Frequently Asked Questions!

Last update: January 20, 2003

Any questions, that you may have about Smurfs or smurf related items, can be posted here. I will try to provide you with an answer. Simply send me an e-mail with your questions.

The FAQ page is now broken down into sections for different areas of interest. Just click on the category that interests you and you will be taken right there.

Music

Figurines

Misc. Products

Facts

The Cartoon

---

Music Questions:

• Ray is interested in finding the lyrics for the record, FATHER ABRAHAM IN SMURFLAND.

  Should you be able to help, please e-mail them to Astro.

• Sean has a very interesting question: I was wondering if you could help me identify some of the classical music that was used in the "Smurfs" Television series (particularly in the USA but it is probably the same everywhere). I believe that Alexander Borodin's "Prince Igor" is used for Gargamel, but there are a number of other classical music pieces used as well.

  Quasisp has done some research. Here is what he found: One of the pieces used was "Pictures At an Exhibition" by Mussorgsky. You can easily recognize two movements in that composition from the Smurfs episodes -- I know, since I heard the 34-minute compostion in its entirety one time.

  Another piece was from the Nutcracker Suite.

  Still another is the ever-popular "Unfinished Symphony" by Schubert, usually used in the scenes with Gargamel. (Mathieu also confirmed this.)

  Remember the action scenes where there is tense music being played? That music can be found in the third moment of Beethoven's "Moonlight Sonata".

  Great answers! That is very challenging. If you know any others, please send astro an e-mail!

• YoshiSmurf is asking for the wording of the famous Smurf Song. He knows only the following: Lalalalalala , sing a happy song, lalalalalala smurf the whole day long, smurf along with me, simple as can be!

  Can you help?

• What were the lyrics to the song the smurfs sung in the Xmas special, when the evil vilan casted flames around them? (Even Gargamel sung them!)

  Our friend Annette taped it years ago and as a smurfy friend send the lyrics to Astro: Here they are:

  GOODNESS MAKES THE BADNESS GO AWAY

  GOODNESS MAKES YOU HAPPY EVERYDAY

  BADNESS CAN NOT START IF THERE'S GOODNESS IN YOUR HEART

  GOODNESS MAKES THE BADNESS GO AWAY.

  Thank you for sharing! And it is all so true!

• I was wondering if any smurf remembers all of the lyrics to the Smurfberry Crunch TV commercial song?

  Emil helped us out with this one!:-) Thank you sooooo much! Here it is:

  Smurfberry crunch is fun to eat

  A Smurfy fruity breakfast treat

  made by Smurfs so happily

  the taste of (Yummy?) Smurfberries

  they're berry shaped

  and crispy too

  in berry red

  and Smurfy blue.

  to the tune of a part of the Nutcracker Suite.

• Tessa would like to know the name of the Smurf song that was a hit in the UK in 1996?

  Can you help answering this question?

  ---

  Figurine Questions:

• Steve is asking if anyone out there in cyberspace ever came across a Smurf Figurine that is identical to the Tennisstar figurine, but holds a golf club instead of a Tennis Racket?

  If you have a figurine like that or have heard about it and know where it is coming from, drop Astro a line!

• What does it mean, if a Smurf figurine shows a stamp saying "Bully" and not Schleich?

  Schleich has manufactured Smurfs since 1965 and is the sole manufacturer and seller of the Smurf figurines since January 1st, 1980. Before that date Bully, located in Spraitbach, Germany, was also manufacturing and selling Smurf figurines, and not necessary identical figurines than Schleich. Therefore you find figurines with a Bully stamp or a Schleich stamp. Bully had the exclusive sales of the Smurfs in W. Germany, Scandinavian countries and Canada during a certain time period. Therefore some collectors consider Bully figurines "Originals".

• Where can Smurfs be bought in Australia?

  This question has been asked by many club members from Australia. Astro has been looking for answers. So far, what he found out is that older figurines can be picked up at collector fairs, swapmeets, car boot sales, the Trading post newspaper etc. The new ones can be picked up in Target Stores, and possibly World 4 Kids. In Perth (Western Australia) they can be purchased in Wonderland of Toys. In Australia Smurfs were popular years ago and were available from BP petrol stations. There are figurines at Woolworths (Brisbane) or Toys R Us. And someone told Astro that not long ago the cartoons have been on Agros cartoon connection.

• Patrick was asking for info on the matte/shiny differences in the blue colour and how can we determine whether we have an original figurine?

  Astro will try to answer those questions. The shiny colour seems to be used a lot on figurines painted in Hong Kong. Most West German figurines seem to be a lighter blue and not shiny. The shine is just because they use a different colour. The material that they are made of is the same.

  It is hard to tell how old a figurine is, at least in most cases. There is ususally a date stamp on the figurine somewhere. That tells you the year this particular figurine was first produced. But the figurine itself might be a reproduction from later years. Sometimes that can be verified through colour variations, but not all the time. I don't know of a real good guideline to determine if it is a figurine from its first year of production or a later reproduction. If anyone out there in cyberspace can help with a good guideline on that, it would be of help to many of us.

• A friend of mine just gave me a solid brass smurf as a gift! He is 2.0011 Laughing. He is the exact same size and shape as the PVC one but in solid brass.There are no visible markings whatsoever on it. Would you have any ideas at all what it is?

