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{{short description|Third album in the series The Smurfs}}
{{Italic title}}
{{for|the character|Smurfette}}
{{for|the character|Smurfette}}
{{Italic title}}
'''''The Smurfette (comic book)''''' ([[French language|French]]: ''La Schtroumpfette'') is the third album of the original French-language ''[[The Smurfs|The Smurfs]]'' comic series created by [[Pierre Culliford]], known as [[Peyo]]. The story has also been made into an episode of the Smurfs animated cartoon show, where the only known significant difference is that Smurfette stays in the village for the rest of the show's run. Apart from the titular story, the album contains another story called [[#The Hunger of the Smurfs | ''The Hunger of the Smurfs'']] (French: ''La Faim des Schtroumpfs'').
{{Infobox graphic novel
| title = The Smurfette
| foreigntitle = La Schtroumpfette
| image = The Smurfs-comic book-03.jpg
| caption =
| publisher = [[Dupuis]]
| date = 16 March 1967
| series = ''[[The Smurfs (comics)|The Smurfs]]''
| creator = [[Peyo]]
| single_creator = Y
| pages = 64
| previssue = [[King Smurf]]
| previous-date = 1965
| nextissue = [[The Egg and the Smurfs]]
| next-date = 1968
}}


'''''The Smurfette''''' ([[French language|French]]: ''La Schtroumpfette'') is the third album of the original French-language ''[[The Smurfs (comics)|Smurfs]]'' comic series.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.tcj.com/behind-the-blue-the-story-of-peyo/|title=Behind the Blue: The Story of Peyo|date=August 28, 2018|website=The Comics Journal}}</ref> The story has also been made into an episode of the Smurfs animated cartoon show, where the only known significant difference is that Smurfette stays in the village for the rest of the show's run.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.thedailybeast.com/videos/2011/07/29/meet-the-real-smurfette|title=Meet the Real Smurfette|newspaper=The Daily Beast |date=July 29, 2011|via=www.thedailybeast.com}}</ref> Apart from the titular story, it contains another one called ''La Faim des Schtroumpfs'' ("''The Hunger of the Smurfs''").<ref>{{Cite web |date=15 November 2023 |title=Les Schtroumpfs Tome 3 - Album La Schtroumpfette |url=https://www.decitre.fr/livres/les-schtroumpfs-tome-3-la-schtroumpfette-9782800101101.html |website=decitre.fr |language=fr}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |date=6 January 2023 |title=Smurfs #4: The Smurfette, The |url=https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/9542227-smurfs-4 |url-status= |access-date= |work=goodreads.com |language=}}</ref>

== Plot ==


== Plot ==
===''The Smurfette''===
===''The Smurfette''===
[[Gargamel]] wants to take revenge against the Smurfs for his humiliating defeat at their hands. He decides that the most horrible plan to destroy them would be to send them a female Smurf, who shall seduce them and lead them to their doom. He thus fashions her out of clay and dips her in a potion, creating [[Smurfette]].<ref>{{cite book |date=18 June 2013 |title=The Smurfs 4 - The Smurfette by Peyo, Yvan Delporte |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=DVhuAAAAQBAJ |url-status= |access-date= |publisher=Simon and Schuster |isbn=978-1-59707-531-2 |language=}}</ref>
====Smurfette’s Creation====
[[Smurfette]] was created by the evil wizard [[Gargamel]] as a way of vengeance against the Smurfs, whom he despises. On page 5 of the comic, while searching for the most terrible way to make the Smurfs suffer, and after deciding that setting the whole forest on fire or casting a spell that makes “vines choke all vegetation and life” were not “cruel enough”, Gargamel declares, “No, I want something else! A fearsome spell that makes them beg for mercy!! A horrible curse… Oh! Yes… I’VE GOT IT! I’m going to send them a SMURFETTE!”<ref name="comicEN">{{Cite comic|cartoonist=[[Peyo|Peyo]]| | title=[[The Smurfette]] | date=1967 | | publisher=[[Dupuis]] | location=[[Belgium]] | id=ISBN9782800101101}}</ref> After using several material components to create a Smurfette statuette, Gargamel searches for the incantation to magically animate the clay figurine he just modelled. He reads the following formula from his spell-book, to give the statuette “a feminine nature”:<ref name="comicEN" />


