A sizeable gap in my cultural awareness is my lack of knowledge about the Smurfs. Until I came across these covers for the German editions, I hadn't even noticed that they have short stubby tails sticking out of a hole in their trousers. All I knew about these folk was the gag "Where do baby Smurfs come from?" (answer, "Smucking.") But these covers are intriguing and appealing enough to make me want to check the series out. (I do know that "smurfs" is just the American name for these critters, and they were created by a Belgian named Deyo. Well, that and the merchandising which was huge for a while, and which you would have to make an effort not to have noticed. I still liked the Troll dolls better.)
This looks vaguely obscene to me. I'm just saying.
Ritual cannibalism appears to be part of Smurf culture, with the victims going to their fates willingly as Aztec maidens thrown in the sacrificial wells or 18-year-old boys getting drafted to fight overseas.
Obviously waiting for the DNA tests to come back.
Getting beat black and blue was never more literally true.
So, if a Smurf drowns, does he turn purple, or what?