  Astro is the proud owner of a some brass smurfs as well. They were made by Riverside Brass. There is a label saying "Made in Canada, Riverside Brass, New Hamburg, Ont." Astro will eventually post some more info on Brass and Pewter smurfs. The company Riverside Brass is not in existence anymore.

• Our smurfy friend Michele asked about the difference between Trumpetplayer No. 2.0072 and 2.0047

  Well, Trumpeter 2.0072 is from 1973. He has his eyes open, the trumpet is shorter, his feet are flat on the ground.

  Trumpeter 2.0047 is from 1974. His eyes are closed, the trumpet is longer, he is walking.

• Ellen wants to know, where I got the numbers used for the figurines, and if those numbers are on the figurines themselves.

The company Schleich, that makes the figurines, has assigned those numbers to the figurines. Most collectors go by those original "production numbers". There are different numbers being used sometimes on the U.S. market. I believe Wallace Berrie used their own numbers. You will not find those numbers on the figurines themselves. You should find the name Peyo, the Schleich logo, a year, and a mould number, though.

• What was happening with the special Olympic Figurines from Schleich?

They were available through Buffalo Road Imports. The figurines are reproductions of the following figurines:

2.0009, Drummer

2.0030, Torchbearer
2.0058, Champion
2.0129, Baseballbatter
2.0133, Field-Hockey
2.0134, Judo

2.0135, Tennis Smurfette
2.0172, Jogger

2.0211, Basketball Smurf
2.0415, Handball
2.0416, New Football Smurf
2.0419, Boxer
2.0432, Jockey Smurf
2.0433, Smurfette Jockey

And the Supersmurfs: 4.0501, Cyclist
4.0502, Canoist
4.0503, Discus Thrower
4.0506, Pole Vaulter
4.0507, Weightlifter
4.0509, Bars Gymnast
4.0510, Ring Gymnast

Some of these were discontinued items. The Ring Gymnast and the Pole Vaulter seem to be pretty hard to find. Also, Schleich is producing a very cute dealer display especially for these, an Olympic Stadium with a playing field and Smurfs in the stands.

---

Smurf facts
• Are Smurfs called Imps sometimes?

  The licensing company for the Smurfs happens to be called I.M.P.S. for short. But this is only by accident. I haven't heard that Smurfs were called imps. Should someone knows anything about this, please contact Astro.

• Another smurfy friend in cyberspace is looking for a list of the Voice Credits for the Smurf cartoon.

  Here is some info on that. It was found on a website by Marc. Smurfy thanks!

  Papa - Don Messick Smurfette - Lucille Bliss Hefty - Frank Welker Handy, Lazy, and Grouchy - Michael Bell Jokey - June Foray Clumsy - Bill Callaway Vanity - Alan Openheimer Brainy - Danny Goldman Greedy - Hamilton Camp Tailor - Kip King Farmer - Peggy Weber ? - Rob Paulsen

  And Angel also provided some info about the smurfy voices:

  "On the Hanna-Barbera Presents Smurf Video it lists the names of the voices and their characters. For example the video with the cartoons "Gargamel's Giant" and "Smurfiplication" says the following: Cast: Brainy-Danny Goldman;
  Clumsy-Bill Callaway;
  Hefty-Frank Welker;
  Jokey-June Foray;
  Smurfette-Lucille Bliss;
  Vanity-Alan Oppenheimer;
  Greedy and Harmony-Hamilton Camp;
  Lazy,Handy, and Grouchy-Michael Bell;
  Gargamel-Paul Winchell;
  Azrael and Papa-Don Messick.

  And on the video with "Symbols of Wisdom" and "Jokey's Shadow" Gargamel, Azreal, Papa, Smurfette, Brainy, Jokey, Clumsy and Hefty were all done as above plus Painter-Bill Callaway;
  Poet and Peewit-Frank Welker
  Then it states other voices: Henry Polk, Hamilton Camp, Michael Bell, Julie Dees, Bob Holt, Jennifer Darling, Linda Gary, Jack Angel, Alan Oppenheimer, Kep King, Marshall Efron and Alan Young.
  Thank you for sharing, Angel.

• Does anyone know the EXACT DATE (D/M/Y) of birth of Peyo?

  If you can help, please e-mail astro.

• There was a mention of Peyo's biography by IMPS in one of their newsletters. Where can I find this book?

  Astro would love to hear from you if you know a source!

• How high is "three apples high"? And Travis, the youngest member of the club, wants to know: Why do Smurfs wear white hats?

  Danielle has a great explanation for the apple question:

  Since Peyo came from the french part of Belgium he wrote the stories in that language. Now in french the expression 3 apples high is very commonly used to describe a small sized person usually a child. Now in the translation maybe the meaning is a bit lost to those who have never heard this expression before. It is a figure of speech to mean that a person is the same height as if you would stack 3 apples, one on top of each other. So a smurf is about the same height of 3 apples high!

  Richard told Astro that one Smurf said: A Smurf without a hat is not a Smurf at all".

  Smurf-mail Astro with more answers!

• Further, the question came up regarding the Smurfs Series on TV. Does anybody know with what story the Smurfs were last on TV? And when did they go off the air?

