Joseph Raymond
Smurf
Member # 4731
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posted 04-07-2013 02:00 PM
The Smurfs is an American-Belgian animated fantasy-comedy television series that aired on NBC from September 12, 1981 to December 2, 1989. Made by Hanna-Barbera, it is based on the Belgian comic series by the same name, created by Belgian cartoonist Peyo (who also served as Story Supervisor of this adaptation) and aired for 256 episodes with a total of 421 stories.
In 1976, Stuart R. Ross, an American media and entertainment entrepreneur who saw the Smurfs while traveling in Belgium, entered into an agreement with Editions Dupuis and Peyo, acquiring North American and other rights to the characters, whose original name was "les Schtroumpfs". Subsequently, Ross launched the Smurfs in the United States in association with a California company, Wallace Berrie and Co., whose figurines, dolls and other Smurf merchandise became a hugely popular success. NBC president Fred Silverman's daughter, Melissa, had a Smurf doll of her own that he had bought for her at a toy shop while they were visiting Aspen, Colorado. Silverman thought that a series based on the Smurfs might make a good addition to his Saturday-morning lineup.
The Smurfs secured their place in North American pop culture in 1981, when the Saturday morning cartoon The Smurfs, produced by Hanna-Barbera Productions in association with SEPP International S.A., aired on NBC. The series became a major success for the network and one of the most successful and longest running Saturday Morning Cartoons in television history, spawning spin-off television specials on an almost yearly basis. The characters included Papa Smurf, Smurfette, Brainy Smurf, the evil Gargamel, his cat Azrael, and Johan and his friend Peewit. The Smurfs was nominated multiple times for Daytime Emmy awards, and won Outstanding Children's Entertainment Series in 19821983. The show enjoyed continued success until 1989, when after nearly a decade of success, NBC changed the format of the show and removed the Smurfs from the forest and the Smurf village, and then cancelled it due to decreasing ratings. In addition. NBC executives prepared a Today weekend program for Saturdays as well as programmings for teenagers such as Saved By The Bell, which came later on and led to the elimination of Saturday morning animated children's shows. The show continued through December 2, 1989 on the NBC network. The show continued to air on reruns the USA network until 1993, followed by the Cartoon Network until 2003. Smurfs is still broadcast on Cartoon Network's sister station Boomerang throughout the United States.
Don Messick - Papa Smurf, Azrael, Dreamy Smurf, Sickly Smurf (1983), Sweepy Smurf
Lucille Bliss - Smurfette
Danny Goldman - Brainy Smurf
Frank Welker - Hefty Smurf, Clockwork Smurf, Peewit (19821989), Poet Smurf, Puppy (19851988), Wild Smurf (19871989), Nemesis (1988), Darkness Monster, Sandman, misc. others
Michael Bell - Grouchy Smurf, Handy Smurf, Lazy Smurf, Johan (19821988)
William Callaway - Clumsy Smurf, Painter Smurf
Hamilton Camp - Greedy Smurf, Harmony Smurf
June Foray - Jokey Smurf, Mother Nature, Gargamel's Mother
Alan Young - Miner Smurf, Farmer Smurf, Scaredy Smurf
Julie McWhirter - Baby Smurf (19861989), Sassette Smurfling (19851989)
Pat Musick - Snappy Smurfling (19851989)
Charlie Adler - Natural Smurf/Nat Smurfling (19831989)
Noelle North - Slouchy Smurfling (19851988), Blue Eyes
Jonathan Winters - Grandpa Smurf (19861989)
Paul Winchell - Gargamel, Baby Smurf, Nosey Smurf
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Joseph Raymond
Posts: 246 | From: Waterbury, Connecticut | Registered: Jan 2013
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