Produced for McDonald's | Released August 2011
The Smurfette was originally created by the horrible wizard Gargamel to cause trouble amongst the Smurfs. With a big nose and wild hair, she didn't originally look like much. Using his alchemy and knowledge, Papa Smurf transformed her into the charming Smurfette that melts the hearts of the other Smurfs. She is one of a kind, full of feminine grace and frivolous. She can also be very much a woman, playing with the feelings of her sweethearts.
McDonald's Happy Meal Smurfette
Smurfette - as the only female Smurf - is one of the more recognisable characters in the Smurf canon, so it came as no surprise to see she was included in the McDonald's Happy Meal Smurf roster. She's certainly a popular character but does the figure do her justice?
Smurfette's sculpt is up to the fairly high standard we've seen on the other Smurfs from McDonald's. There's some nice texture detail on her bonnet, her hair appears to have a flow to it and is comprised of locks (rather than looking like a solid lump) and there's some nice detail such as the heels and patterned dress that give her a ''girly'' look. There's also a little flower in her hair, although - as we saw with Vanity Smurf - that doesn't always indicate the feminine gender.
If I had a criticism of the sculpt it's that there's simply a LOT of hair here. I understand she's a girl Smurf and so she's got to have ''traditionally female'' features but the figure's sculpt, I think, suffers because she's got a ridiculously over-the-top Jerseylicious teased hair look going on. It looks fine from the front but when you look at the figure from behind, all you seem to see is hair...
There's no articulation here but the pose is pretty good and - depending which way you face her - you can get some expressive looks from Smurfette. She's also surprisingly steady on her feet, given how top-heavy her hair makes her and how small an area of her shoes is actually in contact with the ground.
My Smurfette's paintwork is a little disappointing. Whilst the colour palette is good the application is a let-down, with Smurfette's dress and skin having some boundary issues (especially at the knee) and her flower's paint is a little slapdash in its app. It also appears that she's cast from a blue plastic to which colour is added, judging by the slightly washed-out look of her hair, where - in some places - the base plastic blue can be seen bleeding through. This could simply be an issue with my Smurfette but I have to admit that the other Smurfs have also had similarly weak paint apps.
Extras
Smurfette - like the other Happy Meal Smurfs - includes a collectors' guide sheet, detailing all 16 figures in the line.
Final Thoughts
Smurfette is a fun little addition to the line. I'm sure - as the only female Smurf - female collectors (especially the younger ones) will be pleased to see her in their Happy Meal, but I could imagine the younger boys may feel a little robbed. For older collectors she's a pretty cool addition, though, and as one of the more recognisable characters from The Smurfs I can see a her being a much sought-after collectible.
Although I'm not a fan of how much hair she has, it's probably fairly accurate to the comic/cartoon/movie character look, so I can just about let it slide. Plus it's not like you're going to see it that much, unless you display her facing the wrong way (maybe you have some kind of weird Blair Witch Project with Smurfs fetish going on, I don't know...)
It's just too bad the paint app is a little weak, as the actual sculpt is good. But if you can get over that or find one with better paintwork then I'm sure you'll be very pleased with Smurfette.
| Sculpt | B+ |
| Paint | B- |
| Articulation | N/A |
| Production Quality | B- |
| Final Score | B |
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