Vanity Smurf

Vanity (original French name Schtroumpf Coquet) is one of the main characters of the Smurfs comic books and the Smurfs cartoon show, who has appeared on the show throughout its entire run.

Character

He is usually obsessed with his own personal beauty, and is usually seen carrying around a mirror admiring himself constantly in it. He is easily identified by a flower on the right side of his hat. Vanity has an identical clone of himself who first appeared (and probably made his only appearance) in “The Hundredth Smurf”.

Personality

Vanity is completely vain. He thinks of himself as the most beautiful Smurf, even more beautiful than a pixie. His hobbies are:

• Looking at himself in the morning
• Looking at himself in the evening
• Looking at himself at night
• Keeping his complexion fresh

He is rarely seen without a mirror and most of the time he talks about himself whenever someone talks to him, but he is a good guy. Vanity is very sensitive about his looks and is always looking for any new facial cleansing techniques. If he were to find something ugly about him, he will not leave his house for days.

His house is full of mirrors.

His most famous and most repeated expression in the show is, “My mirror(s)!”

Smurfette & Vanity

Relationships

Vanity’s closest friend is Smurfette. The two always talk about clothing or beauty techniques. Smurfette is also really concerned about Vanity whenever he becomes saddened. Smurfette mothers over Vanity, as we see in the episode, Hats Off to Smurf, when Vanity becomes ugly because of Gargamel‘s cursed, yellow Smurf hat. There are times, though, where the two will fight because they both think the other one is jealous of their own looks.

An example of them fighting (from “The Masked Pie Smurfer”):

• Smurfette: “Admit it Vanity, you wanted me for a Pie Smurfing because I’m BETTER looking than you!”
• Vanity: “I did not, and you ARE NOT!”
• Smurfette: “I am too, and you DID TOO!”

He is one of the only Smurfs who does not want Smurfette in a romantic way. Instead, she is his best friend, and when he is not talking to himself, he is talking to her.

Vanity also asks Painter to paint portraits of him, as shown in a couple episodes. Most of the time he criticizes these portraits as something that cannot capture his own beauty, which only makes Painter angry.

Sexuality and Controversy

There have been some rumors about Vanity’s sexuality. However, his flower, concern about looks, and voice (in the cartoon) do not prove he is homosexual. There is no proof that Vanity likes other male Smurfs (like he loves himself and his appearance), even though his character is clearly defined as effeminate. It is more likely the character is simply a sexual narcissist who is sexually attracted to himself. Signs of his vanity include his highly obvious self-focus in interpersonal exchanges with the other Smurfs. He is also shown to have highly haughty body language as well as a sense of arrogance about himself.

Vanity’s clone (Hundredth Smurf)

Vanity had a clone who was simply referred to as Hundredth Smurf who appeared in the episode of the same name.

Vanity in The Smurfs movie

In the movie

Vanity Smurf has a role during the early part of the 2011 Smurfs movie as the choreographer of the Blue Moon Festival dance. Apparently he is the one behind having Clumsy not taking part in the rehearsals and has Brainy, Grouchy, and Gutsy stand guard to prevent Clumsy from gaining entry. However, Brainy got catapulted into the line of dancers on the stage by Grouchy and Gutsy kicking him in the behind, causing them to be knocked over and for Vanity to stop the rehearsal just before he notices a worry line on his face. Later on in the movie, during the Smurfs’ battle with Gargamel, Vanity is the Smurf who gets caught on the line that the frying pan is attached to, which Chef and Baker Smurf use to hit Gargamel in the face with.Vanity Smurf is scheduled to appear in The Smurfs 2 as a main character.

Useless Trivia

• His character was voiced by Alan Oppenheimer.
• Vanity has been noted to be the “Most Beautiful Thing Around” by a few female characters, despite looking like the other Smurfs. TV Tropes describes this as the Informed Attractiveness trope.
• He is one of the main Smurfs who doesn’t have a designated job and is rarely seen taking part in work, although in the final season he is made to do serious work when he lost one of the time crystals in Antarctica in an ice cave while admiring himself. Papa Smurf orders Vanity to find the missing time crystal fast, or else all the Smurfs will freeze to death, including him.
• Vanity is voiced by John Oliver in the 2011 live-action movie.
• Vanity’s flower changes color in each media; white (comics), pink (series), and yellow (movie). In The Smurfs: A Christmas Carol, he wears a poinsettia to suit the occasion.

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