This is the newest issue of the Smurfy News, the Internet's Smurfiest newsletter going out to over 1,646 Smurf lovers! Welcome new subscribers! If you know a Smurf lover who might enjoy the Smurfy News, please help us grow and forward this e-mail to them. To subscribe, unsubscribe, or edit your profile, please visit http://www.esmurfs.com and enter you e-mail address in the Smurfy News subscription form, or see the bottom of this e-mail.
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FROM THE EDITOR'S DESK
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What a great issue I have for you this month! A report from the Intl. Toy Fair I attended in NYC, where I met Schleich reps from North America and Germany! And they had good news for me on the new 2002 Smurfs! I also have some new pieces to announce, a new article, lots of letters from readers and much more!
We all know the Smurfs are back on Cartoon Network, right? Just checking! OK, on with the News!
-Pete
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CONTENTS
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1) A VISIT TO THE TOY FAIR!
2) KMS CATALOG ARRIVES!
3) NEW IN THE SMURF SHOP
4) SOCIO-POLITICAL THEMES IN THE SMURFS
5) FROM THE MAILBAG
6) THE WEAKEST LINK
7) SMURFY NEWS GIVE-A-WAY
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1) A VISIT TO THE TOY FAIR!
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On ^ I made a visit to the International Toy Fair exhibiting at the Jacob Javitz Center in NYC. This is the largest toy trade show in the Western hemisphere, and I had an opportunity to meet and speak with several Schleich insiders - the highlight of my visit. The new 2002 Smurfs were there, as well as the rest of the contemporary Smurf line.
I am happy to report that the 2002 Smurfs are already "on the water" and on their way to North America! Schleich is hoping for an early North American release - the target date is sometime in March, a significant jump over the usual April/May release! If you were waiting until the release date approaches to order your set, better not wait!
To view and purchase the new 2002 Smurfs, click this link:
http://search.cartserver.com/search/search.cgi?cartid=a-6296&category=Smurfs&maxhits=20&keywords=new2002&bool=AND
AOL Click Here!
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2) KMS CATALOG SELLS OUT!
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Well, not yet - we hope ;) This catalog has proved to be immensely popular with our collectors, and is *almost* sold out! I did not anticipate this and have placed an emergency order with the publisher, who agreed to ship out another parcel of books ASAP. I was only planning on offering one bundle of books, but response to this book has been so positive, I had to order another to ensure eSmurfs.com continues to offer this valuable resource to collectors.
Remember, This guide not only reflects the very latest European pricing for Figurines (2002/2003), it also shows more color variations than any other guide in print, and is nearly twice the thickness of the last edition published by KMS!
That being said, it is always to your benefit to own several guides. They do not always agree on things, and each has their strong points. In addition to the "KMS 2002/2003 Comicfiguren Preiskatalog", I highly recommend "Der Schlumpf Katalog 2000." The information in this book is by no means obsolete; it features larger images and is the preferred catalog for many collectors. Katalog 2000 is the current edition; the next edition will be published in autumn, 2002.
I also recommend "The Unauthorized Guide to Smurfs Around the World." This giant book does a good job of illustrating not only the popular PVC pieces covered in detail by the German Guides, but a wide assortment of other Smurf collectibles from "A" (Arts & Crafts) to "Z" (Zipper Pulls) with a comprehensive Price Guide for all.
This is just the beginning, click here to view and purchase from our selection of guides and catalogs:
http://search.cartserver.com/search/search.cgi?cartid=a-6296&category=Smurfs&keywords=softcover&go=GO%21&maxhits=20
AOL Click Here!
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3) NEW IN THE SMURF SHOP
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We frequently get requests for Smurfs with specific markings. We are pleased to announce we are beginning an ambitious project to identify many of our pieces by Country marking. As we add new pieces, an attempt will be made to include this information where available. If a Country marking is not indicated, you can expect to receive any marking that may have been used on the color variation shown.
While it can be difficult to date Smurf figurines (the date marked is NOT the date of production!), markings can offer us a clue. For example, the markings "Hong Kong" and "West Germany" will no longer be seen. Wallace Berrie is another mark that hints of an older piece. Research is currently being conducted that will assist in dating pieces by marking. (More on this in a future issue.)
