The Smurfs

***The Smurfs*** (syndicated as ***Smurfs' Adventures***) is an American-Belgian animated fantasy-comedy children's television series that aired on NBC from 12 September 1981 to 2 December 1989. Produced by Hanna-Barbera Productions, it is based on the Belgian comic series by the same name, created by Belgian cartoonist Peyo (who also served as story supervisor of this adaptation) and aired for 256 episodes with a total of 418 stories, excluding three cliffhanger episodes and seven specials.

## History

In 1976, Stuart R. Ross, an American media and entertainment entrepreneur who saw the Smurfs while traveling in Belgium, entered into an agreement with Editions Dupuis and Peyo, acquiring North American and other rights to the characters, whose original name was "les Schtroumpfs". Subsequently, Ross launched the Smurfs in the United States in association with a California company, Wallace Berrie and Co., whose figurines, dolls and other Smurf merchandise became a hugely popular success. NBC President Fred Silverman's daughter, Melissa, had a Smurf doll of her own that he had bought for her at a toy shop while they were visiting Aspen, Colorado. Silverman thought that a series based on the Smurfs might make a good addition to his Saturday-morning lineup.

The Saturday morning cartoon *The Smurfs*, produced by Hanna-Barbera Productions in association with SEPP International S.A. (from 1981 to 1987) and Lafig S.A. (in the years 1988 and 1989), debuted on NBC in 1981. The series became a major success for the network (one of the few hits to emerge from the Fred Silverman era) and one of the most successful and longest running Saturday morning cartoons in television history, spawning seven spin-off television specials on an almost yearly basis. The characters included Papa Smurf, Smurfette, Brainy Smurf, the evil Gargamel, his cat Azrael, and Johan and his friend Peewit. *The Smurfs* was nominated multiple times for Daytime Emmy Awards and won Outstanding Children's Entertainment Series in 1982–1983.

By 1989, the show was in its ninth season and had reached the 200-episode threshold, an extreme rarity when most cartoons were gone after two seasons and 22 episodes (it also far exceeded the typical 65-episode run of a first-run syndicated show of the era). In an effort to come up with new ideas to keep the show fresh, NBC changed the format of the show, removing some of the Smurfs from the forest and omitting the Smurf Village. These changes were adopted to a lost-in-time format similar to *The Time Tunnel*. The show continued through the end of the season, airing the last original episode 2 December 1989 on NBC.