Smurfette is sent to the Smurf village, and the others befriend her, despite that she later proves to be annoying, albeit good-meaning. She is very talkative, a bit bossy, overly friendly, and hysterical. At first, Smurfette looks like a male Smurf with scraggly black hair, a large nose, and rather surly eyes, the only thing separating her from the rest being her white dress; not exactly the attractive temptress that Gargamel tried to create.
:“A spring of flirtatiousness… A solid layer of non-objectivity… three crocodile tears… a bird-brain… powder of viper’s tongue… a carat of sneakiness… a handful of anger… a dash of lying tissue, transparent of course… a bushel of greediness… a quart of bad faith… one thimbleful of recklessness… a stroke of pride… pint of envy… some zest of sensitivity… a bit of foolishness and a bit of cunning, lots of volatility and lots of obstinacy… a candle burned at both ends…” At the end of this text the reader is directed to a footnote stating: “This text is the sole responsibility of the author of the spell-book “Magicae Formulae,” Beelzebub Editions.”<ref name="comicEN" />


Some of the Smurfs become sick of her, so they decide to play a trick: they make her think she has become overweight (by rigging a scale, setting in a misshaping mirror, making her listen to some nasty talk...). Becoming depressed, she realizes that she is not pretty and Papa Smurf decides to help her: he operates ''[[plastic surgery|plastic smurfery]]'' on her for days and nights, and Smurfette comes out with blonde hair, more delicate features, longer eyelashes, walking and acting much more gracefully.
====Smurfette with the Smurfs====
Once Smurfette’s creation is completed, Gargamel sends Smurfette to the Smurf village in order to infiltrate them and create chaos in their community.<ref name="comicEN" />


All the Smurfs instantly fall in love with her and soon after, they all try to seduce her through different means. The competition and jealousy eventually bring chaos and violence among the Smurfs, who are ready for anything to please her, even painting the [[dam]] of the river pink.
At first, the Smurfette created by Gargamel was designed following the Smurf male model, with the only variations of long black hair and a dress instead of pants. In the comic where she first appears, Gargamel’s Smurfette is perceived by the other Smurfs as ''annoying'', ''ugly'', ''useless'', and ''unattractive''. The Smurfs all hate her and the comic even illustrates at one point a Smurf dreaming that he choked her. To get rid of her, the Smurfs enact a prank to make Smurfette believe that she has gained weight (by rigging a scale, placing in a misshapen mirror, and making her listen to some nasty talk).<ref name="comicEN" />


The last straw is when Smurfette forces Poet Smurf to open the dam for her, just so she could see the water spurting. The dam gets stuck open and the village is [[flood]]ed. Even after the dam is sealed back up, the village is in a disastrous state. When Papa Smurf discovers that Smurfette is indirectly responsible, he tells her that she has only brought trouble. Furious, Smurfette tells them all that she shall then go back to Gargamel. After hearing this, Papa Smurf orders her arrested and places her on [[trial]].
The prank results in Smurfette crying alone on her bed in complete despair. She tells [[Papa Smurf]], who came to look after her: “I’m too fat! And I’m ugly! My hair looks just terrible! My complexion’s awful! Nothing looks good on me! I WANT TO DIE!!!” The following illustration shows Papa Smurf thinking: “There’s nothing wrong with her! I should smurf something to cheer her up!” However, this text was changed in the English translation from the original French version where Papa Smurf was instead thinking: “It’s true that she is not very pretty! ... We should smurf something for her!”<ref name="comicEN" /><ref name="comicFR">{{Cite comic|cartoonist=[[Peyo|Peyo]]| | title=[[La Schtroumpfette]] | date=1967 | publisher=[[Dupuis]] | location=[[Belgium]] | id=ISBN9782800101101}}</ref>


The trial proves to be quite biased, most of the Smurfs supporting Smurfette's innocence. Jokey Smurf (who is Smurfette's [[Lawyer|attorney]]) reminds them that she has been able to seduce the Smurfs because of Papa Smurf, who made her attractive. Smurfette is eventually declared not guilty.
====Smurfette’s Transformation====
The subsequent action is the same in both English and French versions of the comic; Papa Smurf decides to help Smurfette, and performs a “plastic smurfery” on her (which was later changed in the English version to a “smurfification”). This operation changes Smurfette’s physical appearance from black hair to long wavy blond hair, from a male Smurf nose to smaller nose, from short to long eyelashes, from a plain white dress to a shorter ornate dress, and from male Smurf shoes to high heels. As soon as Papa Smurf finally shows transformed Smurfette to the other Smurfs, they are all portrayed as falling instantly in love with her.<ref name="comicEN" />


