- For other uses, see Smurfette (disambiguation)
Smurfette (original French name Schtroumpfette) is one of the main characters of the Smurfs comic book series and cartoon show.
Character
She was the only female Smurf who appeared on the show until Season 5, when she was joined by a young female Smurfling named Sassette, and then later in Season 8 when she was joined by an elderly female Smurf named Nanny. She's basically everyone's favorite Smurf in the village.
Role in the Village
Smurfette's role in the village is that of any other smurf; chores, and helping out where she can, but for her specifically, she is often seen to be very active in organizing events and other spectacles (such as organizing and planning Laconia's entire wedding) and is usually one of the first to volunteer to take on risky, adventureous tasks/expeditions. Though Grouchy Smurf or Papa Smurf are seen doing this most, she will also occasionally look after Baby Smurf.
Origin
Smurfette was created by Gargamel, which explains her original position as the only female Smurf in the village.
Gargamel created her to infiltrate the Smurf Village and create discourse amongst the other smurfs so they would destroy themselves. He released Smurfette into the forest, where she was found by Hefty Smurf and taken to the village.
Becoming a Real Smurf
On order from Gargamel, Smurfette began as a troublemaker the moment she arrived, provoking and/or causing many problems within the village. Most of these events were orchestrated, as she used a makeup compact kit that was in actuality a transponder. Smurfette used the makeup mirror to call Gargamel from inside her mushroom house, and he would instruct what kind of problem to cause in Smurf Village.
It wasn't until she nearly flooded the village that she was put on trial for her misdeeds. At this point the pressure and guilt got to her and she began to have second thoughts. She admitted to have been working for Gargamel, but repented and pleaded that she didnt want to be evil, so Papa Smurf agreed to transform her into a real smurf with a spell from one of his spellbooks.
When she returned, she was introduced as the Smurfette everyone knows; sporting blonde hair, heels, and a frilly dress. Though she wants to be a good person and fit in with the rest of the people in Smurf Village, she doesnt quite know how to adjust and be seen as normal; this is made worse when she recieves a final call from gargamel on her compact, who uses the fact that she was ( at this point in time, literally) 'born yesterday' to set up a trap for the smurfs. Telling her he wants to give a gift to the smurfs (knowing she clearly wants to be accepted by the others) he instructs Smurfette to tell all of the smurfs she has a surpise for them by the great oak, and traps all of the smurfs in a wooden box just before Smurfette arrives. When she does, she immediatly realizes the mistake shes made, and promptly dons a disguise after some thought; claiming she is 'the lone smurf', she runs Gargamel amock until defeating him. She then releases all of the captured smurfs, and is proclaimed a hero, forever earning her place in the village.
Personality
Smurfette is deeply caring, emotional, and resourceful. She loves herself and (most) everyone around her, leading her to be involved in almost everything that goes on. As observed on numerous occasions, Smurfette is clearly intelligent, cautious, and often will be the voice of reason in most situations; due to this, when put into a postion of leadership, she thrives. She is driven by the passion she has for her interests, the love she has for those around her, and her unwillingness to fail in general, constantly feeling the need to prove herself to those around her. However, despite these things she is also very susceptible to depression and the feeling of isolation. She hates when people try to step in or act over-protective when she's trying to defend herself, as she's a very independent person with strong opinions she enjoys expressing.
Smurfette loves her friends, animals, and nature; she could tell you the name of every flower in the forest and several facts about each one. She passionately enjoys fashion and beauty (something she often discusses with Vanity Smurf , whom can be surely considered her best friend) and tending to her thriving flower garden. She hates messes and functions best in neat, well-kept environments (such as her own house) and has a low, low tolerance for cruelty; she sticks up for the underdog at all times, and doesnt have time for people who put other people down.
Allegations of sexism
There have been many complaints over Smurfette's character. These complaints are mainly related to the fact that she was at one time the only female character in the series. Detractors of the character also state that she portrays women in a demeaning way.
