History NightmareFuel / TheSmurfs

** The worst thing about the Black/Purple Smurfs is unlike the zombies they're loosely based on, [[ItCanThink they aren't mindless]]. One of the transformed Smurfs intentionally paints itself blue to make itself look like it hasn't been infected yet,allowing it to spread the infection in safety. Trying to stop TheVirus is bad enough, but having said virus be smart enough that it can counter your lines of defense and mask itself among the healthy is so much more chilling.

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** Worse was the ending of ''The Black Smurfs''. Papa Smurf had been bitten after being reduced to the LastOfHisKind. The only reason the Smurfs were saved from their extinction was cartoon physics, with the fire spreading the antidote as a gas rather than diluting and burning it on the ground. Otherwise they'd all still be that way.

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[[quoteright:350:https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/smurfs_are_dead_unicef_2005.png]]
[[caption-width-right:350:Wars are much more efficient than Gargamel...]]
!For the comic books:

!For the Hanna Barbera cartoon:

!For the 2011 movie:

!For ''Smurfs 2'':

!Other:
* In 2005, [=UNICEF=]'s Belgian arm [[https://youtu.be/bftmZlpAkPg aired an ad]] as part of a campaign to rehabilitate former {{Child Soldier}}s in Burundi and the Democratic Republic of Congo, both former Belgian colonies. It depicts the Smurf village going through their usual, cheerful activities [[MoodWhiplash until they get suddenly bombarded by planes]], bombs destroying their houses going down in flames, Smurfs panicking and running around in disarray, Papa Smurf running as quickly to escape the bomb (only to get bombed off-screen since we see his hat fly and land on a destroyed house), others getting crushed by the debris or the explosions, lifeless bodies laying around among the ruins, Baby Smurf crying in utter confusion and terror... it all just screams WarIsHell! There's a good reason why the ad print serves as the trope image for SugarApocalypse! It's also a good thing it was only aired after 9pm to prevent most children from seeing it!

---> "SILENCE! I prefer a quiet meal."

** Oh that is just the tip of the iceberg. The Black/Purple Smurf plague has happened ''before''. Papa Smurf had a book chronicling the disease in exquisite detail, down to a rather vivid color illustration of the source, the "Buzz fly." In fact, the only detail missing was the cure which Papa Smurf discovered completely by accident. There are several chilling implications to this...
*** The book itself is an ApocalypticLog, and the person who wrote that book, witnessing the event first hand, may have had to abandon village with a small group of Smurf survivors/refugees, leaving the book as a cautionary tale. [[ParanoiaFuel Which could mean there's an entire population of "G'naps" out there somewhere. ]]
*** There are ''other'' Buzz flies in existence, as in there's an entire species of these plague-bearing insects, which means TheVirus can strike again at any time, especially as there's no acquired immunity. (Near the end of the episode, cured Smurfs would be reinfected even as their neighbors were curing others.)
*** TheVirus ''learns'' from its mistakes and mishaps, which means that even if the event did not occur because the Smurfs were cured without understanding why (ie, a large batch of that flower pollen just happened to blow through the village for no discernible reason), should the Buzz Fly strike again, the new G'naps may just start seeking out and destroying this flower before moving in on Smurf village. To wit, while Papa Smurf and the Smurfs got more and more desperate, trying all sorts of random things just to see what works, the G'naps were watching, waiting, and planning. They only attacked en masse when word got out that a cure exists, and the G'nap that painted itself blue? In the animated version it was Hefty Smurf, who could wrestle a G'nap to standstill before he got bitten and turned. How tough are the G'naps? It took three Smurfs to subdue Clumsy Smurf while he was tangled in his own net (it was way easier to carry the Smurf from the original version of that scene). Which means that even if Smurfs were able to get close enough to figure out he was just faking being cured, he could ''easily'' subdue and turn them.