## Voices and characters

Main article: List of The Smurfs characters

* Charlie Adler as Natural "Nat" Smurfling (1985-1989)
* Jack Angel as Enchanter Homnibus (1982-1988)
* Marlene Aragon
* Bob Arbogast
* René Auberjonois
* Ed Begley, Jr.
* Bernard Behrens
* Michael Bell as Grouchy Smurf, Handy Smurf, Lazy Smurf, Johan (1982-1988), Gargamel (Season 9), additional voices
* Gregg Berger
* Mel Blanc
* Lucille Bliss as Smurfette
* Susan Blu as Nanny Smurf (1988), Pansy
* Sorrell Booke
* Greg Burson
* Ruth Buzzi
* William Callaway as Clumsy Smurf, Painter Smurf, additional voices
* Joey Camen as Natural Smurf (1983-1985)
* Hamilton Camp as Greedy Smurf, Harmony Smurf, Woody, additional voices
* Roger C. Carmel
* Mary Jo Catlett - Madam Hildegarde ("Stop and Go Smurfs," 1987)
* William Christopher as Angel Smurf
* Philip L. Clarke
* Selette Cole
* Henry Corden as Grako (Ep. "The Magic Fountain")
* Tandy Cronyn
* Peter Cullen as Zeus (1989)
* Brian Cummings
* Jim Cummings as the Sultan of Sweets (1989)
* Keene Curtis as Lord Balthazar
* Jennifer Darling as Princess Sabina
* Leo De Lyon
* Patti Deutsch
* Richard Dysart
* Marshall Efron as Sloppy Smurf
* Richard Erdman
* Bernard Erhard as Timber Smurf
* June Foray as Jokey Smurf, Mother Nature, Gargamel's mother, additional voices
* Pat Fraley as Tuffy Smurf (1984)
* Steve Franken
* Linda Gary as Dame Barbara, Chlorhydris (all episodes except the special "My Smurfy Valentine")
* Dick Gautier as Wooly Smurf
* Henry Gibson
* Ed Gilbert
* Patty Glick
* Danny Goldman as Brainy Smurf
* Ernest Harada
* Phil Hartman
* Bob Holt as the Good King (1982-1985)
* Jerry Houser - Ripple (1985), Tebuli the Genie (1989)
* John Ingle
* Tony Jay as Merlin (1989)
* Arte Johnson as Devil Smurf
* Marvin Kaplan as Gourdy (Ep. "Farmer's Genie")
* Zale Kessler
* Aron Kincaid
* Kip King as Tailor Smurf
* Paul Kirby as Narrator (1985-1989)
* Robbie Lee
* Ruta Lee as Morgan Lafay (1989)
* Marilyn Lightstone
* Allan Lurie
* Norma MacMillan as Brenda (1983)
* Tress MacNeille as Blue Eyes' mother
* Patty Maloney as Blue Eyes
* Kenneth Mars as Harmony Smurf, King Bullrush, Yves, Julius Geezer (1989)
* Mona Marshall as Andria (1983)
* Amanda McBroom as Chlorhydris (the special "My Smurfy Valentine")
* Cindy McGee
* Julie McWhirter as Baby Smurf (1983-1989), Sassette Smurfling (1985-1989)
* Allan Melvin
* Don Messick as Papa Smurf, Azrael, Dreamy Smurf, Sickly Smurf (1983), Sweepy Smurf, additional voices
* Sidney Miller
* Larry Moss
* Pat Musick as Snappy Smurfling (1985-1989)
* Noelle North as Slouchy Smurfling (1985-1988)
* Alan Oppenheimer as Vanity Smurf, Father Time
* Patricia Parris as Acorn
* Rob Paulsen as Marco Smurf (1985)
* Clare Peck
* Vic Perrin
* Henry Polic II as Tracker Smurf
* Philip Proctor as King Gerard
* Dan Radloff as Sneaky Smurf, Spy Smurf, Stinky Smurf
* Robert Ridgely
* Neil Ross
* Joseph Ruskin
* Will Ryan as The Wartmongers
* Michael Rye as Morlock
* William Schallert
* Ronnie Schell as Pushover Smurf
* Marilyn Schreffler
* Avery Schreiber
* Mimi Seton
* Susan Silo as Petaluma (1986)
* Hal Smith as Sludge
* Kath Soucie as Adella ("Stop and Go Smurfs," 1987), Ali Baby (1989)
* John Stephenson as the Evil Imp and the Spirit of the Ancient Trolls (Ep. "Smurfette's Dancing Shoes")
* Kris Stevens as Narrator (1981-1985)
* Andrea Stoddart
* Andre Stojka
* Dee Stratton
* Russi Taylor as Smoogle (1988-1989), Brenda (1986)
* Fred Travalena
* Brenda Vaccaro as Scruple (1986-1989), Architect Smurf
* Janet Waldo as Hogatha
* B. J. Ward
* Lennie Weinrib as Bigmouth
* Frank Welker as Hefty Smurf, Clockwork Smurf, Peewit (1982-1989), Poet Smurf, Puppy (1985-1988), Wild Smurf (1987-1989), Nemesis (1988), the Darkness Monster, the Sandman, additional voices
* Paul Winchell as Gargamel (1981-1988), Nosey Smurf
* Jonathan Winters as Grandpa Smurf (1986-1989)
* Francine Witkin as Lady Luck
* Alan Young as Miner Smurf, Farmer Smurf, Scaredy Smurf, additional voices
* Joan Gerber - Gowagga Puppet ("Snappy's Puppet")

## Production

Outsourced production work was done by Wang Film Productions/Cuckoo's Nest Studios and, only for Season 7, by Toei Animation.