Transcript THE SMURFS
THE SMURFS THE COMMUNIST REGIME A SHORT HISTORY The very first Smurf was drawn in 1958 by Pierre Culliford. The Smurfs made their first appearance in the comic 'Johan and Pirlouit' as extras, but they became so popular they gained their own spotlight In 1982, the Smurfs moved to Los Angeles were they would star in over 150 episodes. CHARACTERS Papa Smurf the Red Father Lazy Smurf Handy Smurf Brainy Smurf Clumsy Smurf Reporter Smurf Tailor Smurf Farmer Smurf Dreamy Smurf Harmony Smurf Painter Smurf Hefty Smurf Vanity Smurf Jokey Smurf Smurfette Poet Smurf Grouchy Smurf Baker Smurf Greedy Smurf Snappy Smurf Slouchy Smurf Puppy Nat Smurfling Baby Smurf Grandpa Smurf Nanny Smurf Smoogle Clockwork Smurf Tracker Smurf Wild Smurf And so on and so on and so on… The Red Father Papa Smurf is the dictator of a small peaceful community His claims that he is 564 years old He protects the village from the evil Gargamel (symbolically- the greedy capitalists/ the Jew) and his cat Azrael ( or the oppressed proletariat) Brainy Smurf He is the village smarty who’s never afraid to criticize the faults of others(like Mr. Barefoot) to his fellow Smurfs, even though it usually results in him being exiled out of the village or whacked in the head with a mallet Lazy Smurf He is a smurf who likes to sleep, which at times, can cause problems with the community His laziness can be good or bad in a number of episodes, where in one episode, his echoed snores scared off an animal about to attack another smurf Reporter Smurf He likes to write heart-wrenching articles in their little newspaper. He is not one of the regulars that appear on the show, but an extra- with a small role with comedic purpose SYMBOLIC MEANING There have been some critics to say that the Smurfs were a representation of communist society- given their lack of currency, the fact that nobody posses personal items; it is shared within the community. Even the farmer Smurf doesn’t sell his crops- he distributes them throughout village. The whole clan is dependent on the decision of one SmurfPapa Smurf- or should I say Tsar Smurf. Nobody holds a specific social class(except for Papa Smurf, everyone is equal in social status. Sounding a bit Familiar? REFERENCES http://www.iamlost.com/features/smurfs/ commies.shtml http://bluebuddies.com/help/smurf_nam es_and_list_of_the_smurfs.htm http://www.worldcollectorsnet.com/featu res/smurfs/history1/