Here are just some of the new pieces in stock this month, please make note of the markings:
20015 Earache [Markings: Hong Kong]
20100 Cake (red) [Markings: Hong Kong, Wallace Berrie]
20103 Pupil [Markings: West Germany]
20118 Umbrella (orange, yellow stem) [Markings: Hong Kong]
20123 Policeman (black) [Markings: Hong Kong, Wallace Berrie]
20135 Tennis Smurfette [Markings: Hong Kong, Wallace Berrie]
20138 Haymaker (Brown) [Markings: Hong Kong, Wallace Berrie]
20143 CB-operator (black antenna) [Markings: Hong Kong, Wallace Berrie]
20153 Santa Smurfette [Markings: West Germany]
20160 Apple (dark green) [Markings: Hong Kong, Wallace Berrie]
20163 Soccer Smurfette (on base) [Markings: West Germany]
20165 Greedy [Markings: West Germany]
20188 Majorette (lavender boots) [Markings: Hong Kong Wallace Berrie]
20188 Majorette (pink boots) [Markings: West Germany]
20198 Smurfette Witch with broom [Markings: Portugal, Wallace Berrie]
20202 Pink Baby with Rattle (CE)
20210 Smurfette Golfer [Markings: West Germany]
20489 Smurfette with Chick (lavender) [Markings: Portugal, Wallace Berrie, Applause]
40011 Small Cottage, red (the *old* version) MIB
40209 Butterflycatcher MIB
40212 Smurf in Cage MIB
40601 Gargamel's Lab
49014 Smurfette's Cottage
49025 Farmhouse
Click here to see all the newest and back-in-stock listings for this month:
http://search.cartserver.com/search/search.cgi?cartid=a-6296&category=Smurfs&maxhits=20&keywords=new0202&bool=AND
AOL Click Here!
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4) SOCIO-POLITICAL THEMES IN THE SMURFS
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I found this article on the Net - this guy has a lot of time to think I guess.
by J. Marc Schmidt
1.) Introduction:
This is a discursive analysis of the television programme The Smurfs, created by Peyo, and first aired during the greater part of the eighties. In other words, it is an analysis of some of the socio-political themes I have noticed in the show.
The Smurfs is a unique programme. It is, first and foremost, a cartoon, and as such it is aimed at children. The discussion could end there, however, unlike many other cartoons, or indeed other television programmes, The Smurfs is about an entire society and its interactions with itself and with outsiders, rather than the adventures of just a few characters. Hence I believe it is, in short, a political fable, in much the same way that The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe was a fable about Christianity. Rather than Christianity, however, The Smurfs is about Marxism.
I am not accusing The Smurfs of being some kind of subversive kiddie propaganda - although if it was, would it really be that much worse than the spate of 'toyetic' cartoons of the same decade that only existed to sell plastic toys? In any case, this essay should be seen as the highest kind of praise. What other children's' shows would address the issue of Marxism in such a way, and at such a pivotal point in the history of the Cold War? The Smurfs should be praised for using metaphor and the device of the fairy tale to introduce children to political themes. If Peyo was a socialist, however, he was obviously not the sort who had much time for the version of it practiced by the Soviet Union and other Eastern bloc police states. He was a utopian. There is a distinct lack of any kind of army or police in the Smurf Village. On rare occasions when it is necessary, they form their own civilian militia to fight off threats. Otherwise, it is the absolute opposite of the police state.
After my brief analysis of Marxism in The Smurfs, I will also be addressing the issues of feminism and homosexuality in the show. But the main concern of this essay is to argue that The Smurfs was a Marxist fable.
2.) The Smurf Village as a Marxist Utopia:
The Smurf Village itself is a perfect model of a socialist commune or collective. It is self-reliant, and the land is not owned by individuals, but by the entire collective of all the Smurfs, if the word 'owned' is even appropriate.
Papa Smurf represents Karl Marx. He is not so much the leader of the Smurfs as an equal revered by the others for his age and wisdom. He has a beard, as did Marx, and thus could conceivably be a caricature as well. And lastly, he wears red, which is the traditional color of socialism. Brainy Smurf could represent Trotsky. He is the only one in the village who comes close to matching Papa's intellect - he is a thinker. With his round spectacles, he could also be a caricature of Trotsky. He is often isolated, ridiculed or even ejected from the commune of the village for his ideas. And of course, Trotsky was banished from the USSR.
