Hailing from the Australian film of the same name, TNT's Animal Kingdom revolves around the Codys, a criminal family governed by their calculating matriarch Smurf (Ellen Barkin). While Smurf's real name is Janine, everyone in Oceanside, including her own sons and grandson, refers to her with the unusual nickname.

Unlike the film, the series gives Smurf's name a proper origin story. However, the brief Season 1 moment is easy to overlook. Not only that, but a timeline issue also leaves some fans wondering if the story of Smurf's nickname actually holds up in the first place.

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Animal Kingdom Season 1 Reveals the Origin of Smurf's Name

Animal Kingdom - Smurf and J

Midway through Animal Kingdom's first season, Smurf becomes preoccupied with seeking revenge on an old boyfriend of her mother's, Isaiah, after spotting his picture at a surfing art gallery. As a kid, Smurf and her mother lived in a car. However, a robbery gone bad got Smurf's mother killed, and Isaiah fled the scene, leaving Smurf behind but taking her mother's car. In the present day, Smurf tracks down Isaiah -- now an old man -- who owns and operates a classic car dealership. She assumes the alter ego of "Rachel," where she expresses interest in her mother's old car, which Isaiah's held on to for decades.

Later, Isaiah explains he came up with the nickname because Smurf loved to swim when she was a kid. He follows it by saying, "She'd stay in the water until she turned blue. I called her Smurf." The blue is a reference to the cartoon/comic The Smurfs. Although Season 1, Episode 7, "Goddamn Animals," gives a solid backstory for the name, it generated debate among fans nonetheless.

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Why Smurf's Nickname Created Confusion

Ellen Barkin as Smurf on Animal Kingdom

The confusion regarding the origin of Smurf's nickname stems from the timeline. The Smurfs became pop culture icons in the U.S. with their titular animated series in 1981. Given Smurf is in her 60s, she couldn't have been 12 or 13 years old -- as stated in the Season 1 episode -- in the '80s. Flashback sequences further confirm that Smurf was much older and already had the twins by that decade. That said, The Smurfs' legacy extends much further back than 1981.

Before the cartoon, the blue humanoid creatures debuted in Belgian comics in 1958 titled Les Schtroumpfs. While they might not have been as popular as their '80s incarnations, it proves Isaiah was likely familiar with the comics. Therefore, the origin of Smurf's nickname holds up, despite the confusion.

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What About Smurf's Name in the Animal Kingdom Film?

Animal Kingdom film - Jacki Weaver as Smurf

TNT's Animal Kingdom is loosely based on the acclaimed Australian film of the same name, written and directed by David Michôd. While the series has vastly differentiated from its source material, it retained all of the Codys' names from the film, including Jacki Weaver's Janine "Smurf" Cody. In the movie, Smurf plays a much less significant role than Ellen Barkin's incarnation; as such, no explanation for her name was given. However, aside from the little blue creatures, the term "Smurf" also connects to crime.

"Smurfing" is a money-laundering technique involving the structuring of large amounts of cash into multiple small transactions. Therefore, the person who performs these transactions is referred to as the Smurf. In Animal Kingdom's context, that term can definitely be applied to the Codys' matriarch. While the series highlights Smurf's money laundering techniques, the film doesn't have the time to go into detail. However, the Codys seem to use their mother's house as their base of operations, perhaps to better conceal their illegal activities. While it seems probable the film used Smurf for its connection to money laundering, without confirmation from Michôd, it remains just speculation.

Animal Kingdom is available to stream on premium subscriptions of Hulu.