History YMMV / TheSmurfs

%%* DracoInLeatherPants: Gargamel. Just look at his JerkassWoobie entry below.

%%* RootingForTheEmpire: Gargamel falls sometimes into this, when Smurfs end up as UintentionallyUnsympathetic.

* DifficultySpike: The final two acts go from "hard" to "insane":
** The penultimate act is a single stage with omnipresent instant death (when the tree trunk bridge starts rotating under your feet, you have a split-second to jump or fall to your death).
** The last act has a frustrating first level (16-bit only), a long and and dangerous second level (with flies that have TheVirus), a short and dangerous third level and a FinalBoss with OneHitKill CollisionDamage. You'll lose so many [[VideoGameLives lives]] here that the only way to survive is to start the game from the beginning and collect ExtraLives on the way. Fortunately, this has been somewhat toned down in the Game Boy Advance port, where at least you have infinite lives.

* CommonKnowledge: The Smurf's use of {{Smurfing}} is used as a way to replace swears with a family friendly version of them, like how 'barnacles' is a swear substitute on ''WesternAnimation/SpongeBobSquarePants''. Expect this is decidedly ''not'' the case. The comic and animated series made a concerted effort to ''not'' have the {{Smurfing}} work as a substitute for swearing. In the original comic, when the Smurfs actually ''did'' swear, it was [[SymbolSwearing censored using symbols]] rather than using some form of 'Smurf'. Most people who think this applies to the series is because of [[ShallowParody how many parodies use it that way.]]

** No one will blame you if you didn't know that there was a 1961 Smurf cartoon. Even in Europe, it's overshadowed by the 1981-90 cartoon and has never seen so much as a VHS or DVD release. Currently, the 60s era shorts can only be seen at a permanent Smurfs exhibit at the Belgian Comic Strip Center in Brussels, Belgium.

* MemeticMutation: Blue Smurf Cat.[[labelnote:Explanation]]A bizarre, realistic image of a Smurf with a cat-like face went viral in 2023, often paired with the lyrics to Music/AlanWalker's "Spectre," and often pitted against the "strawberry elephant." It become an AscendedMeme later when The Smurfs' official Instagram account posted a picture of a blue Azrael, dressed like a Smurf, walking while a Smurf laughs at him. The blue Azrael looks similar to Blue Smurf Cat.[[/labelnote]]

* MemeticMutation: Blue Smurf Cat.[[labelnote:Explanation]]A bizarre, realistic image of a Smurf with a cat-like face went viral in 2023, often paired with the lyrics to Music/AlanWalker's "Spectre," and often pitted against the "strawberry elephant." It become an AscendedMeme later when The Smurfs' official Instagram account posted a picture of a blue Azrael walking while a Smurf laughs at him. The blue Azrael looks similar to Blue Smurf Cat.[[/labelnote]]

* MemeticMutation: Blue Smurf Cat.[[labelnote:Explanation]]A bizarre, realistic image of a Smurf with a cat-like face went viral in 2023, often paired with the lyrics to Music/AlanWalker's "Spectre," and often pitted against the "strawberry elephant."[[/labelnote]]

* BigLippedAlligatorMoment:
** In the AnimatedAdaptation, and the books since ''The Baby Smurf'', Gargamel begins appearing in every story, even if his presence is unnecessary for the plot, which several times results in [=BLAMs=].
** In the 2011 movie, we have '''the Smurfs playing the guitar''', mimicking their merchandise.

* MemeticTroll: Papa Smurf can be interpreted as one, creating holidays like Unhappiness Day, where every Smurf has to be miserable while he walks around making sure they aren't having fun, and Hug a Smurf Day, which almost just becomes "Torture Grouchy" day because he hates hugs, not that Papa Smurf doesn't find this hilarious.

* MoralEventHorizon: King Smurf is thought by the Smurfs to have crossed it when he decided to throw Jokey Smurf into jail after receiving Jokey's explosive present.
* QuestionableCasting: In the Italian dub of the 80s cartoon, the two manliest Smurfs (Hefty and Grouchy) are voiced by... [[CrossDressingVoice a teenage girl]] (a very young Creator/GiuppyIzzo, who also voiced Baby Smurf and one of the Smurflings), and she makes them sound like children. This changes in the Italian dubs of live-actions and later adaptations where they both got male voice actors.

* TheScrappy: In the 1980s cartoon, Brainy Smurf was someone who nobody (except Clumsy Smurf) liked in-universe or out. On the surface, he's a KnowNothingKnowItAll who's more of a narcissist than Vanity Smurf (a guy whose ''name'' denotes narcissism) and more annoying than, well, anyone else on the show, mostly because of his whiny, nasally voice as he lectures anyone unlucky enough to listen. He never plays a vital part of the story (unless he's the ''antagonist'' of the story, which happened ''a lot''). Worst of all, this guy tends to do terrible things all the time, like bake living gingerbread Smurfs that almost destroy the village, blame Clumsy for losing Baby Smurf (after ''he'' was responsible) and put him through a KangarooCourt, and even seize control of the village, crown himself king, rule like a tyrant, and start a Smurf civil war. [[AdaptationalVillainy (Although in fairness, it wasn't him in the original version.)]]
** Even other Smurfs weren't safe from this. Nosey Smurf keeps peeking into other Smurf's businesses, despite meaning well. The other Smurfs keep constantly blaming him for everything he does, even on dangerous missions.
** Weepy Smurf is by far an even worse character than the other two. He does nothing but constantly weep over bad things and good things. His voice is far more annoying than Brainy when he's upset. His voice actress, Mona Marshall, doesn't help matters any.
* StrawmanHasAPoint: Happens a lot of times to Brainy Smurf, even though he's supposed to be a KnowNothingKnowItAll.
** Grouchy Smurf can be this too, like in the episode "The Magical Meanie", where after the Smurfs see a shooting star at the ending, he said "I hate wishes!" and everyone responds with "Oh, Grouchy!", but Grouchy had ''every right'' to say this, seeing as a JackassGenie had double-crossed them all.
** [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5DdnOlIJOcI The Greek version of]] the song "[[Franchise/TheSmurfs The Smurf School]]" portrays the teacher figure as a SadistTeacher, but he's rightfully strict, because the Smurfs are essentially being disrespectful, boorish {{Jerkass}}es to him.