Despite their different professions/distinctions, the Smurfs are all completely equal. Thus, while the occupations of certain Smurfs, such as Farmer, Handy and Greedy, are more important than others, such as Clumsy, Grouchy, or Lazy, there is no feeling that certain Smurfs are superior or inferior to others because of their work, or level of skill, because ultimately, everyone is a Smurf first.
Economically, the Smurf Village is closed-market. There is no money, and all possessions are communal - property of the collective. Everyone is equally a worker and an owner. The Smurfs reject the idea of a free-market economy, with its greed and inequities, and the collective is more important and valuable than the individual. The whole is greater than the sum of its parts. John Lennon asked us to 'imagine no possessions'. The Smurf Village achieves that goal. In fact, many of the ideas expressed in that song are reality in the Village. There is one large piece of capital, or produced means of production, in the Smurf Village: the dam. It is owned, operated and repaired by the entire collective.
The Smurfs all refer to one another by the same title; 'Smurf'. E.g., Brainy Smurf, Handy Smurf, Jokey Smurf, Lazy Smurf, Papa Smurf. This is highly reminiscent of socialist states' use of the word 'comrade' when referring to others, instead of more elitist titles.
Adding to the idea of complete equality in the Village, most of the Smurfs wear the same kind and colour of clothes. It is a general work uniform, and with the distinctive caps and blue skin, is highly reminiscent of the so-called Mao suit, common in Maoist China.
In the tradition of pure Marxism, the Smurf Village is atheist. There is no god, and there is no Priest Smurf. There are only the 'real' forces of nature and physics, and these are represented metaphorically by the characters of Mother Nature and Father Time. Of course, there is also magic, as practiced by Papa, Gargamel, Balthazar and others, but it is simply another tool, something that occurs in nature, that has physical properties and can be tapped into, with the right know-how. It is not, as many religions are, a way of understanding the universe in a supernatural context.
The episode The King Smurf was the ultimate illustration of the Marxian conflict between the bad, oppressive kind of government, where greedy kings (and capitalists) exploited the population for their own ends; and the good, egalitarian political model Marx had formulated. In the episode, a militia is formed to overthrow Brainy, who has become King in Papa Smurf's absence, and utopian order is restored when Papa Smurf returns. In this instance, Papa Smurf, as Marx himself, represents the ideal form of Marxism.
The evil wizard Gargamel represents capitalism. He embodies everything bad about capitalism. He is greedy, ruthless, and his only concern is with his own personal gratification. He is what happens when the individual makes himself more important than the society he lives in. Not coincidentally, he is also a crazy old hermit with no real friends.
What does Gargamel want to do with the Smurfs? He has two ideas. The first is to eat them. This is unusual, because the Smurfs are small and rare, and would not make as good eating as, say, a deer. It is similar to Sylvester's obsession with eating the golf ball sized meal that is Tweety Bird. There are two explanations. The first is that metaphorically, he wants to devour socialism, as the West wanted to do to the USSR and its satellites during the Cold War through its tactic of encirclement. The second is that as a pure capitalist, he wishes to turn everything into a commodity - including people. The second thing Gargamel plans to do to the Smurfs once he catches them is to turn them into gold. As the ultimate supercapitalist, he is more concerned with his own wealth than with equality and fairness. Like any Adam Smith style capitalist, it is his 'natural' state to want as much money as he can get.
Gargamel is a cold, bitter and ultimately empty man. This is because he has nothing else in his life but a soulless quest for wealth and possessions. A definite statement about the anti-social effects of economic rationalism.
Gargamel's ginger cat, Azrael, represents the worker in the ruthless, free-market state that is Gargamel's house. He is uncomplaining, or, since he has no voice (i.e. Trade Unions), is metaphorically unable to complain. He cannot negotiate his wage - he eats whatever he is given by his master. He is smaller and less well-off than Gargamel, and metaphorically, he represents the proletariat, while Gargamel represents the bourgeois. Azrael is exploited and oppressed. He risks his life fighting and hunting for his master, and does not have the intellectual capacity to question this state of affairs, just as the worker suffered his fate for centuries because education was off limits to him, and he had no other option but to work for his bosses.
Gargamel owns his house and everything in it, including the capital of his alchemical equipment, in nothing like the way that the Smurfs own their village. If the same political structure existed at Gargamel's house, both he and Azrael would be equal owners, regardless of Gargamel's superior size, knowledge and skill. But Azrael owns nothing.
