"A Float Full Of Smurfs" is a Season 4 episode of the 1980s Smurfs cartoon show.
Characters
- Gargamel
- Azrael
- Clumsy Smurf
- Tailor Smurf
- Papa Smurf
- Natural Smurf
- Smurfette
- Hefty Smurf
- Grouchy Smurf
- Handy Smurf
- Baby Smurf
- Farmer Smurf
- Vanity Smurf
- Brainy Smurf
- Painter Smurf
- Wolfs
- Rabbit family
- Harmony Smurf (Does not speak)
- Lazy Smurf (Not seen; heard)
- Unnamed Smurfs
Synopsis
Gargamel and Azrael disguise themselves as rabbits in order to be chosen for pulling the float on the Smurfs' autumn festival parade.
Plot Summary
A group of Smurfs is seen working on what appears to be a parade float in the shape of a cornucopia. Papa Smurf comes by with Baby Smurf to inspect the work, saying that this will be the biggest float in the history of their Autumn Carnival. Smurfette says that she hopes that they will find a bunny big enough to pull the float in the parade. Farmer brings forth a cart full of smurfberries that he has harvested, saying that this year's crop "will be a real bumper." Suddenly Clumsy comes along, excitedly saying that Nat has said that he would let Clumsy help him find a big bunny to pull the parade float, and gets Papa Smurf's permission to help Nat, saying that Nat is the chairman of the bunny selection committee. Clumsy is so excited to get the permission that he accidentally knocks over Grouchy as he is carrying a bunch of leaves in a basket. Grouchy pulls the basket off his head, saying "I hate leaves!".
Meanwhile, in Gargamel's castle, Gargamel tells his cat Azrael that according to his Almanac of 101 Nauseating Days of the Year, the following day would be the worst of them all, the Smurf Autumn Carnival -- which Azrael sticks his tongue out in disgust of hearing it. Gargamel reads from the almanac that it's tradition for the Smurfs to go out into the forest to find a big bunny that would pull their parade float that would contain the cargo of six Smurfs. While that disgusts Gargamel at first, he then realizes that six Smurfs is enough for him to make gold, and so tells his cat that he has a brilliant idea as he closes up the almanac.
Back in the village, Tailor is having problems with his fellow Smurfs complaining about the costumes he was creating for them -- particularly Vanity with his peacock costume, and Smurfette with her butterfly costume, and Hefty with his bear costume, and Grouchy with his frog costume. Tailor is so flustered that he tells his customers to stop complaining or else he'll scream. Unfortunately, Smurfette starts complaining again, and Tailor is heard screaming from outside his own shop.
Speaking of costumes, Gargamel is seen behind a curtain in his castle, changing out of his wizard's robe into something else as his cat Azrael patiently watches from the other side. Then the evil wizard pulls the curtain away, revealing himself to be wearing a bunny costume, saying that he will be the biggest bunny in the forest. Azrael rolls around on the floor laughing at his master until he is picked up and then changed into a bunny costume himself, which makes the cat upset until Gargamel tells him either he will act like a bunny, or he will be put into a stew.
Meanwhile, Nat and Clumsy are out in the forest together looking for bunnies, with Clumsy not looking where he's going until he falls down a hole and finds himself among a family of bunnies hiding out underground. Nat jumps down into the hole to meet the family of rabbits himself. Nat says that the mother bunny isn't big enough to pull the float, but she and her family are more than welcome to watch the parade.
As Gargamel and Azrael hop out into the forest with their bunny costumes, Tailor is so busy dealing with the complaints of his fellow Smurfs with their costumes that he ends up telling them he quits and that they can make their own costumes. Out in the forest, Nat and Clumsy both split up in their search for bunnies, with Clumsy looking all over hither and yon until he comes across Gargamel and Azrael in their bunny costumes, apparently mistaking the two for actual bunnies. Clumsy asks Gargamel if he could pull the Smurfs' parade float the following day, and Gargamel says he would be honored, it would be "a golden opportunity". Clumsy then says that the parade starts at the edge of the smurfberry patch when the sun comes up (the latter part Clumsy has difficulty saying until Gargamel prompts him along), and Gargamel says he'll be there. After Clumsy heads back to the village to tell the other Smurfs about his fortune of finding a big bunny that talks, Gargamel says to Azrael that his plan is working, and the two hop off together with the evil wizard singing his song of what he'll do to the Smurfs.