Smurfette cannot stand the Smurfs fighting each other for her anymore, so she leaves the village indefinitely, leaving a message saying that she will be back one day (which she eventually does).
====Gargamel’s Scheme is Revealed====
After Smurfette’s physical transformation, all the Smurfs are mesmerized by Smurfette’s appearance, and, as a result, become distracted, easy to manipulate, and goofy. They start asking Smurfette on dates, offering her gifts, and competing with each other to get her attention. Eventually jealousy between them creates chaos and violence in the village. Smurfette then uses her charm to convince [[Poet Smurf]] to open the floodgate of a dam the Smurfs constructed on a nearby river. The water starts flowing out and Poet Smurf can’t close the floodgate back. This has the effect of flooding the entire Smurf village. When Papa Smurf discovers what happened, he tells Smurfette that everything has been wrong since she arrived. Furious, Smurfette answers him that she will go back to Gargamel’s home.<ref name="comicEN" />


Although they are saddened by the event, Papa Smurf cheers them up by telling that they should get revenge on Gargamel and give him a taste of his own medicine: they create a fat ugly human woman out of clay (as Gargamel did with Smurfette) and send her to his house, where she desperately asks him for shelter, speaking in Smurf talk. The story ends with Gargamel running away from her, grumbling that he shall take vengeance.
====Smurfette Is Put on Trial====
When the Smurfs hear that Smurfette came from Gargamel’s home, Papa Smurf decide to arrest her and place her on trial. [[Brainy Smurf]] is chosen to be the prosecuting attorney, and [[Jokey Smurf]] to be the defense attorney. Jokey Smurf’s defense is that the Smurfette created by Gargamel did not have “heavenly eyes”, “silken hair”, and an “adorable nose”. He declares that Papa Smurf is the true responsible party since it is him who made her how she is now, and able to charm the Smurfs. The Smurfs jury declares her innocent and they all leave the trial happy.<ref name="comicEN" />

====Smurfette Leaves the Village====
However, the Smurfs soon start arguing again to know who will dance with her first. Smurfette can't stand the Smurfs fighting each other for her anymore, and she decides to leave the village indefinitely. In a note she leaves behind, she writes that she might “come back one day.”<ref name="comicEN" />

====Papa Smurf’s Revenge====
To get his revenge from Gargamel, Papa Smurf decides to fabricate a human equivalent of Smurfette and to send her to Gargamel’s home. The ending picture shows Gargamel fleeing the woman Papa Smurf created, shouting that he will get his revenge.<ref name="comicEN" />


===''The Hunger of the Smurfs''===
===''The Hunger of the Smurfs''===
Winter is near and the Smurfs are gathering food. But days after the winter comes, the food storage is destroyed in a fire. To survive, they are forced to leave the village and find a place where they can feed themselves. After long days journeying in the cold wilderness, they find a human castle where its lord is living alone after losing all his fortune. Trying to find remaining food, they stumble on a secret room of jewels. They share their discovery with the lord, who can then buy food for them. The Smurfs are then able to go back to the village.
Winter is near and the Smurfs are gathering food. But days after the winter comes, the food storage is destroyed in a fire. To survive, they are forced to leave the village and find a place where they can feed themselves. After long days journeying in the cold wilderness, they find a human castle where its lord is living alone after losing all his fortune. Trying to find remaining food, they stumble on a secret room of jewels. They share their discovery with the lord, who can then buy food for them. The Smurfs are then able to go back to the village.<ref>{{Cite web |date=16 November 2023 |title=Les Schtroumpfs-Tome-3-La-Schtroumpfette |url=https://www.bedetheque.com/BD-Schtroumpfs-Tome-3-La-Schtroumpfette-335.html |website=bedetheque.com |language=fr}}</ref>


==In other media==
==In other media==
When the Smurfette story was adapted for the cartoon show, the “plastic smurfery” was moved after the dam incident and the subsequent trial. With the trial, all the Smurfs are depicted as angrily well aware of Smurfette's treachery and change their minds only when she confesses that she is a pawn of Gargamel.
When the Smurfette story was adapted for the cartoon show, the plastic smurfery was moved to after the dam incident and the subsequent trial. With the trial, all the Smurfs are depicted as angrily well aware of Smurfette's treachery and change their minds only when she confesses that she is a pawn of Gargamel.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2011/07/the-problem-with-smurfette/242690/|title=The Problem With Smurfette|first=Jason|last=Richards|date=July 28, 2011|website=The Atlantic}}</ref>


Some time after Smurfette gets her new look, Gargamel contacts her and after noting that she's changed, he tells her that he can help her repay the Smurfs with a surprise party by the big oak tree. Of course, it turns out to be a trap. Fortunately, Smurfette arrives late and after discovering that she had been tricked, she disguises herself as a male Smurf, rescues the other Smurfs, and defeats Gargamel. The episode ends with Gargamel running away from the human woman the Smurfs created while Smurfette, with her loyalty now clearly established, is fully welcomed in the Smurf community.
Some time after Smurfette gets her new look, Gargamel contacts her and after noting that she's changed, he tells her that he can help her repay the Smurfs with a surprise party by the big oak tree. Of course, it turns out to be a trap. Smurfette arrives late and after discovering that she had been tricked, she disguises herself as a male Smurf, rescues the other Smurfs, and defeats Gargamel. The episode ends with Gargamel running away from the homely human woman the Smurfs created while Smurfette, with her loyalty now clearly established, is fully welcomed into the Smurf community.

