The Smurfs
Series, 1981, The '80s toy era, Set in Smurf Village
The Smurfs is #3 of 28 in release order and #3 of 28 in chronological order in the Saturday Morning Cartoons.
The story
Classic Saturday-morning cartoon series featuring magical blue elf-like creatures called Smurfs. The Smurfs, named for their personalities, inhabit a village of mushroom houses in an enchanted forest. These loveable creatures are led by Papa Smurf and live carefree... except for one major threat to their existance: Gargamel, an evil but inept wizard who lives in a stone-built house in the forest; and his feline companion, the equally nasty Azrael.
The Smurfs recap
Based on the Belgian comics by Peyo, the show follows the Smurfs, small blue creatures who live in mushroom houses in a hidden village in the forest. Each Smurf is named for his main trait: Brainy, Hefty, Handy, Clumsy, Jokey, Vanity, Grouchy, Greedy and Lazy. They are led by the wise, bearded Papa Smurf, who practises magic. Smurfette, the only female, was created by the evil wizard Gargamel to trap them, but Papa Smurf turns her into a real Smurf. Gargamel and his cat Azrael spend every episode trying to catch Smurfs, for food, for gold or for revenge, and always fail. Some stories take place in the human world with Johan, a young squire, and his friend Peewit. Over the years the village grows: a stork delivers Baby Smurf, Father Time turns four Smurfs into children, the Smurflings, and Grandpa Smurf returns from a long journey. In the ninth and last season NBC changed the format, and a group of Smurfs is lost in time, travelling through history and trying to get home. Hanna-Barbera made it for NBC from 1981 to 1989, for 256 episodes over nine seasons.
The Smurfs ending explained
The Smurfs ended without a finale. The last episode, with the segments "The Golden Rhino" and "Hearts 'N' Smurfs", aired on December 2, 1989, during the time-travel season, and NBC cancelled the show in 1990 when it replaced its cartoons with live-action programming. The Smurfs returned in live-action and computer-animated films from 2011, Smurfs: The Lost Village (2017), a 2021 animated series and the film Smurfs (2025).
Where to watch The Smurfs
The Smurfs is streaming on Philo, YouTube TV, and Tubi in the US. You can rent or buy it on Amazon, Apple TV, and Google Play.
Ratings
IMDb 7.2/10
Where it fits
- Release order: after Super Friends, before He-Man and the Masters of the Universe.
- Chronological order: after Super Friends, before He-Man and the Masters of the Universe.
Cast
- Don Messick as Papa Smurf (voice)
- Lucille Bliss as Smurfette (voice)
- Frank Welker as Hefty Smurf (voice)
- Michael Bell as Handy Smurf (voice)
- June Foray as Jokey Smurf (voice)
- Paul Winchell as Gargamel (voice)
- Danny Goldman as Brainy Smurf (voice)
- Hamilton Camp as Greedy Smurf (voice)
- William Callaway as Clumsy Smurf (voice)
Created by Peyo.