And again Dr. Brainy has the answer: The last season of the Smurfs was much akin to the current show Sliders. The Smurfs were "lost in time" trying to get back home. They went to ancient Japan, ancient Greece, 19th century Czarist Russia, pre-historic times, polynesia, Africa, etc... They never got back home, since the unsmurfable Smurfs at NBC chose to cancel the Smurfs.

Well, Astro hasn't given up hope that some time the Smurfs will be back on TV. Let's wait and see!

• We were wondering what kind of candy were the smurfs favorite?

  Any idea?

• Allison is asking: Does anyone know the name of the forest (not the village) the Smurfs live in?

  It was in King Gerards forest and I think it was coloquially referred to as "the Kings forest" or "King Gerards forest". He had outlawed poaching and most hunting there. This info once again comes from Virgy! Thanks!

• Jill wants to know: Did the Smurf's village have a name?

  Astro believes it is simply Smurf village and that's it. Vic says: The only other name for the Smurf Village is just Smurfland, but I only heard of that in the Random House "graphic novel" format comics.

  ---

  Smurf Products:

• James needs your assistance! Here is his questions:

  "In Britain, during the late 1970's Palitoy launched a set of Pocket sized games called Pocketeers (actually Palitoy marketed them in the UK on behalf of TOMY). They were ingenious mechanical games and were quite popular with children at the time (such as myself). At one point, Palitoy released a set of SMURF Pocketeers, of which I have three. This is where I hope to have piqued your interest. If so, you can find the 3 Smurf Pocketeers amongst my list of such games on the following page. Pocketeers Page. Now to my question: I believe that Palitoy may have released some other Smurf Pocketeers and it is my wish to construct the complete list of such games. If you have any information on Smurf Pocketeers or can point me in the direction of someone who might be able to help, I would be most grateful."

  Astro is the proud owner of two of those Pocketeers, even though until I received the e-mail from James I didn't know that this is what they are called. If you know of any others, please contact Astro!

• The smurfs endorsed a breakfast cereal in the USA during their tv run. Do you remember what cereal they endorsed?

  There was a cereal called "Smurf-Berry Crunch". I think it came on the market in 1983. It contained blue and red puffs of oats, corn and wheat, that had the shape of berries. And our friend Vic informed us that there was also a Smurf Magic Stars with marshmallow stars in it, that came out in the late 1980s by Post Cereal. Thanks a smurf Vic!

• Braden is wondering anyone knew how many cards came in the smurf game called "The Smurf card game". It's the one that is playted like the card game war....the objective is to gain controll of the deck! It was distributed by milton bradly and copyrighted 1982.

  If you have this game and your's is complete, please let us know!

• I seem to remember a product from the early to mid- 1980s called Smurfmallows. Were these true smurf products? If so, does anyone know when and who produced them? They were blue marshmallows, as I recall.

  Astro knows that at the moment Smurfmallows are available in Europe again. Does anyone have more info on the product from the mid 1980s?

• Oren has a request and if you can help, please send e-mail to Astro: "When I was a little kid our T.V. station bought some seasons of the smurfs (3 or 4).THAT'S IT!!! Sometimes (i.e. last year) they showed re-runs of those. I enjoy them of course, BUT there are no more newer episodes. I don't even know how is baby-smurf. So, please tell me, is there any place (in america) where I can get video's or laser-discs of the new episodes of the smurfs?

  Astro is smurfingly asking for support for Oren. Send any e-mail to Astro. Thank you very much!

• Crit is asking how many porcelain smurfs there are in the series that has baker, jokey, smurf and smurfette on a log together, harmony playing a trumpet next to Papa, Brainy, Smurfette on rollerskates, and Papa mixing potions?

  Astro will put up a page on the porcellain figures in the near future. If you have any info, send e-mail to Astro.

• Crit is also asking if there really are "pewter smurfs"

  Our smurfy friend Pat has an answer to this. There are the following pewter Smurfs: Normal, Drummer, Mechanic, Hammer, Smurfette, Crying, Papa, Spy, Gold(pants & hat are gold), Gift, Watchman, King, HangGlider, Earache, Bowler, Sunbather, Vanity, Singer, Shiver, Trumpet, Clown, Judge, Lute, Tennis Player, Laughing. Also some figures were on Pewter stands. Which ones we don't know. And there were a few supers and playsets made: Canoe, Wheelbarrow & Skateboard. The playsets, without the figures were: Picnic Table & Seats, Flowers on a base, Wheelbarrow. A misc. figure was Jokey holding a firecracker. Smurfy thanks to Pat for her input!

• Earl told me, he got a Smurf Trapeze. They were made by the company Helm. Does anybody know how many different Trapeze Smurfs they made?

I only know of three, a regular Smurf, Smurfette, and Gargamel. I assume that there must have been a Papa, but I don't know. If anybody has others or knows details, smurf-mail astro. If you know Helm's address, or e-mail address, please let me know.

• Another Smurf Collector friend would like to find out more about the diecast smurfs, that have been produced by Ertl.