The chapter/episode where she was introduced depicts Smurfette as not being a Smurf until Papa Smurf turns her into one. She is therefore treated very differently in the village until her change.
Another example of Smurfettes receiving different treatment than 'normal Smurfs' occurred when Nanny invited all the Smurfs to a picnic, but they claimed they were "too busy" to go, despite Papa Smurf having previously mentioned that Smurfs do everything for each other. This shows that the Smurfs had not accepted the Smurfettes as full Smurfs.
Before Papa Smurf changed Smurfette to a real Smurf, she had a very bad attitude, and was ignored by many of the Smurfs. After her transformation, she is seen as much nicer and more accepted. This may imply that beautiful, blonde women are nicer people and more likely to be accepted as full members of society.
La Grande Schtroumpfette
A new comic book, released in French on April 2, 2010, La Grande Schtroumpfette (translated as The Great Smurfette, Grand Schtroumpf being Papa Smurf's French name), however, depict her as tired of all the sexism she suffers of. To help her be respected among Smurfs, Papa Smurf leaves the village for a trip and gives Smurfette his authority in the meantime.
Definite article
There have been several instances where Smurfette has been referred to as "the Smurfette", more so in earlier episodes closer to her appearance. This could be interpreted as an instance of objectification of women, though it may simply refer to Smurfette being her classification (meaning 'female Smurf') as well as her name.
While this is a mere assumption on some parts, people have now referred to a situation where there is only one main female in a whole cast (or species) of males as "the Smurfette Principle".
Relationships
Smurfette has at various points been the main love interest for many of the Smurfs, excluding the Smurflings, Grandpa and Nanny.
She is closest to Papa , who she greatly admires and assists whenever she can, and Vanity who is her best friend and, occasionally, a friendly rival.
It can be assumed that she is good friends with Laconia; though Laconia did not have much screentime, she entrusted the planning and details of her entire wedding to Smurfette, and the two otherwise seem to have a very close relationship.
At times it was tough for her to live in an all-male village, but it became easier when Sassette came (they formed a sisterly relationship), and more so when they were joined by Nanny, who took on a motherly/grandmotherly role.
Smurfette has also been seen to get along with female human characters, like Andria, Brenda and Princess Savina among others.
Smurfette is also friends with Blue Eyes, a small golden flying horse who lives beyond the clouds.
In the live-action movie series
A Smurfette with no tail?
The Smurfs
In the 2011 Smurfs movie, Smurfette is one of the few Smurfs that travel through time to modern-day New York City through the portal that opened during the blue moon in the Smurf forest. Her origin in the movie is based on the cartoon show version of "The Smurfette" in her explanation to Grace Winslow. The movie makes a notable change in Smurfette's personality in that she seems to be able to defend herself, being a skilled Hand-to-Hand combatant, and even actively confronts Azrael by herself in order to rescue Papa Smurf, whereas the cartoon show normally depicts her as a damsel in distress who needs constant rescuing by her fellow Smurfs. During her stay in the modern-day world, she befriends Patrick Winslow's wife Grace, and finds herself enamored by the various types of doll-sized dresses she could wear when she helps the other Smurfs find a "stargazer" in the FAO Schwarz toy store.
In promotional shots where Smurfette is seen from behind, she noticeably doesn't have a tail appear from outside her dress, which seems to be emphasizing her origin as a Smurf created by Gargamel, though it could be that she is showing a ladylike aversion to having a tail appear outside of her clothing. On the other hand, it could simply be an error on the part of the character model developers, as Smurfette in most of her cartoon appearances has her tail hidden behind her long blond hair. (For those arguing over whether Smurfette has a tail or not, the cartoon show episode "The Purple Smurfs" has Smurfette also turned into a Purple Smurf through the same mode of transmission as any other Smurf. For the most part of the franchise, Smurfette's tail is shapely covered by her undergarments as a viewer can watch for a very brief moment in the opening titles of the cartoon series.)
