The Egg and the Smurfs who, not knowing who he really is, guides him to the village. Gargamel sets about plotting to destroy the Smurfs. He tries to mass poison them by intoxicating their midday meal but the Smurfs show no signs of suffering. Gargamel later discovers that he in fact poured the poison into a cauldron containing nothing but dirty laundry. A bridge over the River Smurf has been completed. Gargamel sabotages it overnight, but the next day, when it is inaugurated, the Smurf walk over it without any trouble. Frustrated, Gargamel himself crosses it, only for the bridge to collapse when he is
The Smurfs story). With the commercial success of the Smurfs came the merchandising empire of Smurf miniatures, models, games, and toys. Entire collecting clubs have devoted themselves to collecting PVC Smurfs and Smurf merchandise. "Schtroumpf" is pronounced like the German word "Strumpf" meaning "sock". However, according to Peyo, the original author of the Smurfs comic strip, the term and the accompanying language of the Smurfs came during a meal he had with his colleague and friend André Franquin at the Belgian Coast. Having momentarily forgotten the word "salt", Peyo asked him (in French) to pass the "schtroumpf". Franquin jokingly replied, "Here's the