Our collector friend Tina has been smurfing again! Here is the info she has about the Ertl diecast smurfs: There are 8 ERTL Smurf Diecast cars:

1. #1 Smurfette in a red bug
2. #2 Aero-Smurf in a yellow airplane
3. #3 Smurf in a brown log car
4. #4 Papa Smurf in a green car
5. #5 Gargamel in a blue roadster
6. #6 Smurf in a red fire engine
7. #7 Farmer Smurf in an orange tractor
8. #8 Smurf in a beige jeep

There are also 8 diecast cars made by ESCI from Italy:

1. #1 Smurf in a red roadster
2. #2 Black (Angry) Smurf in yellow car
3. #3 Papa Smurf driving a brown shoe
4. #4 Smurfette in a green frog car
5. #5 Gargamel in a purple roadster
6. #6 Super Smurf in a red can-am car
7. #7 Smurfette in an orange corn car
8. #8 Smurf in a pink roadster

Astro sends a very smurfy thanks to Tina. All your work is very much appreciated by all your smurf friends! Astro will post a page on smurf diecast in the near future.

• Is there a Smurf Screen Saver?

  Yes, there is! It is a German Screen Saver. It has three different settings including smurfy animations and sound (in German)! Here is the address of the company that makes it:

  Boeder Deutschland GmbH
  Postfach 1373
  D-65434 Flörsheim
  I am not quite sure about the price, but it is probably in the $30.00 area.

• Pam is asking if anyone knows all the mugs that belong to the series "The Smurfs Travel America".

  Thank you Danielle for providing us with the following list:

  Smurf loves Dixie(8112)

  Smurf America(8109)

  Smurfin' thru the USA(8105)

  I'm a rocky mountain smurf(8111)

  I'm a Florida sunshine smurf(8107)

  Chicago(8115)

  We smurf things big in Texas(unknown)

  San Francisco(8114)

  I love NY(8106)

  and California smurfin'(8108).

• My sister in law has a smurf hot air balloon multicolored with red bow on top. It is a wicker basket and has a papa smurf sea captain w/spy glass. Is this a real peyo item or is it put together by someone else?

  If you know this smurfy item and have more info on it, please share it with Astro!

• Another smurfy friend send the following question: I have read a couple of smurf books published by Random House, and there are numbers in some of the panels (it was in comic form) that suggested that they were originally in Sunday Newspapers. What is the scoop on this?

  Samuel had some input to this question. Thank you smurfingly much!

  "The Random house books were never published in Sunday newspapers. They are translated versions of the original "bandes dessinées" (hardcover comic books) from which the Smurfs originated. The little numbers are there because the strip was published serially in a cartoon magazine before being published in book form. I'm not sure which magazine they were originally published in but my guess is that it was in "Spirou" magazine."

  We also thank Jerome for his input in this matter: "All smurf stories, to my knowledge, where published in a weekly Belgian Comics magazine called "Journal de Spirou" (or "Spirou" for short). This magazine is affiliated with "Dupuis", the editor of the original smurf comic books. Dupuis used to publish his comics in the magazine a few months before releasing the albums. Peyo, the author, made some full features (long stories) published in many episodes, in Spirou. He also made some one-page stories, which were also published in Spirou. Hence the numbers you may have seen in American re-editions."

  Jerome will try to come up with a list of all the original Smurf comic books that were published here in Belgium. Note that Peyo's sons and collaborators keep making new albums even though Peyo himself died a few years ago. However, the new albums are published by another company, which is, "Le Lombard".

• I have 3 packages of 1988 WB vinal flocked, bendable smurfs - can't find them in any Smurf book that I have. They are all MOC condition. Any Ideas about there value and if there are other ones in that series?

  If you know anything else about those interesting smurfy items, smurf-mail Astro.

  ---

  Smurf Cartoon Questions:

• Jesse is looking for the titel of a smurf episode. There is a magic book involved (in a castle?) in the cellar. Later on the castle is on fire with gargamel in it, because gargamel used the magic book and misunderstood the question.

  Do you know which episode Jesse could be referring to?

• Brandon is asking: Who was the witch that was always hitting on gargamel? She may have had a pet too.

  The witch was Hogatha. Thank you for the answer, Virgy.

• James is asking: Who was Big Mouth's Girlfriend?

  It was Big Nose. There was one episode where Big Nose ditches Big Mouth because he has "no romance, no manners, and no future," and goes out with some ogre named Big Teeth. Then Vanity Smurf and Smurfette (and some others) teach Big Mouth to be more romantic and have better manners, so he wins Big Nose back. There was another episode where the Smurfs painted the sleeping Big Mouth's toenails as a joke, and when he wakes up he is mad, but then Big Nose sees the painted toenails and insists on having the Smurfs paint her toenails, too.

• Barb is asking: Besides Smurfette and Sassette was there a third female smurf Daisy Smurf, grandaughter of Papa Smurf? My daughter and a classmate say they remember Daisy always wearing a Daisy in her hair. Their teacher disagreed but could not come up with a name. This came up in home room for 8th grade.

  Do you remember Daisy Smurf? So far no-one does.

• Brian is asking:There were some enemies of the Smurfs that had bubble guns and they could capture the Smurfs in bubbles. Do you know what they were called?

  The enemies of the Smurfs who had the bubble guns were called Wart Mongers. Vanity had been the one who originally met them and they became quite a nuisance for the Smurfs. Thank you for your help, Virgy!

• Nicole is having a discussion with a friend. The friend said that "Mother Nature" went by another name other than "Mother Nature". Is that true, and if so what was the other name she went?

  Astro only knows Mother Nature and no other name. If you do know another name, please contact Astro!

