"Lure of the Orb" is probably the only one of its kind in children's animation where it addresses the issue of drug abuse through the use of a magical device that drains whoever uses it of his will. The Smurfs would later appear in the non-canonical cartoon crossover special Cartoon All-Stars to the Rescue (1990), to deal directly with the issue of drug abuse.
The selfish flower Petaluma from "Smurfette's Flower" was voiced by Tress MacNeille even though she is uncredited.
The story of "Lure of the Orb" is an analogy of the effects of drug abuse, with the magic orb being what the TV Tropes website calls a Fantastic Drug or a G-Rated Drug. The Smurfs would later appear in a related crossover cartoon special, Cartoon All-Stars to the Rescue (1990), which dealt with the effects of real-life drug abuse.
The episode "Lure of the Orb" was made in support of then-First Lady Nancy Reagan's anti-drug campaign. According to an Emmy consideration ad from 1987, she thanked the crew for "taking a stand" with the program.
In "Lure of the Orb", the scene with Harmony having the Smurfs speed up the music playing while he was under the influence of the magic orb may be a reference to a similar scene in Reefer Madness (1936), where a woman under the influence of cannabis is coerced by a man affected by the same drug to play faster on the piano.