==Trivia==
*In this album it is stated how Grouchy Smurf became the smurf he is today - he was the first one was stung by the infected fly (in the album 'the Black Smurfs'), and although healed from the poison, his personality never fully recovered.{{Citation needed|date=August 2011}}

==Controversies==
====Criticisms of Smurfette’s Creation Narrative====
Numerous critics have condemned the narrative of Smurfette’s creation.<ref name="femfreq">{{cite AV media | people = Anita Sarkeesian | title = Tropes vs. Women: #3 The Smurfette Principle | medium = Web Series | publisher = Feminist Frequency | date = 2011-04-21 | url = http://www.feministfrequency.com/2011/04/tropes-vs-women-3-the-smurfette-principle/ }}</ref><ref name="Santoso">{{Citation | last = Santoso | first = Alex | title = 10 Smurfiest Facts About The Smurfs | publisher = Neatorama | date = 2008-01-17 | url = http://www.neatorama.com/2008/01/17/10-smurfiest-facts-about-the-smurfs/ | accessdate = 2014-12-09 }}</ref><ref name="Schmidt">{{Citation | last = Schmidt | first = J Marc | title = Socio-Political Themes in The Smurfs
| publisher = Vivid Scribe | date = 2011-06-02 | url = http://www.vividscribe.com/socio-political-themes-in-the-smurfs/ | accessdate = 2014-12-09 }}</ref><ref name="Bacon">{{Citation | last = Bacon | first = Annie | title = Dans la lignée de la poursuite contre Tintin au Congo… avez-vous relu la Schtroumpfette récemment? | publisher = Roman Jeunesse | date = 2010-05-10 | url = http://www.romanjeunesse.com/2010/05/10/dans-la-lignee-de-la-poursuite-contre-tintin-au-congo%E2%80%A6-avez-vous-relu-la-schtroumpfette-recemment/ | accessdate = 2014-12-09 }}</ref><ref name="Pasamonik3">{{Citation | last = Pasamonik | first = Didier | title = Antoine Bueno : « Le village des Schtroumpfs est un archétype d’utopie totalitaire emprunt de nazisme et de stalinisme. » | publisher = | date = 2011-05-30 | url = http://www.actuabd.com/Antoine-Bueno-Le-village-des | accessdate = 2014-12-09 }}</ref>

Writers criticize the text of Gargamel’s formula to create Smurfette for its [[misogynistic]] depiction of so-called feminine nature.<ref name=" Bacon " /><ref name="Hamon">{{Citation | last = Hamon | first = Auriane | title = De quels livres jeunesse faut-il se méfier? Guide de non-achat | publisher = Rubiks Culture | date = 2014-03-17 | url = http://www.m2jc.fr/de-quels-livres-jeunesse-faut-il-se-mefier-guide-de-non-achat/ | accessdate = 2014-12-09 }}</ref><ref name="Pasamonik1">{{Citation | last = Pasamonik | first = Didier | title = La Schtroumpfette est l’avenir du Schtroumpf (air connu) | publisher = Actua BD | date = 2010-04-19 | url = http://www.actuabd.com/La-Schtroumpfette-est-l-avenir-du | accessdate = 2014-12-09 }}</ref> Didier Pasamonik even declares in an article that he wrote on Actua BD that it is “the most misogynist statement of the history of graphic novels!”<ref name=" Pasamonik1" />

