Writer's Notes On "The Grouchiest
Friendship"
- This story was originally intended to be the first
part of a two-part story called "The Best Of Friends", with the second part
being about how Empath and Polaris became friends.
- This story covers the events that took place in
Chapters 9 and 10 in the EMPATH: The Luckiest Smurf story, and can be seen
as an expansion of what went on in that first year of visitation as far as
Empath learning about the ways of the Smurfs.
- The version of smurfball being played by the Smurfs
in Chapter 2 sounds more like a modified version of volleyball.
- The "smurfsong" sung in Chapter 2 is actually a
modified version of the 1982-83 season intro sequence theme song.
- The story also serves as a background for Hefty's
personal dislike of Empath, which ends up coming to a head in the EMPATH:
The Luckiest Smurf story where he taunts Empath for his "showing himself off
in all his glory" before being knocked to the ground.
- Hefty uses a Smurf-ified "Biff Tannenism" -- "make like
a tree and get out of here" -- when he threatens Empath for his interfering
with Hefty's bullying Grouchy around.
- Hefty teases Grouchy by singing the same song Nat and
Slouchy sang to Sassette and Snappy in the epilogue of the EMPATH: The
Luckiest Smurf story -- and also in the short story "The Fear Of Smurfitude"
-- implying a sexual relationship that isn't present between Empath and
Grouchy.
- Papa Smurf doesn't use any magical powers in this
story, since it mostly deals with Empath's interactions with the Smurfs.
