Just how evil was Gargamel? So evil, he attempted to get those rotten little sickeningly sweet happy Smurfs through their big hearts. He created a Smurfette, using ingredients such as half a pack of lies and the hardest stone for her heart. Not a very original thing to do, but this was 100 .. wait.. make that 98 Smurfs at the time (I may be wrong. I'll explain later), all of whom were male. The next morning, Hefty Smurf overheard someone crying, while picking smurfberries (remember that part), and shortly thereafter, he met Smurfette. She was all alone in a hideous forest full of frightening noises, and also weak and helpless. Being the gentleman that he was, Hefty picked her up over his shoulder and took her into the village where she could stay for as long as she liked. But they were in for a surprise. She contacted Gargamel with some magic little mirror, and he commanded her to get out there and capture their little blue hearts. She gulped and got started. She tried hard, but failed. Smurfette was put on trial for flooding the village, in view of the evidence in what Greedy Smurf had told them. She broke out in tears and admitted she was working for Gargamel. Papa told her it wasn't her fault that Gargamel created her to smurf them. She decided she wanted to be a real Smurf. This had never been done before. But, Papa Smurf managed to undo Gargamel's spell, .. "And now with the power of all I command, Smurfette become Smurf, and before me stand!" And, boy, was it a smurfy spell! The others started bringing her gifts and offering to walk her home. Heck, I don't blame them one bit! She finally looked like a real Smurf, but feeling like one she had to manage on her own. And she did.

All was well for a few years. Gargamel didn't give up so easily, though. He attempted to undo Papa's undoing spell on Smurfette. This time, Papa Smurf wasn't going to be able to give Smurfette another smurfy spell, because it could only be done once. Gargamel's new spell took a while to take effect. When it was done, she had to wear a blonde wig so the others wouldn't know. Then she looked around for that mirror and contacted Gargamel again. This time, Smurfette seemed a lot meaner and more evil than when she was originally created.. maybe even worse than Gargamel. She got them all captured this time. Unfortunately for Gargamel, her feelings towards the sweet and nice Smurfs were still inside her. She somehow freed herself from Gargamel's spell, along with the other Smurfs.

What happened here? Why did Smurfette seem so mean the second time around? Her voice even seemed meaner. I don't remember her being mean the first time. She was scared back then. And why did she keep the mirror all those years?

Then we have the episode which had Papa Smurf telling a story about the first smurfberry bush. Unless I'm mistaken, Captain Dreamy took some smurfs on a cruise, they got stuck on an island where Greedy complained that there was nothing to eat but some seeds. They took the seeds home and planted one, and it became the first smurfberry bush. What was Smurfette doing in this flashback? Wasn't Hefty picking smurfberries when he met Smurfette, crying in the forest?

Then we have an episode called "The Hundredth Smurf". Bad luck was happening all over the village. Papa Smurf read that to stop this bad luck, the dance of the hundred Smurfs must be performed. A hundred smurfs!?!? They need a hundred smurfs! Do they HAVE a hundred smurfs! He counted everyone, including Lazy, Greedy, Smurfette, and himself. There were only 99! What to do!?!?

Meanwhile, Vanity Smurf had two broken mirrors in one day. How unlucky can a Smurf get? He decided to make a mirror out of unbreakable silver. Oooh, how exciting! By the time he finished it, lightning struck him and the mirror. His reflection came to life. It followed him to the village, screaming "Myself by followed being I'm. Help!"

To Papa Smurf, this was good luck. They found their hundredth Smurf! But it could only dance backwards. That night, Vanity got mad at his double and kicked him out. The next morning, the Smurfs tried to find him, so they can teach him not to dance backwards. He was struck by lightning, and talked normal as he was found by Vanity, Smurfette, and Papa. And the dance was performed.

I don't remember seeing the hundredth Smurf again. What became of him? He didn't have a past like the others did. What did they name him? Did they build him his own house?

(update 6/16/98)

Now I'd like to ponder the question about how many Smurfs there are. We started with 98. Smurfette was 99. Vanity's reflection became 100.

But there was one episode called "Smurfomatic Smurfulator". Handy has a bad dream about trying to find a machine he created. When he found it, it turned into a statue of himself, and then the statue of himself turned into Gargamel. What did that dream mean?

Painter's dreams tell him what to paint. The colors to use and everything. He is an artist, so he listens. Maybe... That's it! Handy's dream told him to build the greatest machine in the hostory of Smurfdom!! .. If he only knew what it was, or how to build it. Such a deep condition couldn't go unsmurfed. He got to work on the machine, using some other Smurfs' stuff as material. This upset them very much. Until...

Gargamel receives a package from his mother. It was a bunch of magic weed seeds that would grow into huge weed and do who knows what. Aren't mommies wonderful?

The machine was built by the time the weeds had appeared in the village. The Smurfomatic Smurfulator was meant to mow the weeds up quickly and effectively. Handy was the hero!

But if you listened closely after the part where Hefty saves Brainy from a weed, Papa Smurf counted the 98 Smurfs on the machine. Who was missing? Easy. Vanity, Lazy, and Clumsy. Don't worry, they made it. But for you non math majors, that adds up to 101. Where did the extra Smurf come from? This was before Baby, Grandpa, Nanny, Wild, and Sasette came to the village. I think I have the answer.

In "The Fake Smurf", Hogatha the Witch created a spell to get the Smurfs back for destroying her magic locket. (We'll discuss that later) The spell turned her into a Smurf. She had to paint a pea blue and glue it to her butt for a tail, though. She tried to blow up a bridge with Jokey's presents, and she tried to poison their food, not knowing it was a laundry bucket. Later, her tail was found, and the search for the impostor began. It was Snorty, of course. She tried to change herself back. She did, except she was still Smurf size. They threw her out.

Maybe these last two episodes co existed? Maybe Snorty was number 101 for a while? If so, don't you think Papa Smurf should have suspected something when he counted 101 Smurfs on the Smurfomatic Whatchamasmurfit?

Baby Smurf became 101 when he was delivered by the stork. Sasette was created by Snappy, Slouchy, and Nat (after they became kids again, but we'll discuss that later, also), making her 102.

That same season, Baby was going to have a very special day. At an exact time of that evening, he would be placed on a mushroom and speak his first word. That first word would give us a little peek into his future. Gargamel kidnapped Baby, which the other Smurfs just couldn't let happen. They made a deal with him. He has to take care of Baby and then let him and one adult Smurf go, and the rest of the Smurfs would willingly give themselves to Gargamel. The Smurfs drew straws, and Grouchy, who loves Baby the most, was the one to take Baby there. Gargamel, surprise surprise, tried to double cross them. He nabbed Grouchy and Baby, having all 100 Smurfs! He didn't get the kids, Snappy, Nat, Slouchy, and Sasette. They offered themselves for the release of Grouchy and Baby. Gargamel accepted, not knowing it was a plan to free all the Smurfs. Grouchy rushed to the mushroom and barely made it. What was his first word? Grouchy hates Baby's first word!! "Ga.. ga ... Gargamel" .. This meant he would become a leader someday, and protect the Smurfs from danger. And nothing was as dangerous as Gargamel.

Back up. That's 104 Smurfs. What's going on here??

(more to come) Back to The Fifth Dimension.