"Fake News" is the thirty-second episode of Season 1 of the CGI TV series, The Smurfs.
Characters[]
- Jokey Smurf
- Poet Smurf
- Reporter Smurf
- Brainy Smurf
- Fake Stone Giant (Set up by Reporter)
- Farmer Smurf
- Grouchy Smurf
- Racing Snail
- Smurfette
- Vanity Smurf
- Sculptor Smurf
- Chef Smurf
- Greedy Smurf
- Scaredy Smurf
- Papa Smurf
- Lazy Smurf (Does not speak)
- Baby Smurf (Does not speak)
- Handy Smurf (Does not speak)
- Hefty Smurf (Does not speak)
- Clumsy Smurf (Does not speak)
- Painter Smurf (Mentioned only)
- Gargamel (Mentioned only)
- Ogre (Mentioned only)
- Unnamed Smurfs
Synopsis[]
Reporter and his employees Poet and Jokey are not selling enough because there is no news in Smurf Village. Jokey tricks Poet to write a fake news about a stone giant threatening the village, causing panic.
Summary[]
It is an ordinary day in Smurf Village, where Reporter unsuccessfully tries to sell his newspapers. He finds a Smurf who is interested, but his interest fades when he sees it's only about Papa Smurf on vacation. Meanwhile, Poet and Jokey are also experiencing similar problems: Farmer uses it to feed his snail and a Smurf uses it to wipe with in the outhouse. Vanity wants one, but only to clean his mirror. Reporter is disappointed as he thought the "revamped edition" would work. Reporter tells them that this is sadly the final edition.
Poet and Jokey contemplate, wondering how they could get Smurfs to read when nothing is ever new in the village. Jokey thinks they should write a fake story; something big and something that sells. Poet points out this is fake news and Reporter will catch on. Jokey doesn't listen and thinks of a story about a giant who only wakes up after sunset to eat Smurfs. Poet protests to this idea and tells Jokey not to write it. Jokey lies to him and says yes. Poet believes him and walks off, unknowing that Jokey crossed his fingers.
At the evening, Jokey sells his brand-new fake papers to the Smurfs. As they get them one by one, Brainy cuts in front of all of them and starts gloating about how he is the "right-hand" Smurf - which ends up getting him a boot to the sky. As he reads it, he notices the stone giant story before falling back into the village well.
As Jokey sells the last paper, a furious Poet arrives and is mad at him for putting his name on it. Jokey explains to Poet that if he only put his name on it, they would think it's another one of his jokes. Poet angrily says it is and that he is going to tell Reporter until Smurfette greets him and says she loves his rhymes. As she walks away, Poet is lovestruck and ends up agreeing with Jokey. Suddenly, Reporter orders the two Smurfs in his office.
Reporter yells at Poet and Jokey for making an article without asking him first. Jokey responds by saying they just thought the story couldn't wait. Reporter glares at them and asks who their sources, so Poet says they're "confidential". Reporter demands the sources now, so Jokey says they could show him tomorrow. Reporter agrees to this. Poet and Jokey leave his house, with Poet saying they should stop, but Jokey instead says he has an idea.
At night, Jokey and Poet venture into the Smurf Forest. Reporter spies on them to see if they are making this up. Poet worries about this plan, but Jokey says it's too late now and they have to prove this story to Reporter, who is watching nearby and hears this. He leaves as they keep digging.
In the morning, Jokey and Poet take Reporter out to the forest to assure him that he's never seen anything like this in his life. Brainy shows up and says he should come with them. Jokey insists he can go first. The four Smurfs walk to the hole, which Brainy falls at. Reporter realizes this is a real stone giant and the one from the paper. He decides to get a closer look as Jokey tries to say the giant only came by once and that they should go home. Brainy begins to panic, especially since Reporter says the giant eats the smartest first. Reporter tells Jokey his sources were right and that he's headed straight for the village. Poet and Jokey try to cover the lie up, but Brainy and Reporter go back to the village to warn the others. Poet is worried about how this will all turn out, but as the two other Smurfs are heading back to the village, Reporter tells Brainy about the fake news. Jokey and Poet run back to the village.
When they arrive at the village, Smurfs panic and scream about the news of the giant, even Grouchy, who says he doesn't like panicking. Poet tries to tell everyone that this is fake, the Smurfs do not believe him, saying that if it's in the news, it has to be true. Brainy, on his smurfway, tells the panicking Smurfs that they need to hide into the forest.
Deserted in the village, Poet and Jokey look around and Poet says what they did was not right. Jokey, meanwhile, says all the joking has made him hungry. He grabs a cream puff off the table and says once the Smurfs realize there's no giant, they'll come back. Poet is frightened by the empty town and Jokey agrees with him. Just then, they hear the giant and Scaredy runs inside of Handy's workshop, fearing. Jokey believes Scaredy is just being scared, but Scaredy says it's the stone giant coming. They hear the giant again and Jokey says it's time to stand up and fight... and by fight, he sends Poet out to fight it. When they hear the noise again, they scream and run inside the workshop with Scaredy.
Scaredy says they cannot all stay at the same location and runs out. He is taken by the giant and once they see a rock fall down, they scream and hide in the village well. The stone giant follows all the way into their location. As the two see their impending doom, Reporter takes a look at them and laughs, and it turns out Scaredy is alive. Jokey realizes and they come up from the village well to see every Smurf intact. They notice they made all of this up, including Scaredy. Reporter says to them this is always how fake news gets them into trouble. The Smurfs reveal how they pulled this off (97 Smurfs totals to a very big noise, Handy and Hefty made the banging noises). Reporter tells them that it's always important to print news that's fit to print. He shows them a copy of tomorrow's edition, which is fine with Jokey and Poet as long as it helps sell the news. Just then, Papa Smurf arrives on the scene, panicking and telling everyone to hide in the forest. Instead, everyone laughs, much to Papa Smurf's confusion.
Trivia[]
- Reporter claims that "97 Smurfs can make a lot of noise", which means adding Jokey and Poet includes 99 and Reporter or Scaredy would count as 100. This is one of the many episodes that pokes fun at 100 Smurfs.
- Sculptor Smurf makes his debut in this series. He is unnamed, however, and his voice is similar to an unnamed Smurf who has the same voice.
- Harmony does not appear in this episode, but his horn is one of the things seen on the ground of scattered items.
- This is one of the few times where Poet does not rhyme.