Smurf at Last!         NEW SMURF MOVIE!      SMURF PAPERCUTZ ARCHIVES
home | SMURF VALUE | FIGURINES | SMURF FACTS | FUN | SMURF FORUM
Smurfs Movie 2025  Burger King Smurfs  Fan Art  Smurf Song  Smurfs Character Names  Cartoon Episode Guide
What is your Smurf Nickname?  Smurf Video Games  Make a Smurf Costume  Smurfette  Send a Smurf Greeting Card
»
Smurfs Collector Bulletin Board System Post New Topic  New Poll  Post A Reply
| search messages | smurf community | faq | upload manager |
smurf forum | off-topic forum | role play forum
| search messages | smurf community | faq |
smurf forum | off-topic forum | role play forum

    
Smurf Forum » What happened with The black smurfs Comic?
Author Topic: What happened with The black smurfs Comic?
<Joan>
Avatar Image
unregistered


Icon 1 posted 12-09-2002 09:48 PM            Edit/Delete Post   Reply With Quote  Post A Reply
Hello all
I wonder if you american know the comic "Les schtroumpfs noirs".
I've searched all the net and I think this comic was not translated from french to english. Anyone knows why? It had to be translated to the tittle "The black smurfs".
Is it maybe a "political" question?

These are the 10 official books published by Dupuis. And there is not any black smurf.
It is a pity 'cause it is a good story.
Any answer?
Thanks

Joan
Barcelona

1 King smurf
2 The smurfette
3 Smurphony in C
4 The egg and the smurfs
5 The astrosmurf
6 Romeo and smurfette
7 The smurf's apprentice
8 The weather smurfing machine
9 The smurfic games
10 The smurf and the howlibird


From: Deep within Gargamel's Lair
Papa Smurf
Administrator
Member # 1

Member Rated:
5
Icon 14 posted 12-10-2002 05:16 AM      Profile for Papa Smurf   Author's Homepage  Papa Smurf's Figurine Checklist  Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post   Reply With Quote  Post A Reply
Hi Joan!

I do remember The Black Smurfs! I read it as a little boy growing up. However, it was in French. There was a small section of my school library that had Dupuis comics (which were hardcover, so they're not really "comics"). I also seem to recall a French comic about barbarians, but it really didn't have any appeal to me (must be a cultural thing).

The Black Smurfs was eventually translated for the Smurfs TV show on NBC. Instead of being black, the Smurfs turned purple. The episode was the source of much anxiety for viewers, who were transfixed to the screen in horror and amazement.

The cartoon turned out to be a very good episode, and changing the name was at least the right decision from a politcally expedient point of view.

In this case, in my opinion, the story succeeded more on TV than it did in the book. Still, it is a shame that there is no translation in English available. Perhaps, as my librarian hoped, les schtroumpfs noirs was a good way for us anglos to learn a foreign tongue.

J'encore suis toujours effrayé quand j'entends "GNAP!"

PS - Pardon my French...

--------------------
It's EASY to share photos, videos more at BlueBuddies - heres how to do it!


Posts: 1526 | From: Smurfingland | Registered: Jul 1999
Advertising Smurf
Baby Smurf
Member # 1385

Member Rated:
2
Icon 1 posted on the 12th of Smurf 12:25 PM      Profile for Advertising Smurf   Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post   Reply With Quote  Post A Reply

Posts: | From: Smurf Village | Registered: Apr 2006
Vic George
Smurf
Member # 37

Member Rated:
5
Icon 1 posted 12-10-2002 04:06 PM      Profile for Vic George   Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post   Reply With Quote  Post A Reply
I have the same comicbook in German, which my sister picked up for me 18 years ago. I thought it was weird that they were in black originally, not purple, which was why I sought out to do a comicbook translation of the episode with them in purple (which never got finished) back then! It was also the inspiration of one of my first Empath stories in 1984, "The Revenge Of The Purple Smurfs", which never got finished, either. (Although it's now the nucleus of a new Empath story idea called "Smurfing Back In Black", which introduces the Black Smurfs as a more dangerous version of the Purple Smurf.)

Interestingly, in the Romeo And Smurfette comicbook published by Random House, one of the single-page stories had Jokey (I'm guessing it's him, though he's actually unnamed) paint himself green and go around hopping and growling, "Gnash, gnash, gnash", scaring the pants off every Smurf as a prank, but afterward when he goes to wash the green paint off, some Smurf comes out and asks who stole a can of indelible green paint -- the paint that never wears off!

--------------------
-- VIC GEORGE, Westfield, MA, USA


Posts: 222 | From: Westfield, MA, USA | Registered: Jul 1999
<Joan>
Avatar Image
unregistered


Icon 1 posted 12-10-2002 10:38 PM            Edit/Delete Post   Reply With Quote  Post A Reply
Hello again
In fact I am sure english is the only language who can not enjoy this story. I think it is very strange.
I have hundreds of sleeves of smurf comics in the next languages: swedish, finish, polish, spanish, catalan, japanese, portuguese, german, dutch and french, and ALL of them have that story translated from french to their respective language, and the result is always the same: the smurfs in that story are black, nor purple not yellow...
Who is the first to report the censure?
What a shame!
You should have that story published!
Joan
Barcelona

From: Deep within Gargamel's Lair
Papa Smurf
Administrator
Member # 1

Member Rated:
5
Icon 7 posted 12-10-2002 11:12 PM      Profile for Papa Smurf   Author's Homepage  Papa Smurf's Figurine Checklist  Send New Private Message       Edit/Delete Post   Reply With Quote  Post A Reply
Joan,

I too would love to see that story.

However, there is sensitivity (one could argue rightly so) to anything here that would appear to disparage African Americans.

To give you an example, there was once an eBay auction for 2.0007 Angry Smurf (the black Smurf). It was eventually relayed through ebay that the term "black" Smurf was much less acceptable than African American. Understandable - I bet we could all find beloved stories that are unacceptable to a particular culture. Which reminds me of Curious George, who was not called Curious George in the UK simply because some guy called George was the king at the time...Now that's censorship.



--------------------
It's EASY to share photos, videos more at BlueBuddies - heres how to do it!


Posts: 1526 | From: Smurfingland | Registered: Jul 1999
Quick Reply
Message:

HTML is enabled.
UBB Code™ is enabled.

Instant Graemlins

Smurf Picture & File Upload

Email Notification: email me when someone replies.
   

Current topic is 1 pages total: 1 < Previous Topic   Next Topic >

WE HAVE MANY MORE PICTURES OF SMURFS THAN JUST THIS!
If you're looking for pictures of Smurfs, then what you see above is just the beginning of what we have to offer! BlueBuddies.com has thousands of Smurf pics and thousands of smurfy items of interest. To check out the whole gallery visit our main page - click here!
Sign-up for the Smurfs BBS and get a smurfy avatar like this beside your name - click here!
BlueBuddies - Home of the Smurfs
Smurf Search!
BLUEBUDDIES SEARCH
Message Board Search
Advanced Search
Help / Search Tips
 


BLUEBUDDIES.COM: THE WORLD'S LARGEST SMURF COMPENDIUM
Copyright © 1995-2026 BlueBuddies.com. Privacy Policy: We respect your privacy. Please read our full privacy statement here. Site usage implies acceptance of our Terms & Conditions. Smurf is copyright Peyo. BlueBuddies.com is a Smurf resource neither sponsored nor endorsed by Peyo or its licensees.   Subscribe to our RSS FeedSubscribe to the BlueBuddies RSS Feed.