[Guest]

Some of you know that I also sell bags and other items at my shop. I went to the Autumn Fair at the NEC in Birmingham today purposely to order my Christmas stock. I tend to buy quite funky bags and I found a company selling some outrageous stuff. There were items such as nice Audrey Hepburn compacts, Elvis bar stools, angry looking cats on tins and bags with Japanese inspired art on them, it was a real strange mix, I won't tell you about the ruder items! Anyway, I went off to have some breakfast and just before I left the NEC I decided to pop back and think about ordering some of the compacts and bags. I was just having another browse through their stuff and something jumped out at me, A SMURF MUG!!!!! I got really excited and squealed and ran round to the people manning the stand and shouted "You got smurfs, you got smurfs!!!" Anyone standing nearby was probably looking at me very strangely at this point!

Then they replied, "We've got lots of smurf stuff" and I got even more excited!!!!!

They told me the sad, sad story of how they produced all this smurfy stuff and approached IMPS to pay the licensing fee and never received a response. They said in the end they had to give up and so now the items have to be phased out.

These are the items they had: -

Smurf mugs, Smurf iron-on transfers, Smurf fridge magnets, Smurf lipstick bags, Smurf tins, Smurf car air fresheners and Smurf mouse mats.

I think that was everything and although I can't stock these as they aren't licensed I have done everything in my powers to ensure the smurfers on this forum can get some of these items before they disappear off the face of the earth.

What amazes me is this supplier is what I would call a hip and trendy supplier, they deal in kool gear, there were no other cartoon characters targetted, they just chose the smurfs. The smurf mug was actually sitting next to JR Ewing on a mug, I guess he's not so hip but they were definitely the only cartoon characters featured.

LONG LIVE THE SMURFS!!!!

I feel like singing "They will survive!!!!" in my best Gloria Gaynor voice, I have had a mad mad day.

[Rachel]

This sounds really interesting.

Apart from the fact that you have found some great smurfy items - cool items, plus they may become quite rare if they are unlicensed. Does this mean other people (particularly in retail) are considering a smurfs comeback in the UK?

[Guest]

Well I was trying to convince them to keep approaching IMPS so I told them about the rumoured Smurf Movie and one of the guys had already heard of it. I also told them to get to the NY licensing fair. I did a fair job trying to sell them on keeping the smurf stuff going but I don't think they listened much, LOL. After all I had been running around like a nutter a few minutes earlier squealing about their smurf stuff!

[Syd Smurf]

What a lucky find Karen....especially since it was discovered only after going back in for other things.

Keep us posted

Dyar

PS - It seems IMPS are quite tough on handing out licensing deals....I think my smurf condoms idea might as well be chucked on the scrap heap.

[attombomb7]

yeah that sounds really wonderful!

those items are a collectors dream...


hhehehe


ATTOM