[Rachel]

Here is a little "getting to know you" poll.

[Rachel]

I thought it might be nice to try out a little smurfy poll to find out a little bit about our smurf community.

I fall under the started as child, rediscovered as adult etc.
I loved my smurfs as a kid, I would get so excited if we went anywhere near the "smurf garage". I actually visited the same garage a few years ago just *to see* if they had any smurfy stuff left. I spoke to the gentleman who owned the garage back then, unfortunately everything had gone a long time ago but he did remind me that there had been a smurf caravan. The smurfs were so popular at the time the garage installed a caravan on the forecourt. When he mentioned it I suddenly had a great memory of this caravan and it was FULL of smurfs.
Oh, if only there was a time machine, if only I hadn't stopped collecting

Into adulthood my tiny collection of smurfs (about 8 or 9) always remained with me. Why, I don't know? When we first discovered the interent for some reason I did a search for smurfs, I didn't really find much info on them, about 5 years ago I did another search and suddenly there were many smurf sites and at about the same time I discovered Ebay and well really that is where the story ends...................

[Guest]

Like Rachel I also loved the National Garages, so much so that I bought an old petrol pump sign featuring the smurfs, off ebay last year!

My first smurf was Astro who was in a party bag I received when I was about 9 years old. My dad still talks about the fuss I made when we passed a National Garage, I absolutely loved my smurfs. And like Rachel, I always kept them, I think I had about 10 plus a smurf house. I am so attached to my original smurfs, and although I started collecting again last year I will always love my originals the best.

It wasn't until 1999 when I was on honeymoon in Austria that I realised smurfs were still being produced. I went into a department store and stepped into heaven, the shelves were full of smurfs and all the playsets and houses were made up in glass display cabinets! Needless to say I came back weighed down with smurfs. I kept thinking I'd have to go back to Austria for my smurfs but then I discovered ebay!

And then last year I was looking to start up a business and they always say you should love what you sell, so this is how I ended up selling smurfs!

Hey, and I bet every UK smurf collector who started collecting as a child can remember exactly where their nearest National Garage was! Mine was in Stanground in Peterborough.

Karen

[dr.cleo]

I am missing the option
"rediscovered smurfs, but never stopped being a child at heart"...

[Rex Flannagan]

I was privilaged enough as a child to have a crazy aunt who bought me many many smurfs, houses playsets etc etc... had a fantastic collection, and although it pains me to admit it, i think i might have been a bit mental as a child as i always held on to all boxes and stuff like that! (Im now a graphic designer so the mentalness works for me rather than the other way round) lol.. I hit early teens and lost some interest and a good willing mother of mine decided that my evil twisted (not really) little cousin should get the same joy out of my collection and gave them all away! I happened across a rep in a pub years ago in london who was selling smurfs at the time for hallmark and he gave me 10, which i treasured for some bizare reason.. and when my aunt died 5 years ago i began to get realy interested in them again... Ive been hunting down smurfs all over the place, well anywhere ive gone to realy.. found a great little shop in brussles for smurfs and quite cheap too.. Ive managed to get bout 40 - 50 smurfs in my collection and a few playsets.. and have this insane need for building the entire village for some reason.. must be the artist inside trying to take over! At the moment im focusing on just trying to track down and buy the specific smurfs that my aunt had bout for me which is proving to be a labour intensive task but its going well all be it slow and steady! Think my girlfriend thinks ive finally gone mental buying old toys on the net, but hey! what can ya do! This is my story... so far!

[Guest]

Hi Rex

I love stories like yours. I know another collector whose mum gave all his smurfs to his cousin and then managed to get them back again years later!

My husband can't complain at me collecting smurfs because he collects lego, we have stacks of the stuff. I guess I ought to get him to build me a lego town for my smurfs!

Karen

[Little lucie @ Simon]

You guys are sounding just like me, i loved them as a child , if ever we went out for the day i always took two smurfs with me . I had one in each hand , should i say in my clenched hand. Most young kids like safety blankets i had my smurfs. My work collegues thought i was mad at first when i told them about my hobby now they cant wait to see what ive been sent in the mail. Simon is now a convert , i think there's a little smurfs in all of us , we just have to look ! lucie

[chesneysmurf]

I started collecting when I was about 15 so I'd consider myself kindof in childhood. I'll be 20 this September and I'm still collecting.

[Little lucie@simon]

Hi Lacey you are young adult , im 32 and simons 33years old. Smurf collecting has no age boundaries ive discovered . We are all young at heart smurfs do that to you ! Smurf you later Lucie & simon.

[chesneysmurf]

I've always loved the smurfs though. My dad and I used to watch the cartoons together on Saturday mornings when I was little.

