An Animated Adaptation of The Smurfs comic book story "The Hungry Smurfs".
In the story, the Smurfs prepare themselves for winter by storing up as much food as they can before the snow falls. By the following day, the Smurfs start to enjoy the first day of winter when the storehouse suddenly catches on fire. The Smurfs try to get water from the river to put out the fire, but the water ends up turning to ice by the time they try throwing it at the fire. Soon the storehouse is burned down, and with it all the food that's been stored up for winter. Papa Smurf realizes that they will have to evacuate the village and find someplace else where they could find food and shelter for the winter.
On their journey out into the snowy wilderness, the Smurfs see a castle up ahead and check to see if there's anybody in it. As they enter the place, the castle seems to be haunted, but the Smurfs soon discover that its only resident, Mr. Poppery, has simply made it appear to be haunted to bring attention to the fact that something in the castle has been stealing his treasure and whatever food was left in the castle. The thief turns out to be a mouse who is also hungry. After the Smurfs find the stolen treasure, Mr. Poppery rewards the Smurfs with enough food that will last them all winter while he and his new pet mouse end up sharing the food that they now have.
Tropes associated with this episode include
- Adaptation Dye-Job: Mr. Poppery originally had black hair in the comic book story, but is given gray hair in the cartoon.
- Adaptation Expansion: The haunted castle element wasn't part of the original story.
- Animated Armor: The ghostly armor turned out to have a human inside it, as revealed with one of Jokey's "surprises".
- Bindle Stick: The Smurfs each carry one as they travel through the snow.
- Diabolus ex Machina: The fire in the storehouse just happens without any in-story explanation.
- Exposed to the Elements: The Smurfs hardly wear anything heavier than a scarf while walking in the snow.
- Getting the Boot: Brainy, though this time into the helmet of a fallen suit of armor after Papa Smurf reveals some things about the "haunted castle" and Brainy tries to convince his fellow Smurfs that he knew it to be the case all along.
- Growling Gut: Greedy inside the castle.
- Haunted Castle: Or so it appeared to be.
- Lots of Luggage: Papa Smurf tells his little Smurfs to "take only the bare essentials" with them on their journey. Apparently they interpreted the "essentials" to mean everything that they couldn't live without, as Papa Smurf sees that they're ready to take the whole village with them!
- Named by the Adaptation: Mr. Poppery originally didn't have a name in the comic book story.
- You're Cute When You're Angry: Brainy says something to the effect of "you're beautiful when you're mad" to Smurfette when he hops into her arms in fearful reaction to a growling sound...only to find out that it's merely the hallway echoing the sound of Greedy's stomach.
