Christmas in Hollywood continues with everyone's favorite blue creatures, (no not those things from Avatar) SMURFS! I've been watching from afar with some interest in Jakks new Smurfs line for a while. There was some part of me that wanted to collect them. Just the core 20 or so name Smurfs and another dozen or so generic Smurfs... But by the time I was ready to commit they were already cranking out Surfin' Brainy Smurf and stuff like that.


HOWEVER, when I saw these Christmas Smurfs over in the "stocking stuffer" aisle of Target I couldn't help but convince my GF into letting me buy them. This wasn't a toy, it was a holiday decoration! Yeah, she wasn't buying it either, but I left Target with my Smurfs so all is right with the world. So how are these little blue guys?

Packaging:

Wow, you know the regular Smurfs packaging really isn't all that impressive but this package is. Dare I saw it's the nicest looking package I've encountered in a long time. For starters the whole thing is designed to look a bit like a Christmas ornament, but also it's supposed to be a snow globe. The figures are nicely visible inside and well displayed with the Smurfs logo attractively on the front.


What makes it even better is the red contrasts great with Smurf blue and the greens inside the package as well. The back of the package is really spiffy, with some great artwork of the Smurfs at Christmas. I believe the Smurfs did have a Christmas special back in the day. I used to love when Cartoon Network wasn't a former shell of itself and would run all those obscure Christmas shows each year. THOSE were the days. I also love that it says "TRY TO CATCH THEM ALL" on the package, as if I'm Gargamel and I'm planning on eating these little guys.


But it gets even better! The inside once you remove the figures shows the rest of the snow globe motif with the a little Smurf mushroom house. It's snowing in there and the whole thing just feels so very Christmassy.

Articulation:
Articulation could be a bit better but it's not too bad. In the 80's all we got were PVC Smurfs that couldn't move at all. All of these Smurfs have cut necks and cut arms. I guess legs is a bit too much to ask for, but it would have been cool.


Also of note is that although the legs aren't articulated, these guys stand up great. Except for Papa Smurf, who sadly is sculpted to SIT in the sleigh.

Sculpt:
Although the Smurfs' design is very basic and simple, Jakks has done a good job on the likenesses. I was drawn into the regular line because everyone looks like they are supposed to. Here we have Papa Smurf as Santa and he looks great.


Papa looks great although his arms are a bit like "monkey arms" for some reason. Since he's sculpted to sit in the sleigh and command his reindeer, he doesn't quite look as good as the others. A little gold paint slop on his belt as well.


We also have the only lady in town, Smurfette in a cool getup for the holidays. Again although the sculpt is simple, it's a good likeness. I had a hard time finding a Smurfette that was painted very good though. Which is odd because it looks like the normal line has no paint issues, but I noticed a few with this holiday pack.


Finally we have the generic Smurf in Christmas clothing. He might be the coolest of all the Smurfs in this set. I like the generic Smurfs. This line needs more of them.

Accessories:
A lot of these stocking stuffer toys don't come with much in the way of accessories, but the Smurfs buck that trend. For starters you get the nicely sculpted sleigh.


This definitely has a Smurf feel to it. It looks good in the red and while it's a simple sculpt and paint job, it's well done. Especially the green seat.


Speaking of the seat, it's sculpted to hold Papa Smurf's butt and there's a special slot sculpted to hold Smurfette's feet! That way you won't have to worry about them falling off the sleigh.


Finally Smurfette and Generic Smurf both come with a removable Christmas stocking. I love that these are stockings that look like socks. So many old cartoons would use those around Christmas time as Christmas stockings.

Additional Notes:
They used to have a Smurf ride at Kings Island and when I was a kid the Gargamel part scared me. Do they still have that ride at Kings Island? It was so cool. It seemed like it shoulda been in Disney Land with all the robotic Smurfs and whatnot.


The Smurfs have been around for ages, but I'm glad to see them finally getting some pretty cool toys. I wonder who the target audience is though? It seems like kids, but do kids today even know who the Smurfs are? I'm sure they will once the new Smurf movie comes out. Smurfariffic!



Value:
I checked before I bought these to see what a regular 2 pack of Smurfs cost. Typically it's like $5 for two Smurfs and some small accessories, or $5 for one Smurf and a bigger accessory. For $8 you're getting three Smurfs, a bigger accessory and two smaller accessories. It's not a bad value and this would make a cool little stocking stuffer for kids.


Score Recap:
Packaging - 9
Sculpting - 7
Articulation - 5
Accessories - Sleigh, Stockings
Value - 7
Overall - 7 out of 10


These Smurfs could rank a little higher, but I'm going to just round them down to a full 7. They're pretty cute little decorations and if you collect the regular Smurf line you'll want to add these guys to your Smurf village each year at the holidays. As stocking stuffers they would be great for kids, but for regular nerd collectors you're probably better off getting something else at this price point. Have a Smurfy Christmas!