• Julia is asking: "Was there ever an episode of the smurfs that had a little peagusus in it with blue wings and gold horse-shoes? I vaguely remember it and I think that Balfazar wanted to melt the peagusus's shoes into gold."

  Smurf Thanks to Elizabeth, who has an answer to this question: "There were 2 episodes with the little horse, the first was "The Little Orange Horse with the Gold Shoes," and the follow-up was, "Blue Eyes Returns." (The Pegasus' name was Blue Eyes.) Here's how the story went:

  Blue Eyes, the little Pegasus, lives in the land of myth, above the clouds. He receives his first pair of horseshoes from Zues, and they are made of gold which is supplied by Michael the Leprechan, who walks the rainbows. His mother says Blue Eyes can go to school now that he has shoes, but to be careful not to slide down the rainbow or he will end up on earth. Well, Blue Eyes' curiosity gets the better of him and he slides down the rainbow instead of going to school. He loses a gold shoe when he lands. Smurfette finds him, but she is the only one who can see him; therefore none of the other Smurfs (especially Brainy) believes her about Blue Eyes.

  Smurfette and Blue Eyes cannot find the shoe; so Smurfette goes back to the village to get help from Papa Smurf, leaving Blue Eyes to wait by the Great Oak where he landed. Papa Smurf tells Smurfette she is very special to be able to see a Pegasus; no one who dwells on earth can see mythical creatures. Meanwhile, Gargamel finds the gold shoe, and plans to buy himself a new pair of shoes, since his are so old and uncomfortable. Blue Eyes goes after Gargamel to get his golden horseshoe back, but the wizard canot see him. Smurfette returns to the Great Oak and Blue Eyes is gone, so the other Smurfs REALLY don't believe her then. Smurfette worries about where Blue Eyes has gone.

  Well, Balthazar pays a visit to Gargamel (his godchild) because he, Gargamel, had previously written to him to borrow 2 pennies for new shoes. Balthazar takes the horseshoe from Gargamel, and the two of them set a trap to catch the owner of the shoe (Balthazar correctly assumes the owner of the shoe would have to have 3 more shoes, and he is so greedy he wants to try to get them all).

  Blue Eyes then comes to the village in the night, and Smurfette is relieved that he is not lost. They go on another search for the shoe the next morning, after Smurfette gets a moonlight ride on Blue Eyes' back; they find the shoe but they end up in the trap. Of course, Gargamel and Balthazar can not see Blue Eyes; they think Smurfette only is in the trap, and that she must have the secret of the golden shoes. They are taken to Balthazar's castle and held in a cage. In the end, they escape while Gargamel and Balthazar are napping; Smurfette makes a great deal of noise about her shoes hurting, and Gargamel wakes up and opens the door of the cage to make her be quiet. They take the opportunity and fly out of the cage, and retrieve the shoe from where it lies on the table next to the sleeping Balthazar (Gargamel could not figure out how Smurfette was flying, and he had a hard time not explaining it to Balthazar!). Blue Eyes makes it back home to the Land of Myth along with Smurfette. Blue Eyes' mother returns Smurfette to earth (after severely scolding Blue Eyes), and wants to give her a gift for saving her son. Smurfette asks to see Blue Eyes again, so his mother says she can see him 3 more times using this magic spell: "Whenever you need a friend true blue, think of golden mane, and friendship true; then say, 'Blue Eyes, Blue Eyes, I need you!' " Smurfette uses these words in the follow-up episode, "Blue Eyes Returns," because Gargamel has caused a huge flood in an attempt at stopping a draught. Blue Eyes returns and saves the day by disabling the magic cloud Gargamel created and stopping the rain."

• Melissa has a very nice question: What did Smurfettes blue rose symbolize?

  Vic has the answer: Smurfette's blue rose symbolized broken promises, or at the very least the need to break promises when they are absolutely necessary. In the episode Smurfette's Rose, Smurfette desired to see a blue rose so badly that she made a promise to Mother Nature that she would not cut the rose if Mother Nature made a blue rose. After Smurfette made the promise, a white rose turned blue and Smurfette turned white and started smelling like a rose! When insects attracted to the smell the rose really started to bother her, Smurfette had to make a choice of whether to cut the blue rose or not, which she eventually did.

• Nancy and Steve are asking: Was there ever a Happy Smurf?

  Vic, being our cartoon expert positively knows: No, there was never a Happy Smurf (as in a Smurf of that name!) in any episode of the cartoon show.

• Becky has a bid going on this one: I have a very specific question about the episode where they bring dreamy off to another place to make him think he's landed where the swoofs live. While the smurfs are walking they keep asking Papa Smurf a question and Papa Smurf replies "not much farther, my little smurflings." My question is: Do the smurfs ask "How much farther Papa Smurf?" or "Is it much farther Papa Smurf?" and most importantly, what does Papa Smurf say when he gets fed up with them when they ask it the last time? Is it "It's Far!", Or "yes it is"?

  Our smurf cartoon expert Vic was able to help: Papa Smurf's final answer was "YES, IT IS!!!" That gag appeared not only in The Astro Smurf, which is where she remembered it, but also in a dozen or so other episodes.

• Nate is asking if anyone has an image of the original blackhaired Smurfette created by Gargamel?

  Here it is for all to enjoy. Thank you to Kendra.

