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Thursday, October 12, 2023

Halloween: The Smurfs Halloween Special (and one more thing)

Halloween 




           We take a dip into the "Smurfs" again this time taking in for Halloween. This special is an episode from season 3 of "The Smurfs" series and doesn't seem to be a popped out primetime special compared the ones like their Christmas specials. The name seems to be both "The Smurfs Halloween Special" and "All Hallows' Eve". That's confusing.  This special aired in 1983. 

                The special starts with Mother Nature, who in Smurfs' lore has shown up before (yes, Smurfs has a lore) she is voiced by June Foray, which will make you think of Granny from the Sylvester and Tweety cartoons.   She's busy making sure that the leaves of the forest are red by Halloween. (Does that mean orange, yellow, and brown leaves are failures?)  I don't know why just red though. She takes her red wand and goes on. 
I'm late for an important date/ Copyright Hanna-Barbera




        Meanwhile, the smurfs are busy making birthday stuff for Jokey's birthday. His birthday is on Halloween.  I like how the Smurfs are amazed that someone has a birthday on Halloween and that Jokey thinks he's the only one that does. It's also not often I see a birthday on Halloween thing, though.  In twist, it's also Gargamel's birthday. He's not happy probably because his name is Gargamel and just naturally he's not happy.  The obsessed on Smurfs man is also annoyed that they are happy (because he's grumpy) because they are celebrating the harvest. 

I also hate telemarketers! / Copyright Hanna-Barbera

More after the jump 


            Another character, Hogatha, a witch who also has shown up before in the series is happy that it's Halloween because she gets to go to Halloweentown... wait no, sorry, she gets to frighten children. Is that like that only day she can do such thing? Like  sorry, July 21 is off limit?  So I guess that's something.  

            
Not Fred Flinstone or.../ Copyright Hanna-Barbera


          Back in Smurf Village (which has no Village Inn) Papa Smurf decides to ask Lazy Smurf to go out into the woods to collect some red leaves for decorating. (Yeah, sure send the one literally called Lazy to do something)  Mother Nature is busy saying good bye to the geese and turning leaves red.  So really she's committing leaf murder.   Gargamel gets a birthday present from Jokey and that gift wasn't a good idea it made him mad. (I too would be mad if someone sent me something that explodes)   Papa Smurf again sent out the Smurf literally named Lazy out to do something and that one falls asleep in the woods. (good plan) 

sssh don't wake him/ Copyright Hanna-Barbera



        Gargamel is ticked off and decides to take his revenge on the Smurfs. In this case, he's kind of justified. Dude was minding his business and just raving, Jokey sent him a gift that exploded so... uhh flag on the play?  Mother Nature continues her thing and then even ends up turning Lazy red. (Finally a red Smurf toy to buy)  Mother Nature proves to be useless she can't change back Lazy because she doesn't have a blue wand. (how does she clean her toilets?)  I'm wondering how she made Blueberries unless that's not her department, or she could use the yellow and green wands and combine them... tangent. 

He might be red, but he feels blue/ Copyright Hanna-Barbera 



            Mother Nature again is useless. Lazy is now sad. The other smurfs are having fun in celebrating Jokey's birthday.  Since "Happy Birthday" song was held up in royalties and stuff  at the time, they use "We Wish You a Merry Christmas" melody to sing Happy Birthday which was a choice.  Jokey also gave everyone a gift himself, which they all do is explode. I'm  concerned the Smurfs are high and don't really even care that the gifts all don't just explode, except one.  He also gave one to himself to explode.  They then notice Lazy is missing.

Hmm USPS won't accept this/ Copyright Hanna-Barbera



             Gargamel's plan to mess with the Smurfs is to cause rain. (Weak) Lazy has become depressed and doesn't want to go back home, he also hopes that the rain will wash off the red. Hogatha isn't happy it's raining  and is mad that her weather charts didn't say anything, and this makes her thinks something is wrong. Also Papa Smurf is surprised that it's raining because it apparently never rains on Halloween or Smurf's birthdays. (Or  April 7th for some reason)  Hogatha crash lands down a tree and then falls on Garagemel.  

