the Theory of Smurfs Communism

[lordsmurf]

This was written by a Missouri college student at least a decade ago:

"A sudden frost settles over the forest, the fresh crop of smurfberries is destroyed leaving the Smurfs with a low stock of food. Faced with starvation, Papa Smurf declares that all food will be rationed until the next crop of smurfberries is ready to be harvested. One night, while the peace loving villagers share their equally divided kernel of corn, it is discovered that Greedy Smurf, the baker, has an undeclared stock of food. Soon after, the village, led by Papa Smurf, storms Greedy's house and empty all his supplies of food. Not only is he now an outcast, he is beaten with a floorboard pulled up from his own house.

The preceding scene is found in the 1980's television show, The Smurfs. Produced by Hanna-Barberra, the television show ran for nine years on NBC, receiving the highest ratings for that network's Saturday morning lineup in eleven years. Based on Belgian Pierre "Peyo" Calliford's 1957 comic "Schtroumpfs", The Smurfs have a distinct, subtle likeness to the now defunct Soviet Union.

To support my thesis, please note that all of the Smurfs' dress exactly alike. The Communist Manifesto, written by Karl Marx, calls for a classless society. A society where all means of production are controlled by the people, where no one select group, the bourgeois, can control the jobs and the money thereby controlling the workers, the proletarians. In the Soviet Union, dictator Joseph Stalin instigated a series of five year plans, these plans consolidated small peasant farms into large collective farms owned by the government. The Smurfs all wore the same uniform, white hats, white pants, white shoes. Some might scoff and state that the female Smurfs wore a dress to the males' pants. While the women did have a separate uniform from that of the men, the women still had a uniform. Every Smurf alike in every way. Thus succeeding in one of the goals set forth in the preamble of the Soviet Union's Constitution.

Take note of the principle characters in the television shows; Papa, Hefty, Handy, Brainy, Vanity, Poet. Papa Smurf, the leader, is the only one who stands out of the group. His red clothing and facial hair separate him from the clean shaven, white clad citizens of Smurf Village. It is quite unmistakably a caricature of Vladimir Lenin and Stalin combined. Papa Smurf's red clothing can only mean to stand for the USSR To Russians, the color red signifies beauty, hence the red flag, Red Square, Red Army, et cetera.

Papa Smurf resembles Lenin in more than just hirsute appearance. Lenin, leader of the October Revolution, what brought down Tsar Nicholas Romanov II and placed the Communist party in charge of the government, led the Soviet Union from it's first day until his death on January 21, 1924. He was responsible for seizing control of all private business and giving control to the government. Papa Smurf, founded Smurf Village and began the processes of industrialization, building dams, workshops, and having the only contact with the outside world. Where Papa Smurf was acquainted with the subtle art of magic, Lenin was acquainted with the subtle art of diplomacy. In his youth, Papa Smurf left his home to create another place for Smurfdom to thrive. In January 1920, Lenin had made plans for the Red Army to invade Poland, extending the grasp of Communism.

Hefty Smurf is the soldier, the enforcer, if one is so inclined, of Smurf Village. His job is to fight to protect the village and keep the other Smurfs from harm. Hefty is a stereotypical NKVD agent, more recently known as KGB. He is the secret police. Hefty is what keeps the independent thought at bay. He keeps the other Smurfs in terror of what will happen if they disobey Papa Smurf. Hefty's strength is not only used to enforce Papa Smurf's will. It is also used to build and construct, for manual labor. Hefty is the ideal soldier/worker, solid, loyal to the cause and will not ask questions.

This brings the dramatus personae to Handy Smurf. Handy is the worker, the embodiment of Marx's

[allaboutduncan]

Pretty awesome. I love stuff like this.

[Tcel93]

This guy really did his homework.

[MBates05]

Very Interesting