I didn't start buying the figures until I was about 15 or so. They never had any to buy around here. Then I started finding them at garage sales and flea markets and antique malls and .... EBAY!! It's wonderful!

[Guest]

Hey Lacey, I just noticed you are now a Super Smurf Member!

Kool!!! (I got that expression from Rachel, she uses it a lot! I just have to learn to say it with a Welsh accent now! )

Karen

[Rachel]

Great to hear your stories guys.
Keep them coming!

[Syd Smurf]

Hi everyone,

I am a new member from Sydney, Australia who has re-started collecting smurfs in October 2003. Since I am new I will tell the smurf story for everyone....here goes...

I started collecting smurfs in Sydney when I was 5 years old (1979) and probably had about 50 over the next couple of years. They stopped selling smurfs in Australia around 1984 so I held on to the ones I had and was going to give them to my children when they came along in latter years.

Unfortunately my sister-in-law stole my smurfs when I lived with my brother about 5 years ago, although I didn't know where they went at the time.

Then last October I bought a couple of smurfs on Ebay and was telling my real sister about the new smurf purchases and the fact I had lost my old ones somehow. She then told me that she now had them at her house because she stole them back from our sister-in-law because she knew they were not hers. Finally I would be re-united with my favourite childhood toys . She gave them back to me but unfortunately they had all been chewed by the sister-in-law's cat and were all really dirty...I mean really filthy. I cleaned them up by dunking them in a bucket with warm water & Nappy-San which improved them a lot except for the chewed pieces. I was so heartbroken because my smurfs were in great condition when I last had them and now most of them were useless....and some handicapped.

I overcame the devastation and started buying anything blue and white anywhere I could find them and now I have around 700-800 (I think..don't ask me to count them) different smurfs from the last 8 months. Needless to say I am very poor but also very happy and the good thing is the little blue guys do not eat very much.

There that's my smurf story....everyone can wake up now..... it's over. I hope that didn't bore any one to tears but I thought I should introduce myself since this is my first time, please be gentle.

[/img]

[Rachel]

Hi Syd Smurf, welcome to our smurfy community.

What a fascinating story, I hope your smurfs have recovered mentally from their trauma At least they now have a safe smurfy home again and are having new friends join them.

[Syd Smurf]

Thanks Rachel

Even though I used to keep them in great condition as a youngster, by the time I got them back most were not much use to me. I had to replace most of them but there are still some that survived the incident. Apparently smurfs make great chewing gum for pets.....however I do not recommend anyone try this at home as it was tested by a professional idiot in my family.

aSYDic SMURF

[chesneysmurf]

I just noticed that I am a super smurf now too! That's very cool!!

[Syd Smurf]

We think you've always been a rare and super smurf Lacey ....enjoy your new windmill

plaSYD SMURF

[chesneysmurf]

Thanks Andrew!! I will!

[attombomb7]

hey SUPER smurf!!!

that is such good news!! Lacey!!


congradulations!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!:lol:


Attom:lol:

[smurf1303]

It's great to hear how other people got into it.

As for me, my parents bought me my first smurf when I was about four I guess (super smurf on tricycle) but my Mum stood on the bike! To make amends next Christmas I got Smurf on Trapeze which I loved.

It might all have ended there only when I was about 5 we started going on foreign holidays, and imagine my delight at finding shops with hundreds of Smurfs in. Both my Grandmothers used to give me 'holiday smurf money' after that & I usually came back each year with another 5-6 to show them.

It might have ended there only when I hit 13 I went on a German Exchange trip and saw Smurf Bridegroom which I really liked. I was going to go with the 'I'm too cool to collect smurfs now I'm a teenager' but Grey & Lina convinced me otherwise. If only they knew what sort of a monster they've created!

However, my collection was rather slow when it required me to travel round Europe (then again I went backbacking round Europe one summer at uni and virtually didn't eat because there were so many Smurfs I could spend the money on, infact the friend I'd gone with said she just hoped the Czech republic wasn't smurfed otherwise I might starve!)

But then the wonder of ebay and the Internet came about, and I was hooked. My love of Smurfs encouraged me to learn more about computers, the Internet & HTML and was a huge contributing factor to studying computing for a Masters & hence now teaching IT.

One of my favourite parts though was my 21st birthday. I suggested each of my friends should buy me a smurf that they thought represented them in some way (e.g. my friend Fran bought me the watchman smurf because she liked to 'watch men', Kirsty sking because she likes sking, my Mother referee because she said she was always refering when i was arguing with my Father etc). That was a good way to get lots of extra smurfs!

I'm trying to loose weight at the moment, and guess what my weekly reward for 'being good is'?

Smurf collecting and my life are pretty interwoven really. Anyone found Smurfs having a big impact on their life?

Helen