====Criticisms of the Male-to-Female Ratio (''The Smurfette Principle'')====
Many critics have denounced the gender representation ratio in ''The Smurfs'' comics, cartoons, and movies.<ref name="Pollitt">{{cite news | last = Pollitt | first = Katha | title = Hers; The Smurfette Principle | newspaper = The New York Times | location = New York | language = English | publisher = The New York Times Company | date = 1991-04-07 | url = http://www.nytimes.com/1991/04/07/magazine/hers-the-smurfette-principle.html | accessdate = 2014-12-09 }}</ref><ref name=" femfreq " /><ref name="TTsmurfetteprinciple">{{Citation | title = The Smurfette Principle | publisher = TV Tropes | url = http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/TheSmurfettePrinciple | accessdate = 2014-12-09 }}</ref><ref name=" Schmidt " /><ref name="TTprominentfeisty">{{Citation | title = Prominent Feisty Female Character | publisher = TV Tropes | url = http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/discussion.php?id=uxd4b6f0wzcottwut2vf2qyi | accessdate = 2014-12-09 }}</ref><ref name="Cohen">{{Citation | last = Cohen | first = Philip | title = The Banal, Insidious Sexism of Smurfette | publisher = The Atlantic | date = 2013-08-09 | url = http://www.theatlantic.com/sexes/archive/2013/08/the-banal-insidious-sexism-of-smurfette/278511 | accessdate = 2014-12-09 }}</ref><ref name="Graham">{{Citation | last = Graham | first = Mariruth | title = Smurfy Sexism: Drawn with a Biased Hand | url = http://www.iamlost.com/features/smurfs/documents.shtml | accessdate = 2014-12-09 }}</ref><ref name="Richards">{{Citation | last = Richards | first = Jason | title = The Problem With Smurfette | publisher = The Atlantic | date = 2011-07-28 | url = http://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2011/07/the-problem-with-smurfette/242690/#slide1 | accessdate = 2014-12-09 }}</ref><ref name="Olson">{{Citation | last = Olson | first = Cheryl | title = The persistence of “Smurfette Syndrome” | publisher = Dr. Cheryl Olson | date = 2014-05-20 | url = http://www.drcherylolson.com/smurfette-syndrome/ | accessdate = 2014-12-09 }}</ref> In fact, the first ''The Smurfs'' movie itself mocks this imbalance when Gargamel’s character makes fun of Papa Smurf, satirizing, "I'm Papa Smurf . . . and [I] live in the forest with 99 sons and one daughter! Nothing weird about that, no no, totally normal!"<ref name="movie1">{{cite AV media | people = Gosnell, Raja (Director) | title = The Smurfs [http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0472181/?ref_=ttqt_qt_tt] | medium = Cinema production | location = United States | date = 2011 }}</ref>

Smurfette is, at first, the only female character in a village of one hundred Smurfs <ref name="comicFR" />; a second female Smurf was added twenty-one years later in the comic book ''Les P’tits Schtroumpfs''. The gender imbalance was famously criticized first by author [[Katha Pollitt]] in an article that she wrote for [[The New York Times]] in 1991, "Hers; The Smurfette Principle."<ref name=" Pollitt " /> It is in this article that Pollitt coined the name for the media trope that she called ''The Smurfette Principle'', which she defined as "a group of male buddies [that] will be accented by a lone female, stereotypically defined."<ref name=" Pollitt " /> ''The Smurfette Principle'' has been reused to describe the disparity of gender representation in many types of media since 1991. [[Katha Pollitt]] further critiqued Smurfette as an example of another trope, which [[TV Tropes]] refers now as ''Men Are Generic, Women Are Special''.<ref name=" Pollitt " /><ref name="TTgeneric">{{Citation | title = Men Are Generic, Women Are Special | publisher = TV Tropes | url = http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/MenAreGenericWomenAreSpecial | accessdate = 2014-12-09 }}</ref>

Video game critic [[Anita Sarkeesian]] refers to Smurfette in episode 3 of her webseries ''Tropes vs. Women''.<ref name=" femfreq " /> She explains and critiques the narrative of [[#Smurfette’s creation | Smurfette’s creation]] and the origin of the trope named after the character. Sarkeesian continues her presentation, relating ''The Smurfette Principle'' trope to numerous other media products, principally Hollywood movies and television shows. She also explains that ''The Smurfette Principle'' is "an alternative name for [[Tokenism]] or the ''Token Minority'' which is the inclusion of one cast member from a marginalized group in an otherwise, white, straight male ensemble."<ref name=" femfreq " />

The website [[TV Tropes]] presents a detailed description of ''The Smurfette Principle'', using Smurfette as an example of a "Male-to-Female ratio" problem.<ref name=" TTsmurfetteprinciple " /> [[TV Tropes]] also refers to Smurfette for another media trope called ''Territorial Smurfette''.<ref name="TTterritorialsmurfette">{{Citation | title = Territorial Smurfette | publisher = TV Tropes | url = http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/TerritorialSmurfette | accessdate = 2014-12-09 }}</ref>

