[Admin Smurf]

Below is a screenshot of one of the first posts ever posted on this forum by founding member, Rachel

Blue Cavern was first known as the "The UK Smurf Community", it was then renamed to "The Smurf Community" and finally made it's name among smurf collectors worldwide as "Blue Cavern - Home of the Smurf Community"

No matter when you joined the forum, be it five years ago or last month, I am sure you remember how you found the forum and it would be great if you share the story with the rest of us again.

http://i961.photobucket.com/albums/ae95 ... nsmurf.jpg

[eggie smurf]

Funny story how I joined...or rather almost didn't join! I was originally a member of Dr. Cleo's forum and when that forum went under and I had a very unpleasant experience of a financial matter with Cleo herself, I vowed never to join another forum, ever. I had met Attom and Dyar on Cleo's forum and both joined here and kept asking me to join in the fun. I kept refusing (because I am one of the most stubborn people you would ever meet plus I hold a grudge like no other) but finally after two months, said "Fine, I will look at this new forum but I don't know if I want to join." It took a little more cajoling but I finally did join in August 2004 and was pleasantly surprised that the members on here were very welcoming, friendly and not out to rip anyone off. I have met many wonderful people on the forum and in person. I am very glad that I finally gave in and joined the best forum on the net. Thanks for five years of fun!

[Smurfysmurf]

I don't actually remember why I joined up. I know I was one of those that came on the board after months of lurking around as a guest. At the time I was selling on smurfs but wasn't really interested in variations or there such. I was also very weiry of online memberships or friendships, but in the end I decided to join up anyway. I got some very nice responses when I first posted (a question of course), mainly from Rachel and Dyar, who both never seemed to tire of answering my questions in great detail (even privately via e-mails or pms)

Another thing I will never forget was about a month or two after I joined up, I posted a question about Hardees glasses which I had gotten on the 127 yardsale. One of the responses was two weeks later via a pm from Staci who wanted my address because she had found Hardees glasses and wanted to send them to me. Before I knew it, I received a huge package full of Hardees glasses which were a gift from Staci.

It's safe to say that I have met some of them most generous people on here and some of our friendships go way beyond smurfs now

[bwalters]

I started because Moey told me about it. Not quite a year ago. I don't know all the stories that have happened here and probibly never will. But in the time I have been here I have enjoyed every minute of it. And I thank Moey for bringing me here and all of you here for making it a fun and educational place to be.

[Smurfy Paul]

Hi - oooh it's been a long time! Missed you guys loads! x
Well, i started when I met lovely Karen. I had been buying smurfs from eBay trying hard to make up for a long lost collection. My aunty had looked after my Smurfs when I was younger and they had recently been returned back to me. The passion for smurfs clearly hadn't gone away, as I began buying up castles and farmhouses and windmills - thrilled that these things even existed! Anyway, as mentioned earlier, Karen informed me in one of her feedbacks to get online! I had no idea that it was this big and filled with this much love!!!

I love coming here. It's a wonderful escape.

Thank you all from the bottom of my heart x

[steveparkes]

I first heard about the website from Rachel, we both had been collecting smurfs around about the same time and were on Peter Caperelli's website alot with other smurfers around the globe. I can't remember but I think Rachel told me she was creating a website and would I become an Admin, a job I immediately said 'YES' to..five years later and I'm still doing the job (although the spammers kept me tearing my hair out over those 5 years).

This forum has introduced me to so many nice people over those 5 years, some I have only chatted or PM'd, others I have met in person. One thing links them all though, they are the smurfiest people and are like my extended family (makes me feel like papa smurf)

Here is to the next 5 years my smurfy friends

Steve x

[SmurfingH]

This thread is a good idea, Moey.

I'm another relative newbie as I joined in January last year. I was faced with one of the toughest years ever, personally, and had just turned to smurfs for some light relief. Well, with lots of encouragement from you guys, my collection came out of the attic and exploded! I have learnt so much and met so many fantastic people!! I can't quite believe that I belong to such a loving, supportive and smurfy community.

Here's to another 5 years!

[Ritter_Schlumpfenherz]

Well, that's really a long story. Hope I don't bother you.

When I was a kid, I didn't know anything about the S.C.C.I. or any existing smurf club. Surely that was before common people could actually use the net.

Back in 2000, I was very surprised to get to know some smurf clubs whilst being to Utrecht.

Thus, I decided to browse the net for smurf websites... .Once I found them, I was like fainting away and getting crazy at the same time.

It took me another four years, to find out what smurf board could attrack me most and the more I disliked the German ones, the more I grew on you.

Being fond of dark humour, I loved reading the Father Attom section in particular. It was really one of a kind. Sadly, Attom has been M.I.A. for such a long time.