The incursion of the new characters later in the series/eighties, such as the Smurflings, with their colours and different clothes and looks, can be viewed in the real world as an incursion by commercial interests to increase the popularity and sellability old the show. In the show, metaphorically, they represent Western intrusion to the utopian harmony of the Smurf Village, just as Gorbachev's glasnost and perestroika reforms in the mid to late eighties heralded the ultimate demise of the Soviet Union.
3.) Feminism and The Smurfs:
Monique Wittig wrote that women are defined as women, while men are defined by their occupation, the idea being that men have occupations but women do not. For example, if an accident was being reported, the victims might be described as 'a teacher, a plumber and a woman'. Smurfette is unique in the village in that she is not defined by an occupation or a personality trait like the male, or real Smurfs, but by her sex. She is not a real member of society because of her sex, and this is represented metaphorically in the show by the fact that she was created by Gargamel.
The diminutive suffix of 'ette', common in our society, also identifies Smurfette as being not the equal of the males. She is the second sex.
Above I asserted that everyone in the Village was equal. In a sense, this is still true. In the beginning, it was all male, and Smurfette's introduction did not disrupt the patriarchal order. Thus, Smurfette is equal to the others politically, but not socially.
In an ideal, sexist, patriarchal state, women are not a part of the community. They do not occupy the 'public sphere' of work and the outside world, and they certainly do not work. Smurfette's main occupation seems to be standing around looking pretty, i.e. 'being the woman', although when it comes to problem solving, the producers have not, thankfully, made her a brainless bimbo. She is quite a bit sharper than the rest of the Smurfs, except of course, for Papa.
Smurfette is definitely the 'object' of the male gaze. Since she is the object, the males are the subjects. They are active, she is passive.
Smurfette has no breasts. I believe this is significant when we consider how Smurfette was created. She began life as the almost Frankensteinian creation of Gargamel. As a capitalist, he naturally is treating her as a commodity, something which can be made, used and disposed of, all ultimately to make him money. The idea that a woman can be made by a man denies women's key role in procreation. The fact that she does not possess breasts goes further to this denial of nature, an attempt to control women, to make them conform to the societal norm imposed by the patriarchal order.
Smurfette is a secondary creation, in that she was made after the males. She has a heart of stone, and technically, she is unnatural. Physically and metaphorically, she is not a 'real' smurf. She is, in short, bad and wrong, as patriarchal cultures have viewed women for centuries.
How do you make a better woman? In other words how do you make a woman who is acceptable by society (i.e. the Village or our own society)? One, you take all the fight out of her. Make her compliant, make her toe the line created and maintained by the male-dominated social structure. One visual example of this is her transformation from a brunette to a blonde. Western society traditionally stereotypes dark-haired women as brainy, but blondes as dumber, but more beautiful and desirable. And that is another way to make a better woman. You make her beautiful. Essentially, when Papa Smurf casts his spell to make Smurfette a 'real' Smurf, the visible difference was that she was more 'beautiful' as well. Thus it follows that before, she was ugly. So when it comes to women, ugly equals wrong, and beautiful equals right, and in a sense, real. But why is one thing beautiful and another thing not? Who says? Ultimately, the patriarchal order. And the Smurf Village, with its 99:1 ratio of males to females, is definitely a patriarchy. This adds to he idea of woman as commodity - she is changed and made by men, and is beautiful by their standards. And at the end of it she is thankful.
Gloria Steinem once wrote that 'women were history's first drag queens', meaning that ideals of beauty are all imposed by the patriarchal order, and there is no reason for women to look 'like women' other than a need for distinction between the sexes, and to reinforce the idea of women as mere objects, as the focus of male gaze. Smurfette is no exception.
In an ideal patriarchal society, there are no women. Can you imagine what the Smurf village would be like if the ratio of males to females was 50:50? One thing is certain, it would not be the same utopia it is presented as in the show. Perhaps this means that the ideal Marxist state can only truly operate when everyone is equal, including sexually, although it is almost impossible to imagine an all-female Smurf Village. This is probably more due to deep, intrinsic sexism in our own society than any other reason. If female was the 'natural' sex for Smurfs, I cannot see why they would all look like Smurfette. The concept of beauty, if it existed at all, would have no basis, no frame of reference in which to be equated with 'blonde and cute'.