* In the episode ''Smurf Colored Glasses'' Big Mouth put the glasses on and saw Gargamel and Azrael as food, and it is scary because it gives the audience an idea that Big Mouth is actually going to eat Gargamel and Azrael. (Even worse, he threatened to do that previously, ''without'' the glasses.)
* ''WesternAnimation/TheSmurfs'' had their share of creepy adventures. Like the episode where the Smurfs were being turned into evil purple versions of themselves that could say nothing but "G'nap!", and bit each other on the tail to spread [[TheVirus the infection]]. The ending to the 'G'nap!' episode looked bleak as even Papa Smurf had been bitten. The only reason anyone was cured was cartoon physics, with the fire spreading the antidote as a gas rather than diluting and burning it on the ground. Otherwise they'd all still be that way.

* There's also the episode "All Work and No Smurf", in which overworked Smurfs begin to transform into various inanimate objects. Talk about AndIMustScream. They still had mouths and spoke, which makes it ''worse''.

* The episode where Brainy Smurf gets turned into a monstrous Werewolf-Smurf creature from a scratch from a magical plant.
* Whatever you do, don't say "Kaplowey"! It'll make whatever you're pointing at vanish. People included. (At the end, using the word on the magic scroll that empowers it reverses the effect and things begin reappearing...[[FridgeLogic but a) who knows what dangerous things it might have been used on? and b) sooner or later the scroll will reappear too]]!

* Nemesis, big time. What makes him terrifying is the fact that one of the features that define him is FacialHorror; following a curse being placed on him, Nemesis' face became so disfigured and grotesque that it horrifies other characters no matter how brave they are (only one of them being an exception). [[NothingIsScarier We never get to see the face itself]], but what we do get to see instead is [[https://vignette2.wikia.nocookie.net/smurfs/images/b/b9/Nemesis_Face_Deformed.png the back of his head]] - boils on top of said head and large gremlin-like ears that look like they're melting, complete with prominent veins - which only makes the implication of it being a genuinely shocking sight worse. Simply put, an otherwise lighthearted show has just provided a character whose face may well be NSFL[[note]]"Not Safe For Life" - A label for media or events with the potential to traumatize others through having its content viewed[[/note]], certainly in-universe and potentially out of it as well.
* Gargamel's VillainSong from "The Blue Plague", while otherwise a variation of "Mean, Sour, Nasty and Cruel", features lyrics about him concocting a malicious poison for Brainy to take and administer to the Smurfs - explaining how he's basically going to torture them with a horrible sickness, also adding that he'll "do them in" and "cure them of everything, even breathing" (which both allude to his intent to actually ''kill'' them), together with his visions of terribly sick Smurfs and him suddenly appearing in their village and grabbing them as they panic and try to get away. But the highlight has to be the very brief scenes of a close up on Gargamel's face; the way his face is drawn is somewhat unsettling and the one placed at the end of the song [[EatTheCamera zooms into his mouth]] [[JumpScare right out of nowhere]] - the latter which becomes all the more disturbing once you realize one of Gargamel's goals is to eat the Smurfs. Oh, and during said scene, he seems to be ''[[TheFourthWallWillNotProtectYou looking at the viewer while at it]]''.

* Clumsy learns why he is called thus; shades of Forrest Gump realizing he's just not as smart as most other men.

* Gargamel's VillainSong from "The Blue Plague", while otherwise a variation of "Mean, Sour, Nasty and Cruel", features lyrics about him concocting a malicious poison for Brainy to take and administer to the Smurfs - explaining how he's basically going to torture them with a horrible sickness, also adding that he'll "do them in" and "cure them of everything, even breathing" (which both allude to his intent to actually ''kill'' them), together with his visions of terribly sick Smurfs and him suddenly appearing in their village and grabbing them as they panic and try to get away. But the highlight has to be the very brief scenes of a close up on Gargamel's face; [[UncannyValley the way his face is drawn]] is somewhat unsettling and the one placed at the end of the song [[EatTheCamera zooms into his mouth]] [[JumpScare right out of nowhere]] - the latter which becomes all the more disturbing once you realize one of Gargamel's goals is to eat the Smurfs. Oh, and during said scene, he seems to be ''[[TheFourthWallWillNotProtectYou looking at the viewer while at it]]''.

