Nat Smurfling (short for Natural, his original French name Schtroumpf Nature) is one of the main characters of the 1980s Smurfs cartoon show, who appeared on the show on Seasons 3 and 4 as an adult Smurf, and then from Seasons 5 to 8 as a Smurfling, and a minor character of the Smurfs comics.
Character
He is a lover of all creatures who's not afraid to put himself at risk to save animals that other Smurfs may consider too dangerous, including Gargamel's pet cat Azrael. He is one of the Smurfs responsible for the creation of Sassette. In his Smurfling form, he is identified by a "country bumpkin" type Smurf hat and a pair of brown ragged pants held up by a single suspender around his left shoulder.
As a Smurfling, his main catchphrase in the 1980s cartoon show is calling any one of his friends a "hickory nut".
Personality
Nat loves nature to the fullest. He is the only Smurfling willing to walk long miles through a forest, just so that he could view the scenery. It's possible he might be a reference to the animal-lover kids who like exploring forests and other environmental places.
Nat is also the nicest of the Smurflings, as he cared about Sassette's feelings when Snappy yelled at her during her debut episode. He has shown concern for many things and doesn't like his animal friends to get hurt.
Back when he was an adult, Nat seemed to have acquired wisdom on animals the other Smurfs did not have for themselves. This is most notably shown in the beginning of "A Pet For Baby Smurf", where he addresses that Azrael is 'neither mean nor nasty', claiming 'a cat is a cat', which Papa Smurf agrees with and the others repeat back to him in a moment of realization.
Nat also has a way with communicating with animals no other Smurf possesses. It was seen in "Never Smurf Off 'Til Tomorrow" that just as three hungry sharks were about to eat the Smurfs, Nat (back when he was a full-grown Smurf) told them 'Blue foods gives sharks indigestion.'. They left the Smurfs alone just like that!
Although he can communicate with most animals, he reveals in the episode "Kow-Tow, We Won't Bow" that he has difficulty communicating with snakes, frogs, and crocodiles.
Relationships
Nat gets irritated with Snappy easily, often yelling at him if he does something bad. Nat also has a steady relationship with Sassette and Slouchy.
Nat also develops a good brother-like bond with Brainy, who attempted to be friends with all animals like Nat was before his de-aging.
Appearances
See Natural Smurfling/Appearances.
Trivia
- He and Slouchy were the two Smurflings who didn't go back in time with the Smurfs.
- He plays an instrument that looks like a guitar.
- With Snappy, Nat was one of the only two Smurflings who had more than one appearance as an adult Smurf.
- Out of all the Smurflings, Nat and Slouchy do not share many interactions with each other. They (along with Nat and Snappy) also have not shared an episode with just the two of them together.
- His hat as a Smurfling is a straw hat very similar to that of Farmer in the comic books, movies, and 2021 TV series.
- "All Creatures Great And Smurf" is the only Season 3 episode he appears in.
- Nat and Slouchy are the only main Smurfs to not have their names in the title of an episode.