  

• Aron would like to know: I remember a Smurf episode in which Poet Smurf is captured by some kind of creature. Poet was introduced to the King's daughter in hopes that she would cry from one of her poems. Do you know what this poem was?

  The episode is "Poet's Writer's Block." He goes into the forest to get inspiration and get rid of his writer's block, and unwittingly ends up in the Wily Beast Kingdom. The Wily Beasts are wildebeast or buffalo-like creatures. The take Poet to the King, who has a daughter. The daughter has been placed under an evil spell so that she can not have any feelings. The King has been searching to find someone who can make her cry and break the spell. Poet is put to work, but because of his writer's block, he can't come up with a poem, so the King sends him to the wolves. As a final goodbye, Poet writes a Farewell Poem to his friends and gives it to the Wily Beast guard to leave in the forest for the other Smurfs to find. The guard is so moved by the poem that he gives it to the King, who reads it to his daughter, and she cries. Then she is free from the spell and Poet is free to go home.

• Dan wants to know: What were the titles of the books written by Brainy Smurf?

  A dear friend of Astro, Elizabeth, contributed the following: "The most important ones were "Quotations from Brainy Smurf" in an unspecified number of volumes. Brainy loves to quote from these volumes. He wrote various other books, like one from the episodes "Brainy Smurf, Friend to All the Animals," and "Put-Upon Puppy". In the Episode: "Smurfing for Gold." Brainy's book refers to the beginning as the Smurfs are picking Smurfberries: "The Brainy Smurf Method of Smurfberry Picking." There is also "Brainy's Bedtime Stories" from the episode "Farmer's Genii", and "Around the Forest with Brainy Smurf" from the episode "The Answer Smurf."

• Vic is asking: What was the exact line Papa Smurf used in "The Smurfette" to transform Smurfette into a real Smurf? I know the second half goes "You are Smurfette, and before me stand", but how does the rest go?

  We will all try to find out for Vic, won't we?!

• Sarah is asking to help her solve this one: I keep having a reocurring dream about a smurf mirror. The mirror has a gold frame about 2'' thick and is about as long as the average persons arm-span. In the (looking at it) lower left hand corner is a smurf. I can't remember is he just standing there or if he is fishing but he is beside some sea grass ( you know the long, yellowish kind) and there might be some blue around that (the sky).

  Virgy send a response to this question: Well in the Smurf world...mirrors are for reflecting in but also they can be kind of a 'transporter' to other realms...not all of them good. They can be used to 'trap' a person in when one is looking for a dream soooo hard that they loose touch with the love and people in their lives. The mirror you are describing reminds me of the one that Vanity had found in the forest that the trolls had used to make and it reflected the smurfs fondest dream when they would look into it...but then when they got focused into it...it zooped them into the troll underground, where they were slaves. Vanity ALWAYs used to carry a mirror around to gaze at himself in. Gargamel even one time had a mirror that he tried to trick the smurfs into going into..into a magical realm that was creepy and that would hold them until he could get his hands on them. He ended up getting stuck himself of course..lol. As far as the real dream goes...pay attention to HOW you feel when you see it and what it might be reflecting as far as your own feelings go. :)

• Maria is asking: What was the chant Gargamel used to summon the Great Book of Spells?

  Vic knows the answer to this one: "Oh, Great Book of Spells, upon whose pages dwell the secrets no one tells, awake for Gargamel!"

• Peter is asking: What was the name of Peewee's Goat in the TV series?

  Alan knows the answer: The goats name is Piquet. (Pick-Ette).

• We desperately need Gargamel's Formula for Turning Smurfs into Gold!

  Here is Ryan's smurfy input: "Other than six smurfs, I don't think the other ingredients were ever mentioned, but there is a story behind it. The gold formula story goes back to Gargamel. When Gargamel was young, he saw a smurf, and it was his insisting on the existence of smurfs that got him expelled from the wizard's guild. Gargamel came across an old spell that would transform lead bars into gold. The recipe called for six smurfs. Gargamel then vowed to get revenge on the guild by becoming rich, performing a spell they said was impossible, and ultimately proving that he wasn't a crackpot. Gargamel's plan was to use six smurfs and eat the rest. Incidently, later on in the series the gold formula was rarely mentioned, and Gargamel's only motivation was to eat them.

• Did the Smurfs ever worship a being named "Beelzebub"?

  Elizabeth suggests the following response: The question about Beelzebub might have resulted from confusion of Beelzebub with Balthazar. Balthazar is Gargamel's godfather, and he lives in a huge castle with a dragon in the moat. He is fat and greedy and makes Gargamel's life miserable. He is definitely an enemy of the Smurfs.

• Does anyone remember that the smurfs used to collect sarsaparilla plants?

  Again, our friend Alan knows: Smurfs originally ate Sarsaparilla, before their TV appearance, in the French/Belgium comic books.

• Beth is asking if anyone knows where the dog in the smurf cartoon comes from. Does anybody know more about the dog, that is also available as a figurine?

  We thank our friend Vic for his assistance in this matter:

  According to the cartoon series, the Smurfs' dog called Puppy was originally owned by Homnibus, the human wizard commonly seen in the Johan and Peewit adventures. It was a thousand-year-old puppy that had a magic locket that only one person could open -- that person being Baby Smurf. Anyone else that tried to open the locket would get a slight electrical zap. Puppy was given to the Smurfs by Homnibus as a gift. (Puppy apparently was called Homni-One, since that was inscribed on the magic locket.) We also thank Maria for her input in this matter!