4.) The Smurf Village as Homotopia:
The Smurf Village was always all male, until Smurfette came along, when it was still overwhelmingly male. This means that they did not procreate by traditional means, and thus, 'heterosexuality' would not be the norm.
Much like ancient Greek city-states such as Athens, which many believe is the closest to a pure democracy the world will ever come, government was by all the people, and by 'all the people' they meant males only. Women are not invited to participate in public affairs. In Athens, homosexuality was not uncommon, nor was it particularly frowned upon.
No Smurf ever forms a relationship with Smurfette. Although she is the focus of some childish heterosexual rivalries, especially between Hefty and Handy, there is never any real heterosexual tension in the Village. The tension is more between Hefty and Handy themselves, who seem to be more interested in impressing each other than Smurfette.
If the Smurf Village existed for ages without any females, how would the Smurfs have been able to understand what the Smurfette was? Certainly, nature would provide examples of male-female bondings that the Smurfs would have been able to observe, but in their own sphere, there were never any women, and never any heterosexuality. Thus, how could Smurfette have been able to seduce anyone? Are the creators trying to say that heterosexuality is the natural state, even if it never existed in society and there was never any frame of reference for understanding what heterosexual attraction was? On this point, I'm prepared to let the creators off. They probably weren't even thinking about it, because in our society, heterosexuality is very much seen as the norm.
Lastly, I believe the characters of Hefty, Handy and Vanity are gay archetypes. Vanity is the kind of gay archetype commonly presented by the straight entertainment industry, for example in the UK sitcom Are You Being Served? while Hefty and Handy are gay archetypes in the same vein as the Village People, with their extremely iconic masculinity, exaggerated to the point of camp. Meanwhile, I believe Clumsy and Brainy represent a stereotypical gay couple.
5.) Conclusion:
I believe that at the very least, Peyo was attempting to present certain Marxist theories in the form of an allegorical fairy tale. The Smurfs, then, succeeds in the way the best kind of fantasy literature does - by shining a light on the real world we all live in. There is much evidence to suggest that The Smurfs, as a narrative, is a utopian socialist fable. And ultimately, I think a large part of the appeal of the show comes from this utopian ideal, because even if it is unlikely to ever occur in the real world, with all its complexities, we can still imagine.
This article has been added to our growing Library of articles. Visit the Library here:
http://www.esmurfs.com/smurfs-library.html
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5) FROM THE MAILBAG
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"I notice you are selling black smurfs from when lazy got bitten by a purple fly. But that's wrong. I've got the show on tape and Lazy and all the smurfs turned purple and mean. How did they get black for your figurines?"
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In the original, European version of this story, Lazy turns black after being bitten by the fly. The PVC figurine of Angry Smurf is a European-only model that was never marketed in the US because of racial concerns. For this same reason, the Smurfs turned purple instead of black when this storyline was made into an episode for the popular NBC series!
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"I love your newsletter! It is wonderful to find others like myself who love the little blue beings. At the age of 29, I pulled out my collection of about 150, and now have almost 230! Collecting smurfs again is a great pastime - I find them in the strangest of places - garage sales, flea markets and friends at work bring them in for me from their childhood collections. I was rewarded for my hunting efforts recently with a find of a flying smurf in a yellow metal airplane from the '80's-Cool! I wonder if you have any information about blue (smurfy blue) touch up paint? Or is it bad to alter the original look? Please let me know -Vancouver, Canada"
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Touching up your Smurfs is generally frowned upon. True, you can do whatever you want to your own things, but what frequently happens is a subsequent owner unaware of the touch-ups will offer the pieces for sale as Mint, and there the trouble begins.
Touch-ups may sound like a good idea at first, but paint color changes over time, and the original paint job and the touch-up will age differently, making the difference more and more noticeable over time. It also harms the value of the Smurf as a collectible. Collectors do not want to pay a premium for repaired Smurfs.
Oh the other hand, repainting Smurfs has become a pastime all it's own. Many people have experimented with a little paint, accessories and their own imagination to produce their own creations. Some wonderful examples have been shared at the eSmurfs.com's Smurfy Bulletin Board. Try asking there for tips if this sounds fun!
http://www.esmurfs.com/cgi-bin/forum2/dcboard.cgi?az=lobby
AOL CLICK HERE!
