In an early scene from "The Littlest Viking," Peewit came upon a merchant to purchase tomatoes as part of a food list provided by the King's cook. However, tomatoes were unknown in Europe until they were imported from the Americas by early European explorers in the early 16th century. The background of the Smurf cartoon series is the late Middle Ages (circa 14th-15th century), early for the appearance of tomatoes in Europe.