Jokey Smurf (Empath stories)

"Hey, I've got a little surprise for you!"

Jokey is a Smurf character who is part of the Empath: The Luckiest Smurf story series.

History
Jokey is born the son of Pranky and Trixie Smurf, a pair of comedians and pranksters, and is the older brother of Crazy.

Personality
While he is identical to his cartoon show universe counterpart in personality and behavior, his motivations for playing pranks on his fellow Smurfs is more out of a need to make sure they don't take life too seriously, given that he and his fellow Smurfs have been living for 100 years with only Papa Smurf as their sole parent and guardian.

He was influential in helping Empath becoming more of a Smurf by getting him to actually have a sense of humor, in which an overplayed prank Jokey pulled on Empath inspired him to play an elaborate prank back on Jokey with the help of his fellow Smurfs. His current project is to make Polaris Psyche laugh.

In regards to Empath's relationship with Smurfette, Jokey tends to ask Empath very personal questions that are too uncomfortable for Empath to answer.

Role
Jokey's general role in the Smurf Village is that of a comedian and prankster, constantly playing his "surprise" package prank on unsuspecting Smurfs. Sometimes, although rarely, his jokes can backfire, such as the time that he painted himself purple and acted like a Purple Smurf, only to find out that he was using indelible paint that left him purple. Being that he wants to be the only comedian and prankster in the village, Jokey hardly lets any Smurf know the secrets to his pranks, although Empath eventually learned the components that were used to create Jokey's "surprises" -- a fact that came into use in the story "Empath The Bandit Smurf" when Empath in his amnesiac state created his own little "surprise" for Vincent Devereaux.

At Empath's 150th birthday Jokey was the presenter of Tailor's gift to Empath, making it appear to be another of his usual "surprises", only for it to contain a new star-patterned suit designed specifically for Empath. Apart from that, the only few times that he doesn't play a prank with his giftwrapped packages is with Baby Smurf and sometimes with Smurfette.

When not playing pranks on any Smurf, Jokey likes doing stand-up comedy routines during talent night at Tapper's Tavern. A few times Jokey assisted Empath in his adventures taking on the identity of the Masked Prankster, mostly because he liked dressing up as he did one time in the form of the Masked Pie Smurfer, striking fear in the hearts of others as he played his pranks on them.

Relationships

 * Empath is usually considered a friend, even though he is rather difficult to fool with his pranks.
 * Smurfette is his love interest, which is sometimes shown when he tries to give her nice gifts instead of his usual "surprises".
 * Brainy is his constant target of abuse with his pranks and "surprises", knowing that he always falls for them. Jokey also likes to make fun of Brainy's intelligence level every chance he gets.
 * Polaris Psyche is also one of Jokey's favorite targets for his pranks.
 * Tapper is very patient with Jokey and his pranks, equating him with a "Smurfish leprechaun".

Abilities
Jokey is a master of developing pranks, with his most common one being the exploding "surprise" present that every Smurf seems to fall for no matter how many times he uses it. He is also talented at ventriloquism, mimicking voices, and stage magic, though with the last he finds himself competing against Presto Smurf. As shown in the episode "The Masked Pie Smurfer", Jokey is a skilled archer.

Clothing
Mostly during stand-up routines, Jokey wears a red bow tie with white polka dots. In his role as the Masked Prankster, he wears a black Smurf hat and pants with a purple cape and mask.

Trivia

 * As with his cartoon show counterpart, Jokey's birthday is on October 31, the same day as Gargamel.
 * Jokey lampshades the fact that in "Empath The Bandit Smurf" he should have been the Smurf who was captured by the two entertainers like he was in the original comic book story "The Jewel Smurfer".

Voice Actor(s)
He would probably be voiced by Max Cassella, who was the voice of Daxter the ottsel in the Jak & Daxter videogame series.