The Smurfs: A Christmas Carol
In the animated feature The Smurfs: A Christmas Carol, Smurfette appears as the Smurf of Christmas Past, who shows Grouchy Smurf how happy he used to be when it came to Christmas, in the hopes that he would be able to regain the Christmas part he had lost when his hopes of getting a hang glider for Christmas were dashed by the fact that the only present he ever got every year was a Smurf hat.
Smurfette evil again!?!?
The Smurfs 2
In The Smurfs 2, it is revealed that Smurfette was originally grey with black hair before she was changed into a Smurf. During the events of the movie, Smurfette was encouraged by her captors, the Naughties, to give their master the secret formula that would turn Naughties into Smurfs, though she ultimately was forced to do so when Gargamel refused to feed them with Smurf essence. Also in the movie, Smurfette's hair became shorter because Gargamel cut off the bottom parts of it to make Smurf essence to use for his magic show.
The Smurfs: The Legend Of Smurfy Hollow
In the animated feature The Smurfs: The Legend Of Smurfy Hollow, Smurfette appears to help Gutsy rescue Brainy from a trap set up by Gargamel in Smurfy Hollow before dark, which is when the legends say the Headless Horseman comes to chase after those who are still in the hollow.
Smurfs: The Lost Village
Smurfette is a lead character in Smurfs: The Lost Village, which recounts her origin as a creation of Gargamel's but introduces the conflict that-unlike her neighbors in Smurf Village-she doesn't know what her unique trait is. After a series of failed attempts to find it by working with the other Smurfs, she visits Brainy just as he is testing his new Smurfy Thing Finder on Hefty. She then asks him to try it on her, only for it to be burnt out by inexplicable energy; Brainy quickly attributes this to Smurfette not being "a real Smurf." To cheer her up, Hefty-who has an obvious crush on her throughout the film-suggests that they go Smurfboarding, during which Smurfette comes face to face with a mysterious masked figure that she determines is an unknown Smurf. Unfortunately, she is then captured by Monty, Gargamel's pet vulture, and taken back to his lair, where he manages to obtain from her a hat dropped by the mystery Smurf.
Fortunately Brainy, Hefty, and Clumsy manage to free Smurfette, and learn-as does Gargamel-that a second Smurf village is located somewhere in the Forbidden Forest. However, Papa Smurf refuses to consider letting them travel to it and grounds them all, something that Smurfette agrees with to the surprise of Papa and her friends. In reality, she uses the opportunity to sneak out of Smurf Village to head toward the Forbidden Forest on her own, only to find out that her three friends have followed her. Together they make their way over the dividing wall and encounter a number of strange flowers as well as a colony of Dragonflies, only to be intercepted by Gargamel and his pets. They are then forced to flee from the Dragonflies after Gargamel takes one of their eggs and throws it to Clumsy, and manage to take shelter in a network of underground tunnels.
After making their way out of the tunnels with help from some rabbits-including one whom Smurfette dubs Bucky-the quartet come to a river and make a raft, only to once again run into Gargamel. After a confrontation that leaves him, Azrael, and Monty sinking, Smurfette and Hefty insist on helping them despite Brainy's protests. Unfortunately, Gargamel repays their kindness by sweeping them off into the river, which Brainy angrily accosts Smurfette and Hefty for upon their coming to shore. However, the mystery Smurf from before and a group of it's fellows trap the group, and then reveal themselves to be Smurfettes-female Smurfs not created by Gargamel. The quartet are soon brought to the village of Smurfy Grove under the watchful eyes of Smurfstorm, Smurflily, and others, and are then introduced to the village matriarch Smurfwillow, who informs them that there are no male Smurfs in this village.