Sometime later, I decided it was about time to come out and that's how I joined you in 2006.

[Tojo]

I'm sure many of you will remember that I started collecting smurfs after getting a 2004 pirate smurf out of a McD's Happy Meal. As I was then the proud owner of the pirate, 2 supers (from my youth) & a surprise egg Archer (from my days of collecting surprise egg figures), I decided to smurf the web to see what I could find out about them.

I first came across the MV forum & somehow found out about this one & promptly signed up. At that time I still only had the 4 smurfs but it didn't take long until I started collecting the current range.

Over the years I've received lots of help from other members & have been glad to help in return

Some of the highlights of the last 5 years have to be the visit of Dyar to Germany where we went to Friedberg & I bought the shop display for peanuts, the Brussels fair where I got to meet Rachel, Steve, Martin, David, Cathy, Dominique & Manni, the Sisters, Christy & Mum & Joaquin (I hope I haven't forgotten anyone as my memory is a bit cloudy), & lastly the chance to meet Ingo & his family in Dahme a few weeks ago.

I hope that the forum will be here for many years to come

You can all wake up now

[FlamingO]

j/k j/k j/k j/k j/k Tojo It is lovely to read these stories I rediscovered smurfs and browsed the net for every bit of info I could a few years back. I was another secret reader for quite a few months, but then I had to get to those secret 'members only' sections

[Michelle]

Grat story!

With me it was because everybody was talking about 'the forum'. I asked what they mean about... and so I travalled into this Blue cavern world!

Thanks for all and lets make another 5 years....

Michelle

[Syd Smurf]

I got some very nice responses when I first posted (a question of course), mainly from Rachel and Dyar, who both never seemed to tire of answering my questions in great detail

Um....that's not entirely true Moey.....but it helped that I had no life or friends at the time......

Do smurfs count as friends?

Anyway if it appeared that I was patient and friendly in my replies then it was probably due to the drugs .......you should probably ignore any advice or information I gave you at the time because I no longer believe that smurfs are gods that came from another planet and that you should kiss their bottoms every morning before pouring Duvel on your Coco Pops......however......it's still ok to have Duvel with your Coco Pops for breakfast though.

Only kidding Moey .......

It all started for me when my Daddy got my Mummy tipsy and......oops

Let's start again...

It all started for me on Mushroom Village before I knew anything about the smurf space deity connection but the people on there weren't that friendly so I avoided any type of forum for quite a while. A few months later I came across Cleo's website and started annoying the people on there......can't remember her name now but I called her Bent Over Girl which is probably why she didn't like me very much.....although I had proof ......um....where was I? Oh yeah.....anyway I was annoying the people on there a bit and decided to retire because I thought everyone was sick of me.......hard to believe I know....

It was Stace who commented that she actually enjoyed my posts and that I should hang around (address all complaints to Fishy c/o The Fish Bowl, USA). While I was lowering the amount of members on Cleo's forum, I decided to moonlight on this other smurf forum from the UK. There weren't many members at the time (so I had to be nice on here otherwise I would of been only talking to myself after a week or so). I recall always getting a very positive reply from Rachel which encouraged me to return here from time to time.

When Cleo was abducted by aliens (aka greed) and her forum was shut down, I decided to dedicate my time to this forum because......well, it was still working and because no one had told me to go away yet. I decided to drag a few members from Cleo's forum across with me including Stace and a couple of others....although Bent Over Girl told me to ....but with a few less fingers.

After that I continued to waffle on and on and on and on and....you get the idea.....with excessively long posts about absolute jibberish that probably no one really reads because the alien gods tell me to.

Occasionally I have been suspended for a slight over indulgence in carrot emoticons in my posts but as far as I'm concerned that is highly debatable.

There is more I could say but I don't want to be suspended again when I have just been allowed back in.

Dyar

[Smurfysmurf]

you should probably ignore any advice or information I gave you at the time because I no longer believe that smurfs are gods that came from another planet and that you should kiss their bottoms every morning before pouring Duvel on your Coco Pops......however

Now he tells me after three years of encouraging me to spend every waking moment thinking about them and spending every single penny on them.....it was due to his never ending encouragement (until today apparently) that I did what I did (although I have a feeling he will still encourage me to do certain things...just no longer with smurfs..actually I never really believed that you should do that with them and never did...just let him believe that I believed him that it worked )

[SmurfingH]

[Azrael]

I remember coming home from University and being SOOOO poor that I couldn't afford any Smurfs. That's when I joined BC and never looked back. I've met lots of wonderful people and my collection got a heck of a lot smurfier! Its been a place where I have found so many interesting people and its also expanded my mind on the places/people of europe!

Nice one, BC!