A tattoo is a form of body modification that made by inserting indelible ink into the dermis layer of the skin to change the pigment. A tattoo can be used as a simple form of identification, such as like with a slave brand, or it can be decorative for a number of purposes, including hiding unsightly body scars.
Mainstream Smurfs Media[]
In mainstream Smurfs media, Hefty is the only known Smurf character who has a tattoo mark, a heart (or a heart with an arrow shot through it) that appears on either or both upper arms. The tattoo mark first appeared in the 1980s cartoon show, and then later migrated to the comic books and all subsequent adaptations of the Smurfs franchise.
Empath: The Luckiest Smurf stories[]
| Empath Stories |
In the EMPATH: The Luckiest Smurf story series, Hefty's heart mark on his right upper arm is actually a birthmark while the one on his left upper arm is a tattoo. There is also Swimmer Smurf who has a blue fish tattoo on both his upper arms. It is believed that Painter is responsible for the application of both Smurfs' tattoos using a special indelible paint. In an alternate timeline where Empath was forced to return to Psychelia a year after his 150th birthday, Smurfette also began to wear a heart tattoo on her arms.
Psyches have tattoos in the form of their designation code branded on the back of their heads when they first emerge from their gestation chambers to begin their training. Empath was also branded in the same fashion, which makes him feel rather embarrassed to show his bald head in public during his later years in Psychelia. Strangely, while Papa Smurf has developed a tattoo remover formula for Empath to use regarding his designation code imprint, Empath refuses to use it on himself.
On Smurfette Island, Hefty's female counterpart Artemis would have a heart tattoo on her right upper arm to match the birthmark on her upper left arm. Surfer's counterpart Shelly has images of shells painted all along her arms and legs.
In the Mirror Universe, Hefty has a skull-and-crossbones mark on his upper arms and Wild has stylized animalistic markings on his face. Swimmer's counterpart, if present, would have shark tattoos on his upper arms.
In the Imaginarium setting known as Tribulation, the "mark of the beast" takes on the form of an indelible 666 mark that is placed on the person's right hand or forehead, signifying that he or she is a follower of the Antichrist figure Declan Xavier Smurf. However, as with all things within the Imaginarium setting, the tattoo mark is not permanent, and disappears when the player exits from that scenario.
At a Halloween costume party, Empath briefly assumed a white shield tattoo on his right upper arm while his star birthmark was changed to a yellow H when he was dressed as Hero from the HERO: The Guardian Smurf story series. The "tattoo" was merely generated by Empath using his mind abilities to alter the pigmentation of his skin within a certain location for a short period of time, after which it reverts to its normal appearance.
Hero: The Guardian Smurf stories[]
| Hero Stories |
Besides Hefty, Hero in the HERO: The Guardian Smurf story series also wears a tattoo, a white shield on his right arm. His Grey Smurf counterpart also wears a shield tattoo on his right arm. When Hero is transformed into Dark Hero his tattoo turns into a sword.
Hefty's future wife Nicola would also bear a tattoo on her upper right arm, since she is created through the Mirror Of Opposition.
In Dreamy's fictional setting of Smurfy Grove in the story "Dreamy's Lost Village", the male Smurf known as Tuteur would wear a white shield tattoo on his arm as well as a hand-painted G on his forehead.
LD Stories[]
| LD Stories |
In The Smurfs: Light and Dark series, only a small handful of characters are known to have tattoos, one of whom is Hefty Smurf. He has a pair of hearts with an arrow crossing through them over his forearms.
Non-Smurf characters with body art are seldom, starting with the yet-to-be-introduced Drefuse Sylke: in his debut appearance, he reveals a black tattoo with a dark blue outline -- matching his hair -- of a flame with the center omitting ink, forming out a "D." This being the first letter of his name suggests that his tattoo represents his fiery personality.
Smurfs: The Thomas & Friends Series[]
In the second story of the series, Tuffy has an anchor and barbell tattoo on his right chest. And Willing has winged heart tattoos on both of his arms.
In the fourth story of the series, the four Smurf boxers, Brawny, Bulky, Muscles, and Punchy have creepy-looking tattoos, but in the end, were replaced by nice-looking ones, which Brawny has a star on his left arm, Bulky has a rainbow on his face, Muscles has a peace sign on his right arm, and Punchy has the symbol of the yin and yang on his chest. Another Smurf, Boomer, also a boxer, has a nice-looking tattoo that says "Kindness smurfs!" on his torso.