Thinking the village safe from Gargamel after learning that an image depicted by his magic was of three waterfalls rather than three trees as he believed, Smurfette and her friends-minus Clumsy, who is taken away by Smurfstorm to insure that Gargamel is truly no longer a threat-are welcomed into the village. Smurfette quickly grows to like it and being able to spend time with other female Smurfs for a change, so much so that she is reluctant to leave. However, Smurfstorm confronts her upon her return, having learned of her origins from Clumsy; the Smurfettes then capture Papa Smurf when he arrives in search of Smurfette and her friends. Gargamel then arrives and uses his Freeze Balls to capture all of the Smurfs except Smurfette, mockingly proclaiming that she has served her purpose before departing to drain her friends of their magic. A despondent Smurfette is left with no idea of what to do, until Snappy helps her see how she can stop Gargamel.
Traveling to Gargamel's castle, Smurfette claims that she wishes to become evil again and offers to tell Gargamel where he can find Smurf Village, thus doubling his newly acquired magical power, in exchange for being returned to her evil original form. Gargamel agrees, but as with the Smurfy Thing Finder Smurfette absorbs the magical energy, and with help from Hefty and Brainy is able to defeat Gargamel and return the magic to her friends. However, the process causes her to return to her original form as a lump of clay, with no apparent means to restoring her to life; she is then carried back to Smurf Village by Hefty where both the Smurfs and Smurfettes gather to mourn her. However, their inherent magic comes together to revive her, and she is happily greeted by Clumsy and Hefty before the rest of the Smurfs realize her return. The now united populations of Smurfs then celebrate with a massive dance party.
Smurf Videogames
Smurfette's hut in Smurfs' Village game.
The Smurfs Travel The World
In the game, she is one of the Smurfs that the player can choose to control. (The other one is a male Smurf.) There are no difference between them as far as skills go.
The Smurfs & Co.: Spellbound
She is one of the Smurfs that can be unlocked in the beginning of the game which the player can unlock her in level 2. She has a flower shop for the player to craft items.
Smurfs' Village
In the Smurfs' Village game, she has owned a house which costs 30 smurfberries in the mainland. Once the players bought it, she would appear and gives XP to players. Her hut is available in mountain, Planet Swoof, the island region with 35, 30 and 30 smurfberries respectively. Her outfit can also be changed into prehistoric style and Egyptian style in island and Planet Swoof respectively by purchasing additional items.
Smurf Life
She appears in the the game as to help the player to grow flowers which is a material to make potion.
Smurfette’s Magic Match
She is the main character in the game as the player has to help her complete the levels and save the Smurfs. Also players can dress her with different clothes purchased.
The Smurfs Epic Run
She appears in the game as an unlockable character in step 59. It costs 90,000 coins she has the ability to glide.
There is also Princess Smurfette, which is unlocked with real money, who has the ability to stomp and rainbow permanently also available.
Trivia
- Smurfette is a rightfully self proclaimed flower expert. With how much shes studied them in her own garden and on her strolls through the forest, she could tell you an infinite amount about each flower in the enchanted forest; where it grows best, what its needs are, and so much more.
- As discussed in Smurfs: The Lost Village Smurfette can harness and release energy due to the fact that she, herself, is made of magical components. Due this she is also unsusceptible to magical attacks (ex: when gargamel tried to throw one of his 'freeze balls' at her during his invasion, rather than being frozen, she absorbed the magic it was made of).
- She is one of the most recognizable Smurf characters, along with Papa Smurf and select others.
- Her character in the cartoon show was voiced by the late voice-acting veteran Lucille Bliss.
- Smurfette is voiced by Melissa Sturm (who provided voice work in Cloudy With A Chance Of Meatballs) in The Smurfs: A Christmas Carol and The Smurfs: The Legend Of Smurfy Hollow video features.
- Chronologically speaking as far as Smurf history goes, Smurfette is actually not the first Smurfette, but rather Nanny is, or possibly the Smurfettes from Smurfs: The Lost Village.
- Smurfette appears as a smurfling in "Smurf van Winkle".
- In both the comics and cartoon show, Smurfette didn't speak the Smurf language before she was transformed into a real Smurf.
- Even though Brainy's intelligence can get on her nerves, she still cares about him and hates when the other Smurfs (including Hefty) are mean to him.
- Smurfette is voiced by Demi Lovato in The Lost Village.