            
You're not an angel/ Copyright Hanna-Barbera


            Lazy, Gargamel, and Hogatha are in the same spot now. She's not happy with Gargamel because her mission to scare children has been ruined by the rain. Mother Nature has actually stopped being useless and went to Father Time (heh) to see if he can help Lazy. She wants him to go back in time to help her un do it, but he decided no. Then she convinces him to go to her place and her other wand.  Gargamel and Hogatha fight over Lazy because he's red. (red!) I like how Garagamel is the one to suggest sharing, that's kind of funny. 

                        

                 The smurfs find Lazy and see that the witch and Garagamel are going to cut him half. Though Garagmel seems to be either trying to trick the witch to have Lazy all to himself or isn't sure sure a red smurf is a smurf.  He's stalling for time for the Smufs to save Lazy, duh. (Hmm I see)  The smurfs save Lazy and the other smurfs are very nice to him of course.  (There's no Mean-y Smurf) 

        Mother Nature decides to use Jam to bribe Father Time and  make Lazy go back to being blue (and white). 
Father Time has time for this/ copyright Hannah-Barbera 



         This episode being part of the main series, but being a double length episode, really was a typical episode that happened to take place on Halloween. I can see why this one was also renamed and didn't air in primetime. It's not a bad episode of the show, it's typical of the show, but yeah it's not a big Halloween to-do episode.  That's why this is an early post.  

I've decided to give a bit more... with a look at the episode after it , "The Littlest Witch" 

            This episode the smurfs are going to Witch Haven to get Witch Hazel, because that's the only place they can find it apparently. (No Longs' Drugs in Smurf world) Witch Haven is a school for witches. (ooh)  




            The episode cuts to Brenda, a witch, in the witch school doing witch topics. (Which topics are those?)  Water will take a witch's power, and the teacher reminds them to stay out of the rain and don't take baths. (oooh) I do find it funny here since the witch in the last episode seemed just fine in the rain besides crashing into a tree and that was because of the lightning so? (Smurf lore is kind of weak sometimes) 

            The teacher isn't happy with Brenda because she's being a bad witch and not  a bad/evil witch, just bad at being a witch. (what?) The teacher is going to give Brenda one more chance: she has to turn a song bird into a bat before sun down. If she doesn't she'll be expelled, which the way she said it she went with EX---spaced I thought was going to say executed.  Which would be evil.  The teacher says she'll be watching on her crystal ball (along with watching ESPN2).  
Guess which witch is which? Copyright Hanna-Barbera


       Brenda tries to turn a bird into a bat, but ends up with a butterfly. (Which is kind of evil) She finds another bird and turns it into a frog.  The smurfs find her and scold her for turning birds into other creatures. Is the teacher watching here too?  Anyway the smurfs want to tell her what good is. The teacher finds out that Papa Smurf is real and wants to destroy him. (Random) 

The All Papa Smurf Channel, mostly airs Aliens/ Copyright Hanna-Barbera



            Brenda turned Brainy into a pig.  Papa tells Brenda what good is. (But he won't say What is Love?)  Papa starts to work on undoing Brenda's spells and he decides it's a good idea to send Scaredy Smurf up a tree to get something because man has a strange agenda.  He's named Scaredy, now you want him to be brave? You named him Scaredy! 


            The witch teacher shows up and the Smurfs, besides Brainy, scatter. She turns him into a chicken. (Up next, he'll be turned into beef)  She's able to capture Scaredy, she wants Papa to turn himself in for a swap. (not a fair trade, don't do it)  The Smurfs go and rescue Scaredy.  Brenda and Papa Smurf lead the teacher on a chase, but then Brenda turns teacher's broom in to an anvil and she falls into the water -meaning no powers for a year.

                Brenda decides she's going be a good witch and show the power of goodness or something and yeah that's the episode. 

             This was a fun episode. Again, pretty simple. I wasn't even adding this one and saying it's a Halloween episode, just doing it because witch. The idea of a witch being good is always an interesting concept and it was done alright here.  Very smurfy.  



             That's it for now, tune in next time when  we turn a butterfly into a stick of butter.  

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