What I learned from The Smurfs…

Cherie ♦ July 28, 2011 ♦ 5 Comments

 When I was a kid, my Saturday mornings weren’t filled with weird anime, Turbo Dogs or Power Rangers cartoons. I am part of the generation that grew up watching those loveable little blue creatures, the Smurfs. Those were the good ‘ol days. Those days get to return for a little while this week when the new movie, The Smurfs, opens in theaters.

Movie poster

 Sure, they look a wee bit different. They’re in that CG imaging and not a cartoon format as I’d like. But it’s still them! Millions of people who came after my generation will get to experience the awesomeness that is the Smurfs. I hope. IF the movie stays true to the cartoon. I also hope that some of those people will be some of the same ones that were within earshot when I shrieked out loud at the sight of this in the mall the other day:

Eeeekkkk. There are so many of them. And they're so cute!

 I saw this at the entrance to Build-A-Bear and freaked out. I wanted one sooooo badly! But then again, what would I do with a Smurf? If it were a real Smurf, you know if they existed and all, I’d keep it. In fact, my first argument with my hubby (boyfriend at the time) was over the Smurfs and my decision to keep one if I found it in the woods. True story. He doesn’t seem to remember this, but it happened. He didn’t think it would be right to keep a Smurf as a pet and remove it from its family and my take was that it was a Smurf and I would HAVE to have the little thing and it would get adjusted to living with us. It was such a meaningful discussion for me that I had to have them as toppers on our wedding cake!

A very Smurfy wedding!

 So yes, Smurfs have a special place in my heart. It took every fiber of my being to not sit down in Build-A-Bear like an 8-year-old and make my very own. I thought about making Brainy, because hubby looks like him. {Or he would look like him if he were a Smurf.} I also thought about making Smurfette because she looks like me.

Oooooh, I just love her!

 Okay, she’d look like me if I had flowing blonde hair and were a Smurf. {But who are we kidding. I’d probably be Vanity because I am never without my mirror ring that I wear EVERY day and constantly check out teeth, eyes or hair in. }

So why do I love them? Well, yes, it’s nostalgia. But it’s also what the Smurfs stood for. In every episode, without fail, those little, three-apples-high, blue creatures taught us great life lessons.

–They taught us to work together to achieve a goal.
–If you’re lazy you’ll get bitten by the purple gnap fly and turn into a zombie.
–They had a good mix of work hard/play hard.
–They weren’t afraid to be who they were–Smurfette rocked her feminine prowess, Hefty was strong {a bodybuilder–love it!}, Vanity {a little over the top but rocked his self-esteem}, Handy kept that place running, Papa was there for everyone all the time, etc….
–They lived off the land and always had plenty of food.
–They lived off the grid and still stayed in touch with everyone.
–They got plenty of exercise, working out there in the village and playing outdoors in the woods.

Watch out for Gargamel!

 –And importantly, watch out–sometimes there are those out there who wish to bring harm upon you {like Gargamel}. But stay true to yourself, do the right thing and you can fight evil! Karma will usually see to it too, lol…

I could go on about the values that the Smurfs taught me but I’ll end this for now. I think we could learn a thing or two from them! Now, I don’t know if I’ll actually go see it in the theater; I may just want to remember them as they were.  But oh, I miss those good ‘ol Smurfy days!

Did you watch the Smurfs cartoon? Which one was your favorite?