*** "A Gift For Papa's Day" provides a rather chilling case where Gargamel threatens to eat several Smurfs ''[[ForcedToWatch right in front of Papa Smurf]]''. And when doing that he doesn't just say he'll eat them, he explicitly says "I'll eat them before your very eyes". Not only does that go to show just how cruel and terrifying he can actually be, it also provides very disturbing implications dealing with [[TheBadGuyWins Gargamel actually carrying out his threat]]; just try to imagine the scenario where Papa Smurf watches one of his most common enemies [[AdultFear down several of his own children right in front of him]], on his birthday, [[DisasterDominoes all because of a (rather hideous) hat his little Smurfs wanted to give to him as a gift]]... which he's been trying to get rid of and as a result ended up in Gargamel's hands (like the Smurfs that searched for it), quite possibly leading to Papa Smurf [[MyGodWhatHaveIDone blaming himself for the whole tragedy as well]] and never being able to forgive himself for it.

!For ''The Smurfs and the Magic Flute'':
* Go [[NightmareFuel/TheSmurfsAndTheMagicFlute here]].

** Oh that is just the tip of the iceberg. The Black/Purple Smurf plague has happened before. Papa Smurf had a book chronicling the disease in exquisite detail, down to a rather vivid color illustration of the source, the "Buzz fly." In fact, the only detail missing was the cure which Papa Smurf discovered completely by accident. There are several chilling implications to this...

*** There are ''other'' Buzz flies in existence, as in there's an antire species of these plague-bearing insects, which means TheVirus can strike again at any time, especially as there's no acquired immunity. (Near the end of the episode, cured Smurfs would be reinfected even as their neighbors were curing others.)

*** There are ''other'' Buzz flies in existence, which means TheVirus can strike again at any time, especially as there's no acquired immunity. (Near the end of the episode, cured Smurfs would be reinfected even as their neighbors were curing others.)

* The Smurfs had their share of creepy adventures. Like ''The Black Smurfs'', where the Smurfs were being turned into evil black versions of themselves that could say nothing but "G'nap!", and bit each other on the tail to spread the infection.
** Worse was the ending of ''The Black Smurfs''. Papa Smurf had been bitten. The only reason anyone was cured was cartoon physics, with the fire spreading the antidote as a gas rather than diluting and burning it on the ground. Otherwise they'd all still be that way.
** The worst thing about the Black/Purple Smurfs is unlike the zombies they're loosely based on, [[ItCanThink they aren't mindless]]. One of the transformed Smurfs intentionally paints itself blue to make itself look like it's been cured, allowing it to spread the infection in safety. Trying to stop TheVirus is bad enough, but having said virus be smart enough that it can counter your lines of defense is so much more chilling.

*** The person who wrote that book, witnessing the event first hand, may have had to abandon village with a small group of Smurf survivors, leaving the book as a cautionary tale. Which could mean there's an entire population of "G'naps" out there somewhere.

* In the episode ''Smurf Colored Glasses'' Big Mouth put the glasses on and saw Gargamel and Azrael as food, and it is scary because it gives the audience an idea that Big Mouth is actually going to eat Gargamel and Azreal. (Even worse, he threatened to do that previously, ''without'' the glasses.)

* In the episode ''Smurf Colored Glasses'' Big Mouth put the glasses on and saw Gargamel and Azrael as food, and it is rscary because it gives the audience an idea that Big Mouth is actually going to eat Gargamel and Azreal. (Even worse, he threatened to do that previously, ''without'' the glasses.)

* The Smurfs' voices are obviously pitch-shifted.

