauss, Till Eulenspiegels lustige Streiche

Igor Stravinsky, The Firebird

Igor Stravinsky, The Rite of Spring

Igor Stravinsky, Petrushka: Russian Dance

Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, Natha Waltz

Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, Russian Dance

Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, The Nutcracker

Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, The Nutcracker, Reed Flutes (episode "How To Smurf A Rainbow")

Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, The Seasons: June, August

Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, Swan Lake

Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, Symphony No. 4: Finale (Allegro con fuoco)

Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, Symphony No. 6 ("Pathétique"), second theme from first movement

Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky, Romeo and Juliet Fantasy Overture (used in scenes of love)

Richard Wagner, Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg Overture

Richard Wagner, The Ring

Syndication

A half-hour version for syndication was broadcast under the title Smurfs' Adventures since 1986. Although each season had its own unique opening song during the original broadcast, syndicated airings usually use a shortened version of the season 4 opening. The series aired on Cartoon Network in the past and currently on Boomerang. On August 7, 2023, the series began airing on Discovery Family, and on MeTV Toons when it launched on June 25, 2024.

Home media

Region 1

Warner Home Video released the complete first season on DVD in a two-volume set in 2008. Despite high sales of both sets, no further seasons have been released. Warner Home Video later released a series of three single-disc releases of The Smurfs in 2009, each containing five episodes from the second season. A two-disc DVD was set to be released in 2011 to tie into the theatrical film with 10 episodes which would be culled from the entire run of the series, instead, it included episodes from the second season. Another DVD with both Smurfs Christmas specials was released later that year. As of 2026, it is still unknown if Warner Archive will release the rest of the show's complete seasons on Blu-ray.

In 2020, HBO Max released seasons one to four on its online streaming platform. The available seasons are presented in 1080p high definition.

Region 2

Fabulous Films and Arrow Films have released the first five seasons on DVD in the UK.

The company has also released the film The Smurfs and the Magic Flute on Blu-ray and DVD, as well as several compilation DVDs, containing themed specials from the show.

Sony Pictures Home Entertainment has released the full Series in 9 season sets on DVD in Germany, with German sound only, from August 2011 to July 2013.

Region 4

Magna Home Entertainment has released various best-of volume collections on DVD.

The Smurfs and the Magic Flute has been released, but in a new 'Original Collector's Edition' with new packaging released on 2 September 2011.

The Smurfs – Time Travellers (3 Disc Set) was released on 5 November 2008.

The Smurfs – Smurfette Collection (3 Disc Set) was released on 1 September 2009.

The Smurfs – Papa Smurf Collection (3 Disc Set) was released on 4 November 2009.

The Smurfs – Favourites Collection (6 Disc Box Set) was released on 29 June 2010.

The Smurfs – Just Smurfy 1 (Box Set) (BONUS Figurine) was released on 3 November 2010.

The Smurfs – Just Smurfy 2 (Box Set) (BONUS Figurine) was released on 3 November 2010.

The Smurfs – Just Smurfy 3 (Box Set) (BONUS Figurine) was released on 1 December 2010.

The Smurfs – Just Smurfy 4 (Box Set) (BONUS Figurine) was released on 2 March 2011.

The Smurfs – Complete Season 1 (3 Disc Digipak) and The Smurfs – Complete Season 2 (3 Disc Digipak) were released on 24 August 2011.

The Smurfs – Complete Season 3 (4 Disc Digipak) and The Smurfs – Complete Season 4 (4 Disc Digipak) were released on 5 October 2011.

The Smurfs – Complete Season 5 (3 Disc Digipak) was released on 1 December 2011.

The Smurfs – Complete Season 6 (5 Disc Digipak) was released on 4 January 2012.

The Smurfs – Complete Season 7 (5 Disc Digipak), The Smurfs – Complete Season 8 (2 Disc Digipak) were released on 1 August 2013.

The Smurfs – Complete Season 9 (3 Disc Digipak) was released on 14 August 2013.

The Smurfs – Ultimate Collection 1: Limited Edition – Seasons 1–5 (18 Disc Box Set) released on 24 August 2011.

The Smurfs – Ultimate Collection 2: Limited Edition – Seasons 6–9 (16 Disc Box Set) released on 2 November 2011.

In popular culture

The animated versions of Papa Smurf and Brainy Smurf were featured in Cartoon All-Stars to the Rescue. Hefty Smurf also makes a brief cameo in the beginning of the movie with the other Smurfs, his only line being, "Who smurfed the bell?" Smurfette is shown on the promotional poster and VHS cover artwork, but was not seen in the special. Harmony Smurf made a small cameo as the Smurfs comic book was flipping through pages.

The Smurfs were often parodied in Robot Chicken where Danny Goldman reprises his role of Brainy Smurf, while Dan Milano voiced Papa Smurf and Seth Green voiced Gargamel.

In the Harvey Birdman, Attorney at Law episode "Guitar Control", a tank can be seen destroying a Smurf house.

In the 2001 Jake Gyllenhaal movie Donnie Darko, the titular character is seen on-screen giving an exposition regarding the origin of Smurfette to his two friends.

2021 reboot

In 2017, the Belgian companies IMPS and Dupuis Audiovisuel began production on an updated Smurfs series with CG animation, similar to Smurfs: The Lost Village. The series made its world premiere, on RTBF's OUFtivi channel in Belgium, on 18 April 2021. It premiered on Nickelodeon and Nicktoons in September 2021 in the U.S., with other international markets following soon.

See also

List of works produced by Hanna-Barbera Productions

List of Hanna-Barbera characters

Notes

References

External links

The Smurfs[link removed] at Big Cartoon DataBase

The Smurfs at IMDb