Back in the village, several of Tailor's customers bring their complaints about Tailor to Papa Smurf, who then says that costumes aren't what's important, but "a smurfy autumn holiday" is. He tells his little Smurfs that he will talk to Tailor, but he also tells them that they owe him an apology. As Papa Smurf visits Tailor in his shop to have a talk with him, Clumsy bursts in through the door to tell Papa Smurf the news that he has found their big bunny. This is soon joined by Tailor's customers bursting through the door to apologize to Tailor for how they were treating him. Tailor accepts the apology and also apologizes himself for how he acted toward his customers, saying that there's still time to fix up the costumes. This makes his customers a bit happier, and soon the Smurfs are passing by the mirror, looking at how their costumes have turned out after a bit of fixing up, with Vanity forcibly giving his costume a positive review after Hefty gave him a dirty look. Papa Smurf then goes to give the parade float another look after Handy and the Smurfs put the finishing touches to it, and then tells his little Smurfs to rest up for the following day, saying that nothing will go wrong.
The following day, as the Smurfs gather together in the forest waiting for the big bunny to come along and pull their parade float, he shows up right on schedule hopping along, although he has now come alone, with the other bunny hidden out of sight. The Smurfs are amazed to see how big the bunny is that Clumsy has chosen, and after he is harnessed to the float, Smurfette sees that there is something very familiar about the bunny. Soon the bunny runs off with the parade float and the six Smurfs on board, realizing that the bunny is actually Gargamel when he laughs an evil laugh. The other bunny, who turns out to be Azrael, joins them as he jumps down from the tree and chases after the float.
Nat, who is standing beside Papa Smurf watching the parade float being pulled away by Gargamel, is astounded by the behavior of the bunny when Papa Smurf says that it's no bunny, that it's actually Gargamel. Papa Smurf then has Nat call upon the help of his forest friends while Papa Smurf goes after the float himself. Soon, as Gargamel continues to pull the float full of Smurfs with Azrael following them, they do not realize that they themselves are being chased after by a pack of wolves until they get close enough to the evil duo to make Azrael jump to the safety of a tree branch, and Gargamel ends up jettisoning the float to save his own skin. As the float rolls downhill until it hits a rock and causes the Smurfs to be catapulted into the river, Gargamel finds himself struggling to get into the door of his castle with the wolves ready to pounce on him. Nat, who was with Papa Smurf and one of the wolves hidden out of sight, tells Papa Smurf that he can't stand to see those poor creatures being tortured. Papa Smurf agrees and has the wolves back away from Gargamel, telling Nat that they have a parade to put on.
Back in the village, the autumn parade goes on as scheduled, with Clumsy standing beside Papa Smurf among the crowd of watchers, apologizing for what he has done and that he didn't do a good job on the bunny committee. Papa Smurf says that Clumsy, on the contrary, has done an excellent job, as he points out to the parade float now being pulled by the mother rabbit with her brood of little bunnies in tow beside her. The Smurfs shout in praise, "Happy Carnival!" to which Grouchy responds, "I hate 'Happy Carnival'!".
Meanwhile, in Gargamel's castle, the evil wizard is relaxing in bed with a wet cloth on his forehead, saying that he's going to stay in bed during the Autumn Carnival, and that if he never sees a bunny costume again, it would be too soon. At that point, Azrael shows up through the window still wearing his bunny costume, at which Gargamel scolds his cat and throws his wet cloth at him, telling Azrael to take off the stupid costume before he lies down again.
Trivia
- The flag Clumsy made in "The Smurfic Games" can be seen on the float.
Goofs
- When the Smurfs are saying "You quit?", Baby appears to be saying this with them, despite not being able to say words yet.
- When Handy says "Oh, the bunny's running away!" when Gargamel runs in his bunny costume, Vanity can be heard instead of Handy.
- If one looks closely, the scene with the Smurfs in the background watching the parade float is repeated, likely causing more than 100 Smurfs to appear.