* ''TheSmurfs'' had their share of creepy adventures. Like the episode where the Smurfs were being turned into evil purple versions of themselves that could say nothing but "G'nap!", and bit each other on the tail to spread [[TheVirus the infection]]. The ending to the 'G'nap!' episode looked bleak as even Papa Smurf had been bitten. The only reason anyone was cured was cartoon physics, with the fire spreading the antidote as a gas rather than diluting and burning it on the ground. Otherwise they'd all still be that way.

* There's also the simple fact that the Smurfs turn '''black'''. [[UnfortunateImplications Try wrapping your mind around all of that]]. It's no wonder that the cartoon and later American translation of the comic bowdlerized them into Purple Smurfs.

* In 2005, [=UNICEF=]'s Belgian arm [[https://youtu.be/bftmZlpAkPg aired an ad]] as part of a campaign to rehabilitate former {{Child Soldier}}s in Burundi and the Democratic Republic of Congo, both former Belgian colonies. It depicts the Smurf village going through their usual, cheerful activities [[MoodWhiplash until they get suddenly bombarded by planes]], bombs destroying their houses going down in flames, Smurfs panicking and running around in disarray, others getting crushed by the debris or the explosions, lifeless bodies laying around among the ruins, Baby Smurf crying in utter confusion and terror... it all just screams WarIsHell! There's a good reason why the ad print serves as the trope image for SugarApocalypse! It's also a good thing it was only aired after 9pm to prevent most children from seeing it!

* In 2005, [=UNICEF=]'s Belgian arm [[https://youtu.be/bftmZlpAkPg aired an ad]] as part of a campaign to rehabilitate former {{Child Soldier}}s in Burundi and the Democratic Republic of Congo, both former Belgian colonies. It depicts the Smurf village going through their usual, cheerful activities [[MoodWhiplash until they get suddenly bombarded by planes]], bombs destroying their houses going down in flames, Smurfs panicking and running around in disarray, others getting crushed by the debris or the explosions, lifeless bodies laying around among the ruins, Baby Smurf crying in utter confusion and terror... it all just screams WarIsHell! There's a good reason why the ad print serves as the trope image for SugarApocalype! It's also a good thing it was only aired after 9pm to prevent most children from seeing it!

* In 2005, [=UNICEF=]'s Belgian arm [[https://youtu.be/bftmZlpAkPg aired an ad]] as part of a campaign to rehabilitate former {{Child Soldier}}s in Burundi and the Democratic Republic of Congo, both former Belgian colonies. It depicts the Smurf village going through their usual, cheerful activities [[MoodWhiplash until they get suddenly bombarded by planes]], bombs destroying their houses going down in flames, Smurfs panicking and running around in disarray, others getting crushed by the debris or the explosions, lifeless bodies laying around among the ruins, Baby Smurf crying in utter terror... it all just screams WarIsHell! Good thing it was only aired after 9pm to prevent most children from seeing it!

* In 2005, [=UNICEF=]'s Belgian arm [[https://youtu.be/bftmZlpAkPg aired an ad]] as part of a campaign to rehabilitate former {{Child Soldier}}s in Burundi and the Democratic Republic of Congo, both former Belgian colonies. It depicts the Smurf village going through their usual, cheerful activities [[MoodWhiplash until they get suddenly bombarded by planes]], bombs destroying their houses going down in flames, Smurfs panicking and running around in disarray, others getting crushed by the debris or the explosions, lifeless bodies laying around among the ruins, Baby Smurf crying in utter terror... it all just screams WarIsHell!

* In 2005, [=UNICEF=]'s Belgian arm [[https://youtu.be/bftmZlpAkPg aired an ad]] as part of a campaign to rehabilitate former {{Child Soldier}}s and Burundi and the Democratic Republic of Congo, both former Belgian colonies. It depicts the Smurf village going through their usual, cheerful activities [[MoodWhiplash until they get suddenly bombarded by planes]], bombs destroying their houses going down in flames, Smurfs panicking and running around in disarray, others getting crushed by the debris or the explosions, lifeless bodies laying around among the ruins, Baby Smurf crying in utter terror... it all just screams WarIsHell!

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