Some argue that ''The Smurfette Principle'' in ''The Smurfs'' is compensated for by Smurfette’s strong presence and her capacity to solve problems.<ref name="BlueBuddies">{{Citation | title = SMURFETTE ON TRIAL - IS SMURFETTE SEXIST? | publisher = Blue Buddies | url = http://bluebuddies.com/help/smurfette_sexism.htm | accessdate = 2014-12-09 }}</ref> However, others refer to this compensation as another trope called ''Minority Feisty'', or, in this case, ''Prominent Feisty Female Character'', a trope in media where strong attributes are given to one or a few characters representing a minority in an attempt to counterweight the disproportion of their representation ratio.<ref name="RGsmurfetteprinciple">{{Citation | title = The Smurfette principle ‘evolves’ into the Minority Feisty | publisher = Real Girl | date = 2013-01-28 | url = http://reelgirl.com/2013/01/the-smurfette-principle-evolves-into-the-minority-feisty/ | accessdate = 2014-12-09 }}</ref><ref name="RGminorityfeisty">{{Citation | title = The curse of the Minority Feisty in kids movies | publisher = Real Girl | date = 2012-02-02 | url = http://reelgirl.com/2012/02/the-curse-of-the-minority-feisty-female-in-kids-movies/ | accessdate = 2014-12-09 }}</ref><ref name=" TTprominentfeisty " />

====Criticisms of Smurfette’s Personality and Physical Depiction====
In his analysis, graphic novelist J Marc Schmidt talks about the problems raised by Smurfette’s appearance and behaviors.<ref name=" Schmidt " /> Alike other critics <ref name=" Pollitt " /><ref name=" femfreq " /><ref name=" Santoso " /><ref name=" Schmidt " /><ref name=" Bacon " /><ref name=" Graham " /><ref name=" Pasamonik3" />, Schmidt condemns the manner in which many of Smurfette’s attributes are negative female [[stereotypes]].<ref name=" Schmidt " /> He first describes a problem with Smurfette’s name, as she is the only Smurf character whose name is only related to her gender. All the other Smurf characters have names referring to their occupation or their personality, but Smurfette’s main occupation is "being the woman."<ref name=" Schmidt " /> Schmidt also frames the idea that Smurfette is portrayed as an "object" for the [[male gaze]].<ref name=" Schmidt " />

====Criticisms of Peyo’s Intent Regarding Smurfette====
Sociologist Jeffery P. Dennis wrote a detailed analysis of children’s cartoons featuring homosexual couples and relationships.<ref name="Dennis">{{Citation | last = Dennis | first = Jeffery P. | title = Queertoons | publisher = Soundscapes | year = 2003 | url = http://www.icce.rug.nl/~soundscapes/VOLUME06/Queertoons.shtml | accessdate = 2014-12-09 }}</ref> In his article, he hypothesized that the character of Smurfette was only introduced into the story "to provide an object for the Smurfs' heterosexual desire and defuse conjectures that they might be 'really' gay."<ref name=" Dennis " />

Thierry Culliford, the son of [[Peyo]], declared that his "father had no specific message," while he was answering a question concerning Smurfette’s exclusivity in an interview.<ref name="Pasamonik2">{{Citation | last = Pasamonik | first = Didier | title = Thierry Culliford (Studio Peyo) : « Les Schtroumpfs doivent être lus au premier degré. » | publisher = Actua BD | date = 2011-07-13 | url = http://www.actuabd.com/Thierry-Culliford-Studio-Peyo-Les | accessdate = 2014-12-09 }}</ref> However, different information was revealed in a biography of [[Peyo]] written in 2003 by Belgian journalist and film critic Hugues Dayez.<ref name="Dayez">{{Citation | first = Hugues | last = Dayez | title = Peyo L'enchanteur | publisher = Niffle | year = 2003 | page = 190 | isbn = 2-87393-046-2 }}</ref> Many have used this book to cite a famous meeting that [[Peyo]] had with the children programs’ executives of [[Hanna-Barbera]] studios at [[NBC]], discussing ''The Smurfs'' cartoon.<ref name=" Santoso " /><ref name=" Dayez " /><ref name=" BlueBuddies " /> [[Peyo]] was invited to explain to [[Hanna-Barbera]]’s team how he sees his characters. [[Yvan Delporte]], [[Peyo]]’s collaborator, helped as an interpreter between [[Peyo]], who spoke French, and [[Hanna-Barbera]]’s team, who spoke English. Delporte recalled, "All was very simple until we had to define Smurfette. Peyo started by saying that she was 'very feminine'. They asked him to elaborate on this thought. So he continued, 'She is pretty, blonde, she has all qualities of women…' Knowing the state of feminism in USA, I tactfully translated with 'all good qualities.' I was betting on the fact that Peyo did not understand what I was saying [in English], and the Americans [did not understand] what [Peyo] wanted to say. Obviously, they asked him to explain further. [Peyo] continued his idea, 'She seduces, she uses trickery rather than force to get what she wants. She is unable to tell a joke without blowing the punch line. She is a blabbermouth but only talks about superficial things. She is continually causing enormous problems for the Smurfs, but she always manages to blame it on someone else…' I desperately tried to minimize how misogynistic this description sounded, but then one interlocutor asked him, 'But she still could, when the Smurfs are in danger, take decisions that would save them?' When I translated this question to Peyo he looked at me astonished [and said], 'Come on now, don’t tell me they want to make her a gym teacher?' I obviously did not translate this last comment."<ref name=" Dayez " />

