Smurfette's Rose
"Smurfette's Rose" was an episode that appeared in Season 5 of the Smurfs cartoon show.
Summary
Smurfette is busy admiring wild roses with Vanity Smurf. She loves all of them. Vanity suggests cutting some wild roses to bring home, but Smurfette says she could never do such a thing, "they're simply too lovely". Among the red, yellow, and pink roses, Smurfette spots a white rose, which she thinks is beautiful. Vanity says that only a blue rose would catch his eye - and Smurfette replies that she herself has never seen a blue rose before!
Meanwhile, Handy, Baby, Puppy and the Smurflings are playing in the water and enjoying themselves. Sassette realizes that she forgot to water her flowers! Handy replies that she'd better do it now, it's awful hot outside.
On their way back to Smurfette's house, Vanity explains to Smurfette that there is no such thing as a blue rose. He suggests asking Farmer why there are no blue roses. Farmer says it's impossible. "I gave up trying to graft a blue rose over ninety years ago". Poet Smurf suggests getting Painter Smurf to paint a blue rose. Unfortunately, Painter says that he will "not paint the rose bleu, not for you, not for anybody - nevar!" Smurfette then tries Papa Smurf for help. He says that if Mother Nature intended roses to be blue, she would have made them as such a long time ago. Papa says, "it's not a good idea to set your heart on something you can't have, Smurfette". He then suggests that she enjoy the flowers in her garden - which Sassette is hurriedly trying to get to and water! Unfortunately for Sassette, she is too late - and Smurfette's flowers have died. Smurfette is quite upset with Sassette for breaking her promise to water the plants and tells her to "smurf back wherever you came from". Sassette leaves crying.
Later, Smurfette realizes not all of her flowers died. She sees the Angel and Devil Smurfs in her head. Angel suggests that Smurfette was too hard on Sassette, and the Devil suggests otherwise. At the end of the day, as the Smurflings are getting ready for bed, Smurfette apologizes to Sassette for getting so angry. Sassette apologizes too. Smurfette tells Sassette she is off to see Mother Nature, and that she'll explain the details when she returns. She asks Sassette to water her flowers for her in the morning.
On her way to Mother Nature, the Angel Smurf appears again, warning that the blue rose is a bad idea. The Devil Smurf, of course, disagrees. Seeing Mother Nature, she explains, "there is just so much blue to go around - there simply cannot be a blue rose. If she creates just one blue rose, she must take the color from something else. Smurfette doesn't think that would be so bad. Mother Nature agrees to make one blue rose - on the condition she never cut it. Smurfette promises. Mother Nature warns that everything comes with a price. She recites, near the white rose, "Oh mother nature, always right, I stand before this rose so white, I've made my promise, my heart is true, delight my eyes with one rose blue!" Smurfette gets her blue rose, but turns colorless (white) herself! Smurfette tells Farmer and Vanity about her new rose, which she calls Smurfette's Rose. Farmer says she's looking a bit pale. Vanity says, "your face, your skin, you're white! Absolutely, unquestionably - yuck - white!" Smurfette wails and retreats to her house. Strangely, bees are gathering outside in great number. Vanity wonders why she must wear so much perfume.
Papa Smurf comes to help Smurfette and starts doing research. Tailor and Handy make a netting to keep the bees away from Smurfette. Papa visits Mother Nature, who says that Smurfette must cut the rose and prick her finger with its thorn to turn blue again. Smurfette realizes this means she'll have to break her promise to Mother Nature. Papa says, "It would seem Smurfette, that sometimes, if a greater good is at stake, promises must be broken". Smurfette decides to do the deed an says, "Oh mother nature, hear my plea, like sun and moon and evening star, we each of us are what we are, please Mother Nature, set me free, free of the promise I made to thee". As the rose falls off its stem and its thorn pricks Smurfette's hand, she is then transformed back to her usual blue self.
Trivia
- Smurfette's Rose was written by Frances Novier.
- Blue roses are not found naturally nor through selective breeding, but through genetic modification by adding the genes of both the pansy and iris (which is used to make the blue pigment). The possibility of creating a blue rose without dyeing was achieved in 2004, nearly twenty years since the episode first aired in 1985.
Goofs
- Not considered a goof: The wild roses depicted in this episode are the type found in cultivated varieties which have multiple pedals. Real wild roses have less pedals and usually have five of them. However, because the cartoon series takes place in an alternative Medieval Europe that do not always correspond to the real world, this should not be considered a goof.
