The Smurfs began in 1958 as a Belgian comic by Peyo, where they were minor characters who stole the book they appeared in. Sixty-odd years later they have a village, a film franchise, and a colour that is legally theirs in several jurisdictions.

The naming convention is the joke that carries everything. Every Smurf is defined by one attribute - Brainy, Clumsy, Hefty, Grouchy - and they use the word "smurf" as any part of speech they need, which somehow never becomes confusing.

Gargamel is the reason the stories have stakes. A failing wizard who wants to turn them into gold, accompanied by a cat with better instincts than he has, and utterly incapable of catching creatures three inches tall. His incompetence is the engine of about half the plots.

Smurfette's origin - created by Gargamel as a trap and then changed by Papa Smurf - is one of the stranger bits of children's comic history.

This collection covers the village, its residents and their pursuer.