• What is the smurf episode with the magic needle about?

  This is actually one question that Astro asked Mandy, a smurfy friend. Astro likes the story. So here it is: "In the magic needle episode, a large magic needle was created to help Tailor with his sewing (it always said "sew sew sew" in a sing songy voice). It turned out to be inferior to Tailor's sewing and so Brainy tried to make it disappear but instead accidently turned it into an evil needle that said in a scratchy voice "needle needle needle". It went around sewing all the smurf's feet to the ground until Papa Smurf came back and got rid of it."

  Thank you for sharing that smurfy story with us, Mandy.

• Where do the smurfs come from?

  Smurfette send Astro the following e-mail with her answer: "I have a tape, "Smurfing Sing Song", © 1980 I do believe. The following is from the first song on the tape:

  " Once there was a kind musician, he could do the greatest tricks, and sing his happy songs for days on end.

  But he was a little lonely, tired of being the one and only, so he thought he'd make some little friends.

  He waved his wand up in the air and all at once they were all there, a crowd of little men all white and blue.

  They said "we need a place to live", so with a smile he said "I'll give you somewhere you can live your whole life through."

  Thank you Smurfette.

• Was Gargamel's cat Azrael a boy cat or a girl cat?

  Many thanks to all the smurfy friends that helped to answer this question:

  Aron: Azrael is actually a girl cat. I found this out after watching an early episode where Azrael falls in love with a stray tomcat. The tomcat looked male enough to me so I'm assuming that this fact is correct.

  Carrie: In one of the cartoons that I remember, Gargamel referred to Azrael as a "good girl". So, I am assuming that she was a she..

  Samuel: Perhaps some of the cartoon show creators thought of Azrael as a female cat and made him one in the TV series. But in the original French books (all of which I have and have read repeatedly), Azrael is frequently referred to as an "il" (that's "he" in French). There is no way I am wrong about this one.

  Alan: Azrael is definitely a boy: As Gargamel says, in 1 Cartoon I have "Stupid boy" and, in a German Smurf magazine I have, there is a page on kittens, where Azrael is with a girl cat with Kittens sucking HER teats, and playing with Azrael.

• Why can Gargamel not see or find the Smurf village on his own?

  Jeremy gave us an answer: "The reason that Gargamel couldn't see the smurfs' village was because there was a magic spell on it. I remember one episode where the magic wore off, and Gargamel stumbled upon it. Then for some reason I can't remember, he left (I think he caught some and was coming back for more) and by the time he got back, the spell was back on and he couldn't find it. The whole episode was about the smurfs trying to get magic ingredients so Papa could put the spell back on."

  Also Alan has an explanation for Gargamel's difficulties: Gargamel cannot find the Smurf village because you need to be lead by a Smurf. I have several Peyo referances of this, 2 in English Smurf annuals, 1 in a Smurf film and 1 in a German comic book.

  Thank you to Jeremy and Alan for their input!

• Evan would like to know: "What was the name of the evil witch who was kind of fat, bald, wore a red-haired wig, had a huge wart on her nose, and sometimes was in cahoots with Gargamel?"

  Astro has been thinking about this for a while and then it came to him. Her name was Hogatha.

• Matty needs to know two things: What was the name of the human King that was in several episodes and, what colour was Vanity Smurf's mirror in the cartoon?

  Many of you have send me answers to the above questions. The Kings name was Gerard. Gerard was a prince whose cousin tried to kill him to get her hands on the kingdom. Gerard was brought to the smurf village and the smurfs then helped the prince to become king.

  Elizabeth has the following input: "According to the cartoon episodes I have seen. King Gerard is the king who began as a prince (your site has that info already), and Clockwork Smurf is his advisor. He always wears blue. There is another human king who does not have a name, and he has a white beard, is bald, wears a red robe and has a gold crown. Johann and Pewit live in his castle and call him simply "Sire." Also in the castle with the bearded human king, Johann and Pewit are Princess Sabina and Dame Barbara. Dame Barbara is Sabina's governess and always tells her what a "proper princess" should be doing."

  And Sabrina tells us that Vanity Smurf's mirror in the cartoon was brown.

• Monique is asking: "I seem to remember an ogre in a few episodes of the smurfs. He was big and dumb, but friendly, I think. What was his name?"

  Tina knows his name! It is Big Mouth. He has been in a few cartoons and was as a matter of fact big and dumb. The reason he's called Big Mouth is because he likes to eat a lot. He was friendly and did help the smurfs. Thank you for your help, Tina!

• One of our collector friends send me the following message: "I have a distinct recollection of a man by the name of "Hungubus". Was he on the Smurfs, or am I hallucinating?"

  Astro says thanks a bunch to one of the visitors to the club that send e-mail with the following answer:

  "There was no "Hungubus" on the Smurfs. However, there was an enchanter "Homnibus". He was a good wizard that Papa Smurf would visit to play chess with."

  This information has also been confirmed by Alan, Astro's friend from "Smurfing Times".