On the fan website BlueBuddies, a page on Smurfette reports parts of this interview, examining if [[Peyo]]’s intentions regarding Smurfette were [[misogynistic]]. The analysis concluded, "Peyo appears to be misogynist."<ref name=" BlueBuddies " /> However, the author continues by explaining that the American studio would certainly not have sacrificed their moral values simply to follow [[Peyo]]’s intent, and that Smurfette was presented in the American show as a capable character that "can indeed be a superhero."<ref name=" BlueBuddies " /> Nevertheless, this notion has also been criticized and can be linked to the previously discussed tropes of the ''Minority Feisty'', and the ''Prominent Feisty Female Character'', a "modern take on ''The Smurfette Principle''", according to the website [[TV Tropes]].<ref name=" RGminorityfeisty " /><ref name=" TTprominentfeisty " />

==List of Media Tropes Relating to Smurfette==
* [http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/TheSmurfettePrinciple?from=Main.SmurfettePrinciple The Smurfette Principle]
* [http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/TerritorialSmurfette Territorial Smurfette]
* [http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/MenActWomenAre Men Act, Women Are]
* [http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/MenAreGenericWomenAreSpecial Men Are Generic, Women Are Special]
* [http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/MenAreStrongWomenArePretty Men Are Strong, Women Are Pretty]
* [http://reelgirl.com/2013/01/the-smurfette-principle-evolves-into-the-minority-feisty/ Minority Feisty]<ref name=" RGminorityfeisty " />
* [http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/NeverASelfMadeWoman Never a Self-Made Woman]
* [http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/discussion.php?id=uxd4b6f0wzcottwut2vf2qyi Prominent Feisty Female Character]
* [[Tokenism]]
* [http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/TokenMinority Token Minority]


==Titles in languages other than English and French==
==Titles in languages other than English and French==
* Czech: ''Šmoulinka''
* ''De Smurfin'' - Dutch/ Flemish
* Danish: ''Smølfine''
* ''La Pitufina'' - Spanish
* Dutch/ Flemish: ''De Smurfin''
* ''Smerfetka'' - Polish
* Finnish: ''Smurffiina''
* ''Штрумфета'' - Macedonian
* German: ''Die Schlumpfine''
* ''La Puffetta'' - Italian
* Italian: ''La Puffetta''
* ''Şirine'' - Turkish
* Macedonian: ''Штрумфета''
* ''Smurffiina'' - Finnish
* Polish: ''Smerfetka''
* Slovenian: ''Smrketa''
* Spanish: ''La Pitufina''
* Turkish: ''Şirine''
== See also ==
*[[Smurfette principle]]


==References==
==References==

{{Reflist}}
{{Reflist}}


{{The Smurfs Series}}
{{The Smurfs Series}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Smurfette}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Smurfette}}
[[Category:Smurfs]]
[[Category:The Smurfs characters]]
[[Category:The Smurfs books|Smurfette]]
[[Category:1966 in comics]]
[[Category:1966 graphic novels]]
[[Category:1966 comics debuts]]
[[Category:Comics characters introduced in 1966]]

Latest revision as of 07:11, 9 August 2024

For the character, see Smurfette.

The Smurfette
(La Schtroumpfette)
CreatorPeyo
Date16 March 1967
SeriesThe Smurfs
Page count64 pages
PublisherDupuis
Chronology
Preceded byKing Smurf (1965)
Followed byThe Egg and the Smurfs (1968)

The Smurfette (French: La Schtroumpfette) is the third album of the original French-language Smurfs comic series.[1] The story has also been made into an episode of the Smurfs animated cartoon show, where the only known significant difference is that Smurfette stays in the village for the rest of the show's run.[2] Apart from the titular story, it contains another one called La Faim des Schtroumpfs ("The Hunger of the Smurfs").[3][4]

Plot

[edit]

The Smurfette

[edit]

Gargamel wants to take revenge against the Smurfs for his humiliating defeat at their hands. He decides that the most horrible plan to destroy them would be to send them a female Smurf, who shall seduce them and lead them to their doom. He thus fashions her out of clay and dips her in a potion, creating Smurfette.[5]

Smurfette is sent to the Smurf village, and the others befriend her, despite that she later proves to be annoying, albeit good-meaning. She is very talkative, a bit bossy, overly friendly, and hysterical. At first, Smurfette looks like a male Smurf with scraggly black hair, a large nose, and rather surly eyes, the only thing separating her from the rest being her white dress; not exactly the attractive temptress that Gargamel tried to create.