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"I was wondering if you have an address that people can send letters to in the mail (other than e-mail). Please e-mail me as soon possible...it would really help me a lot! thank you!"
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Yes, we do! We still correspond with ex-Smurf Collectors Club International (SCCI) members who do not have computers, although I always encourage them to get online - it really opens up a new world of possibilities for collectors. If you or a friend collects Smurfs and does not have access to a computer, they can write me at the following address with their Wish Lists, and I will let them know what I have:
eSmurfs.com
Attn. Peter Caparelli
3528 204th St.
Bayside, NY 11361
I personally answer all letters and requests received! Here is a funny note I received via snail mail from ex-SCCI member James Fruit. James was looking for 20099 Head Cook and I had let him know I only had a raw, unpainted variation:
"OK - I'll buy the KMS catalogue you wrote about. My check is enclosed. I'll pass on the "raw" head cook. I suppose there are a lot of puns to be made about a "raw cook."
lol, now that never struck me as funny until James' note!
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"I remember as a child (4-6 about) there was a Smurf program on TV about Father Abraham and his little Smurfs. I cant remember what happened on even one single episode, but love it...yes I did.
I am so blue as I sit here at work today. I just read the latest Smurfy Newsletter and feel like bawling my yes out. I want to be there, where I can look through the Smurf shop and just be totally and completely be in a trans of fantasy with Smurf goodies everywhere. I am green of jealousy - now I'm even more confused. I'm blue... because I'm sad for not being
able to see the Smurf Shop and I'm green...because I'm jealous of all those collectors that can buy direct from you.
It is times like these that I wish there was a 'smurf-market' in South Africa. It is just so expensive to import, that it is basically not possible to buy internationally. What you find is what get. I go into every toy store imaginable, even into second hand and pawn shops - one just might strike it lucky. Just to give you an idea. There is one local toy exchange shop where I went to and enquired about whether they do get any Smurfs in. She said it is very seldom, but that she will take my name just in case they do again. A few weeks later I met up with a fellow Smurf collector that went to the same shop to also enquire about Smurfs being swapped. I tell you: "It is a doggy-dog world in SA to get Smurfs" and the rule of "first come, first serve" rules.
I've been collecting since I can remember, and now at the age of 24 I've got 274 Smurfs (and still want more). I've got some Smurf houses and toys and a whole bunch of other Smurfy goodies. Recently I joined up with the SA Smurf club, which is also fairly quite new.
Father Pete, it has been nice sharing this bit of news with you and cant I can't wait (genuinely) for your next newsletter.
Yours sincerely, Quintin"
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Awwww! Quintin, don't be blue - eSmurfs.com is on the Internet only, so you are just as close as the fellow on the next street! However, It's a bummer to learn about your import woes :( I am familiar with the South African Smurf Club and am glad it was formed to help others in your situation. Of course you are always free to join us at the Smurfy Bulletin Board! Let me plug your club too, you never know - I may catch the attention of a new member!
For SA Smurf Collectors Club membership information, please send a S.A.S.E. to:
South African Smurf Collectors Club
C/O Adrian Anema
P.O.Box 1332
Magallissig, 2067
South Africa
email: adriana@isecure.co.za
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"I just heard that a new Schönwald Promo Smurf is about to be released. It's supposed to be the 20469 "Bouquet Smurf" in a limited edition of 500 pieces. I just thought I'd tell you :) -Dirk Bliesener"
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Thanks for the report from Germany Dirk! If anyone has one of these they can sell for the eSmurfs archives, please contact me!
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6) THE WEAKEST LINK
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I wanted to share this recent exchange with my readers:
"Hello, I research for a television game show in Los Angeles and was hoping you might take a moment to lend your expertise in helping me with a question. Is it true that on TV's "The Smurfs," Smurfette was the only female Smurf until 1985? Thank you very much for any help you may be able to offer me. Sincerely, Ken Weiner (The Weakest Link - Research Department, NBC Studios)"
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MY REPLY: Yes. Smurfette was the only Smurf. In episode #29 (1981-1982 season), "The Smurfette," Gargamel creates Smurfette as a pawn to destroy the Smurfs, and Papa Smurf changes her into a real Smurf to foil Gargamel's plan. She is the only female Smurf until The Smurflings create Sassette in episode #190 (1985-1986 season) "Sassette," using Gargamel's recipe. Nanny Smurf theoretically predates Smurfette and Sassette, but does not make her debut until the 1988-1989 season in episode #353, "The Lost Smurf," where Grandpa Smurf sets off to rescue Nanny Smurf from a haunted castle that seems to phase in and out of existence.