• Nick needs a piece of smurf trivia; Did the smurfs have anything to do with truffles? Were they ever part of the show at all, in any way? If the smurfs didn't deal with truffles do you have any idea which Saturday morning cartoon characters did?

  We got an answer from Dr. Brainy. There was only one episode with truffles. The Smurfs were caught digging up truffles and land that was owned by "truffle trolls". These truffle trolls took the smurfs to their Norad (hollow mountain), stuck the smurfs on a small island in the middle of a lake, which was in the middle of their mountain, to be devoured by some lake monster. The Smurfs discovered that the monster liked truffles and were able to escape. Thanks a bunch for this input, Richard!

• Frederic would like to find out why Angry smurf, the black smurf, is angry and black?

  It took a little while, but three smurfy friends have looked into this matter and the answer is the following:

  The black smurf was in the first smurfs' book, published by "Dupuis" in Belgium. The title in French was "Le Schtroumpf Noir" which means "The Black Smurf". Here is the story: The smurfs were, once again, fixing their bridge in the forest. Lazy Smurf was hidden somewhere, sleeping. A strange fly came and stung his tail. He became black and wild, jumping around, yelling "Gnap, gnap" and biting the other smurf's tails.The smurfs who were bitten also turned black and ran away into the woods.They attacked the village once in a while. The blue smurfs, concerned that they would all turn black, caught the fly and a black smurf and studied them. Papa smurf found that they could be helped by the pollen of some flower. They collected a lot of it and protected themselves by blowing it on the black smurfs when they attacked. During the ultimate confrontation, a black smurf went to Papa smurf's lab (where the pollen stock was) and fought with Papa smurf. A candle fell on the ground and started a fire. Finally, he bit Papa smurf, who was the last blue smurf. They all gathered in the village, but suddently the lab exploded, blowing all the pollen in the air. The pollen fell down on the black smurfs and saved them all!

  Many smurfy thanks to Jerome, Mattias and Thorfinn, who all have contributed to find the answer to this question!

• James states: I have never seen Astro Smurf in any of the cartoons on TV.

  Here is Dr. Brainy's answer:

  "There is a cartoon episode "Astro Smurf" where Dreamy wonders if there are Smurfs up in the stars. The story is pretty much like it is in the smurf books. In the only ohter episode with "Astro Smurf," it starts off with Clumsy talking to Dreamy as he sends a letter to the Swoofs via a smurfberry bird. Brainy knows, this is impossible (since the Smurfs were the SWOOFS), so he follows the smurfberry bird through thorn patches and other obstacles until he sees the bird delivering the message to Papa Smurf. Papa shows Brainy his cabinet full of letters that he has been answering ever since dreamy "visited the planet swoof". Then dreamy gets the idea of going to visit the swoofs again. The Smurfs get reallly lazy this time, and instead of drugging dreamy and taking him to a volcano, they set up backdrops to change the Smurfs Village into a knock-off of their original Swoof village. The sherade falls apart when the Swoof spell wears off (thanks to Brainy). The story ends however with a UFO landing in the village with a green alien in it. Dreamy asks the alien "Are you a swoof?". The alien responds, "no, I'm a SWEEF, you spelled my name wrong!" (holding one of dreamy's letters)."

  What can I say? A very smurfy thank you to Dr. Brainy for the detailed summary of the smurfy story!

• Blake and Eric asked: What is the name of Gargamels little helpers name?

  His name is Scruple. He is also available as a figurine.

• Eric would like to know if Jungle was in any of the Smurf Episodes.

  And our friend Stephanie had the answer: "The story comes from the book "The Astrosmurf" or in french "Le cosmoschtroumpf" published by Dupuis and Random House.

  Everything started when the Astro Smurf wanted to go on another planet. So he decided to construct a rocket (You know the red one!!!). Unfortunately his rocket didn't work and he was really sad and discouraged. When Papa Smurf saw Astro like that he knew that he had to intervene. Papa Smurf went to his lab and discovered a secret potion that will help to make a dream come true.

  The purpose of the potion was to change the appearance of all the Smurfs (except Astro of course) into what we call the "Jungle Smurf".

  The next morning, Papa Smurf went to the home of Astro and told him that the rocket has been fixed by one of the Smurfs. Just before Astro climbed into his rocket, Papa Smurf gave him a glass of raspberry juice to help him during his long travel (in fact, the potion put Astro asleep).

  While he was sleeping all the other Smurfs moved the rocket to a place in a cavern and drank the magic potion that transformed them into a "Schlips". So when Astro woke up he thought that he was on another planet.

  This is how the Jungle Smurf was born, of course there's a lot to tell before Astro's return... But that's another story!"

  Stephanie, a very smurfy thank-you is going out to you for the nice job in telling the story!

• Chris asks: What was the comment the Brainy Smurf said each time he was being literally kicked out of the smurf village?

  Mark answered this one for us: Brainy always says: "Like I always say...." and then halfway finishes whatever phrase he would find applicable to the situation.

• And here is another question: What are the names of all the baby smurfs?

  Since it is now proven that Baby Smurf never had a name, Astro has decided to let you decide on a name for Baby Smurf. Please visit the Smurf event of the month! Your suggestions are being collected!

• If smurfs are 3 apples high and mushrooms 10 apples high, why can't gargamel see them?

  Wanna help finding the answer to this question? Looking forward to your smurf-mail!

---