Some of the Smurfs become sick of her, so they decide to play a trick: they make her think she has become overweight (by rigging a scale, setting in a misshaping mirror, making her listen to some nasty talk...). Becoming depressed, she realizes that she is not pretty and Papa Smurf decides to help her: he operates plastic smurfery on her for days and nights, and Smurfette comes out with blonde hair, more delicate features, longer eyelashes, walking and acting much more gracefully.

All the Smurfs instantly fall in love with her and soon after, they all try to seduce her through different means. The competition and jealousy eventually bring chaos and violence among the Smurfs, who are ready for anything to please her, even painting the dam of the river pink.

The last straw is when Smurfette forces Poet Smurf to open the dam for her, just so she could see the water spurting. The dam gets stuck open and the village is flooded. Even after the dam is sealed back up, the village is in a disastrous state. When Papa Smurf discovers that Smurfette is indirectly responsible, he tells her that she has only brought trouble. Furious, Smurfette tells them all that she shall then go back to Gargamel. After hearing this, Papa Smurf orders her arrested and places her on trial.

The trial proves to be quite biased, most of the Smurfs supporting Smurfette's innocence. Jokey Smurf (who is Smurfette's attorney) reminds them that she has been able to seduce the Smurfs because of Papa Smurf, who made her attractive. Smurfette is eventually declared not guilty.

Smurfette cannot stand the Smurfs fighting each other for her anymore, so she leaves the village indefinitely, leaving a message saying that she will be back one day (which she eventually does).

Although they are saddened by the event, Papa Smurf cheers them up by telling that they should get revenge on Gargamel and give him a taste of his own medicine: they create a fat ugly human woman out of clay (as Gargamel did with Smurfette) and send her to his house, where she desperately asks him for shelter, speaking in Smurf talk. The story ends with Gargamel running away from her, grumbling that he shall take vengeance.

The Hunger of the Smurfs

[edit]

Winter is near and the Smurfs are gathering food. But days after the winter comes, the food storage is destroyed in a fire. To survive, they are forced to leave the village and find a place where they can feed themselves. After long days journeying in the cold wilderness, they find a human castle where its lord is living alone after losing all his fortune. Trying to find remaining food, they stumble on a secret room of jewels. They share their discovery with the lord, who can then buy food for them. The Smurfs are then able to go back to the village.[6]

In other media

[edit]

When the Smurfette story was adapted for the cartoon show, the plastic smurfery was moved to after the dam incident and the subsequent trial. With the trial, all the Smurfs are depicted as angrily well aware of Smurfette's treachery and change their minds only when she confesses that she is a pawn of Gargamel.[7]

Some time after Smurfette gets her new look, Gargamel contacts her and after noting that she's changed, he tells her that he can help her repay the Smurfs with a surprise party by the big oak tree. Of course, it turns out to be a trap. Smurfette arrives late and after discovering that she had been tricked, she disguises herself as a male Smurf, rescues the other Smurfs, and defeats Gargamel. The episode ends with Gargamel running away from the homely human woman the Smurfs created while Smurfette, with her loyalty now clearly established, is fully welcomed into the Smurf community.

Titles in languages other than English and French

[edit]
  • Czech: Šmoulinka
  • Danish: Smølfine
  • Dutch/ Flemish: De Smurfin
  • Finnish: Smurffiina
  • German: Die Schlumpfine
  • Italian: La Puffetta
  • Macedonian: Штрумфета
  • Polish: Smerfetka
  • Slovenian: Smrketa
  • Spanish: La Pitufina
  • Turkish: Şirine

See also

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "Behind the Blue: The Story of Peyo". The Comics Journal. August 28, 2018.
  2. ^ "Meet the Real Smurfette". The Daily Beast. July 29, 2011 – via www.thedailybeast.com.
  3. ^ "Les Schtroumpfs Tome 3 - Album La Schtroumpfette". decitre.fr (in French). 15 November 2023.
  4. ^ "Smurfs #4: The Smurfette, The". goodreads.com. 6 January 2023.
  5. ^ The Smurfs 4 - The Smurfette by Peyo, Yvan Delporte. Simon and Schuster. 18 June 2013. ISBN 978-1-59707-531-2.
  6. ^ "Les Schtroumpfs-Tome-3-La-Schtroumpfette". bedetheque.com (in French). 16 November 2023.
  7. ^ Richards, Jason (July 28, 2011). "The Problem With Smurfette". The Atlantic.
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