[Guest]

I have decided to write some articles about how Smurf collecting began around the world and what it is like today for people in different countries. I am already writing a special piece on Fix & Foxis and will be making it a real "Swedish" page with links to Tor's and Anette's websites. It would be good to put the country flags on there as well.

What I would like to do is devote a webpage to each country and write about how Smurf collecting (figurines specifically) became popular. So for example the UK would start with the history of the garages, and map the decline as the garages stopped stocking them and a bit about how we find smurfs today.

I would like to do a piece on Australia, the US, Belgium, The Netherlands, Finland, France, Spain, Italy, Hong Kong, Canada, Germany, basically every place I can get some info about. If anyone can help by donating their stories here then I would be very grateful!

I will of course give links on each relevant page to contributor's websites and if they don't have a website I will also mention them as a contributor, unless they don't want me to of course.

Thank you.

[Fram]

I'll try to help, I hope I can find the time this weekend. Other stories from Belgium are of course just as welcome to make a better, completer picture.

[steveparkes]

I'd love to help Karen..but seeing as I am in the same country as you, do you want my help?

Steve

[Syd Smurf]

Hi Karen

I remembered you mentioning this to me before and have been meaning to ask a bit more about it but I think I can gather what you mean now. I will do some research and put something together for you very soon. Any of the other Australians are of course welcome to help me out if they want to add something or have any ideas. I will do a bit of research on when they were first available in Australia through the BP petrol stations and when exactly they stopped selling them here. I know they started selling them in November 2003 at David Jones stores but I will do some digging around and see what I can find.

Dyar

[steveparkes]

Hey Karen..I've had an idea..don't know if you are interested, but as my work I design flyers and booklets for our college..I use QuarkXpress and photoshop. I can generate PDF files to form ebooks that can be integrated into a webpage for people to download..I'd love to put your articles into a downloadable smurfy ebook..if you are interested, just drop me a PM.

Steve

[Guest]

Sounds great Steve, thanks! I will be in touch!

[Guest]

Thinking about it, I could run into trouble with copyright I think, although that may only be if you plan to sell something which obviously this isn't a commercial item.

[steveparkes]

Hi Karen..no, no plans to sell anything..I wouldn't want to make money out of it..I was just offering to helpout..I can understand your concerns though

[Guest]

Hi Steve, I didn't mean you sell something as in aimed at you, I was talking generally. It reads a bit funny looking at it now, lol, I knew you weren't planning to sell anything and neither was I. I was just wondering if like the Der Schlumpf Katalog needs to be licensed purely because it's printed to be sold.

[steveparkes]

Hi Karen...not sure if it does..you'd know more about that side of things than me I'll leave it to your descision..I'd still like to write you an article though

[Guest]

It would be great if you wrote the article because it would give me a different slant on things because I have only written from my point of view before! Thanks Steve.

[Rachel]

What a cool idea Karen, that would really make an interesting read. It would be cool knowing about how the smurfs have evolved around the world via different means, can't wait.