KEN: "Thank you very much for your help. I will keep you in our database as a possible consultant for us. Thank you very much. One last thing about Sassette. Was it actually in 1985 that she appeared or in 1986? Do you know? Thanks again for your help!"
PETE: That episode was part of the season premiere for 1985. Both Puppy and the Smurflings were introduced during the three premiere episodes that year. In episode #189 "The Smurflings," The three adult Smurfs; Nat, Snappy and Slouchy were on an errand to Father Time when they became trapped in a Grandfather Clock working backwards and were turned into children again. (Adult Nat had appeared previously in the cartoon, Snappy and Slouchy made their first adult appearance here, and were turned into Smurflings shortly thereafter.) In #190, "Sassette," the three Smurflings make a female counterpart of themselves and a sister for Smurfette with Gargamel's recipe. In #191, "Puppy," Homnibus' magical puppy arrives in the village with a magic locket. Homnibus is Papa's human wizard friend. No one is able to open Puppy's locket, except Baby Smurf, which foretells his magical abilities.
KEN: "Thanks again for your detailed response!"
PETE: Please do feel free to contact me any time. I am always happy to help with any project that keeps Smurfs in the public eye.
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7) SMURFY NEWS GIVE-A-WAY
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OK, I will give away 3 prizes again this month!
Let me know which prize you prefer if you win, I will try to accommodate!
A) The last pair or acrylic keychains I've been giving out
B) A Smurf Mini Poster
C) An old Schleich minicatalog and party goodies bag
REMEMBER TO GIVE YOUR MAILING ADDRESS WHEN YOU ENTER!! IF YOU DO NOT, IN THE TRASH YOUR ENTRY GOES!!
I want to mail winner's prizes with no hassle, so if the address is not provided, you are not in the drawing!!
The address is for mailing prizes to winners ONLY. It is not used for any other person, is not shared, sold or given, and is deleted after the drawing.
Enter by completing this secret entry form for Smurfy News subscribers ONLY!!
http://www.esmurfs.com/smurfs-contest.html
AOL Click Here
Winners will be announced at the Smurfy Bulletin Board in a few weeks, after no new entries have come in for a few days...
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8) CLOSING
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I am going to end this newsletter with my usual plea... "PLEASE SHARE WHAT YOU CAN!"
The Internet brings us Smurfers together - people oftentimes many hundreds of miles apart can share their passion and their knowledge as easily as if they were right next-door. I am delighted eSmurfs has been successful in fostering this process by providing a means to collect and share the information that is out there.
No man is an island - I depend very heavily on eSmurfs' member reports and information to make this newsletter happen - every one of us is am important part of this process! Never assume what you have to contribute is too minor, or not of interest to others! Share what you can and we all come out ahead!
Have a Smurfy good time now until we meet again...and remember, you can always stop in at the Smurfy Bulletin Boards and find plenty of like-minded Smurf fans to rub shoulders with and pass the time!
-Pete
http://www.eSmurfs.com
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THE SMALL PRINT
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The "Smurfy News" is a FREE e-mail newsletter published for your enjoyment every month by your friends at eSmurfs.com (http://www.esmurfs.com) Joining or leaving the list is voluntary, we do not spam!
SHARING IS CARING!! Share what you know with other Smurf collectors by submitting information, news, articles, stories and anything Smurfy to eSmurfs.com - just hit reply now! We collect and disseminate information the world over to keep Smurf collectors united and having a Smurfy good time!
(C) 2002 eSmurfs.com, All right reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced in whole, or in part, without the express written consent of eSmurfs.com. The contents of this newsletter do not necessarily reflect the opinions of eSmurfs.com. eSmurfs.com makes no warranties, either expressed or implied, about the truth or accuracy of the contents or information provided by the sponsors or by the writers. Use info contained herein at your own risk. Nothing in life is guaranteed. Let the buyer beware. A stitch in time gathers no moss. Oh, and SMURF ON!!