[puffuonecent]

Interesting to see the different smrufs everyone got. Did you follow the smurfs cartoons on TV or else did you read any comics? I never saw smruf comics. I got introduced to smurfs through the TV. Some time later then a Maltese writer (I do not remeber who) published 4 or 5 children books with smurfs pictures on one side and a few words on the other.

Still have the two or three my mother had bought for me. I remember I was sick and she bought them for me so that I could read something, one of the books I remember told the story of Gargamel who made a potion to become a smurf and get into the village. But he became a blue smurf without a tail and was eventually discovered. The smurfs obviously threw him out of the village.

[XoioX2000]

I read the comics first. To be honest I didn't like the cartoons at first: the way they were drawn did not compare to the comics... and I find the figures ressemble more the comics than the cartoons...

[puffuonecent]

Have never seen the comics myself.. hope to be able to find some....

[Tojo]

I don't ever remember the cartoons being on TV when I was a kid in the U.K. When were they shown? I left school in 1981 so maybe I was too old to watch them then. I don't remember the comics either. I first saw them when I moved to Germany. The kids comics aren't made any more but some of the comic books from Carlsen are still available in German from Amazon. I was lucky enough to find a few recently at the railway station bookshop in Düsseldorf much to my surprise.

[DrunkSmurf]

Hi my first smurf merchandise was the smurf boardgame (with the smurfberry chips and the wheel with Azrael faces). I started as an Empire Gnome collector (eight years old, 1979) and realized smurfs were better than gnomes due to my liking the boardgame, but couldn't yet find any figures.

My first actual smurfs (1980) were the hobbyhorse supersmurf and (I believe) the orignal golfer (in the yellow trousers). Unfortunately, I don't remember "Event Zero" precisely, but I know hobby horse (who ironicly remains in mint condition) was pretty close, if not the actual one, to the first.

In the states, we never had anything like the BP Promos. I (my mom) bought smurfs mostly from Spencer Gifts (an adult gag gift store--they also sold whoopie cushions and beer mugs with boobs) and a Hallmark Card shop in Ashtabula, Ohio. I think smurfs sold for $2.50 each then (my mom can't confirm it, but agrees they were expensive for the time).

Regarding the cartoon, I started collecting two years before the cartoon began, but remember being pretty excited about it. I wish I had better access to the comics, but recall having a Kingsmurf and Astrosmurf comic (which I didn't realize were translations from French). Now, I wish I could erase what I know about the cartoon since it strays (often widely) from Peyo's version.

[Brainy's Babe]

I reguard the comics as the "true" smurf stories. And I love the humour which I think was better done than in the cartoons. I also agree that the comic art is better.

However the cartoon did add some nice touchs - I loved the Brainy and Clumsy friendship. Clunsy was great full stop, I thought. And I think I prefer Brainy been chucked out the village on his head rather than whacked with a mallet

But over all, I'd say I prefer the comics!

Oh, I thought they got the voices pretty spot on in the cartoon

[Brainy's Babe]

This is a cute story. I like to chose smurfs which mean something to me, such as I brought painter cuz I'm really into art and the angel smurf cuz it reminds me of my mum who's into angels. I's also brought the playing cards smurf as my dad is a magician and I thought this was the closest I could get to a conjurer smurf.

Of course, I learned different when I joined this forum. I brought conjurer off ebay and when he arrived I showed him to my dad who seemed reasonably taken with him. He was placed in the box with all my other smurfs.

Later that day when I returned from work. I got him out the box and went to show him to mum who replied "Yeah, I've seen him. Your dad showed me earilier."

Bless dad, messing with my smurfs when I went out

Sorry, that was long!

[XoioX2000]

Very cool!

[melchior]

Have never seen the comics myself.. hope to be able to find some....

hi there, finally another Maltese smurf collector.
I have some smurf comics that i got from other countries, as you sad the only smurf books ever had in Malta were set of six mini books.
Its really hard to find smurfs staff here in Malta, whenever i find something, i consider my self lucky.

Enjoy

[Tessa-Dennis]

Wow, a trip down memory lane

All I can rember is that I was about 5 or 6, in the mid 70's, when I had my first Smurf, as I just started my first real school.

I do not know where I got them from but as my father was a truck driver at that time there is a big chance they came from BP, if they had them at that time

The first were, can't really rember which one, brainy, normal, prisoner, cape and the great one which was moonsmurf.

I do really remember getting the virus, which happened when a small toystore a few miles away towards the city center had a box on the counter when I went in with my grandmother. From that moment on I took my weekly allowance and was allowed to ride my bike there with some other kinds from my street to buy a new one. About every 14 days on saturday. I also remember being very sad that one day, when a childhood friend went to this store, he bought a papaSmurf, which was at that time only one of the few with actual other colors than blue. And that, when I finally got my parents to take me on a schoolday after school, there were none left It took months before the next box arrived !

Next to this one of my nicest memories is being taken to the cinema by my grandmother to see 'Johan and Pewitt, the magic flute and the 6 Smurfs". It was a great day as my grandfather dropped us of in his car from work, and as he has been a Dutch military chauffeur, assigned to the U.S. military attaché for many many years, arriving in the cadillac, and the movie was a day to remember

Sorry, back to now and work again
Dennis.

[puffuonecent]

Hi Dennis,

Nice memories...

Interesting to see how everyone really began to familiarise with smurfs and then actually made them a part of his/her life.

I am quite happy that my childhood heros were smurfs and not some other action oriented cartoon / comic. Not that I have anything aganist these (I still follow these today), but I consider myself lucky to have grown up with a hero that disseminated peace... even if today I into army building and games But you grow up .... At least I still got my love towards the blue side of things

What I remember about my childhood too is the fact that when I was young my mum did not leave me to play a lot with toys... she said I was not to destroy them!!! (But what are they for?) however she let me play with smurfs..... and well I thank her for that

[Rachel]

There have been some lovely stories posted here, Thanks guys, it was great reading them all.

What a fantastic hobby we all have, not only are smurfs a great collectible in terms of being easy to collect because they are small, plenty of different ones, variety etc. they also provoke happy memories for so many of us.

[puffuonecent]

Right Rachel,

I consider myself a fiction collector, collecting also statues from fiction / sci-fiction stories like lord of the rings, harry potter, star wars etc..

However nothing is so amazing as smurfs... there are so many different ones that you cannot stop looking at them and apart from some really rare ones they are quite cheap. I like their smiley faces and imagine them roving about the room when I am gone (ok ok I may be going to far ... but I am still a kid).

The only thing that annoys me are fakes that rip you off. You think you just discovered something new to add to your collection and then bumm! you find it is a forged item.

Thanks God there is this forum. I feel lucky to be part of it. Thanks guys... apart from that you are true friends .... I do not know why I imagine that you are all small and blue......

[Fram]

For the most of us, you aren't imagining things, but some of us are huge and green, or small and brownish/orangish. And I believe there is a red one as well, but you better watch out for that one, as he is very very angry

[attombomb7]

hi!

I think my first smurf was the smurf with Parrot!

I think I paid a silly $50. for it..but I was hooked ever since!

[Smurfs The Word]

My first smurf was the Drummer. He was given to me by my
Aunty when I was a newborn. I didn't open his box till I was 5yo.
Cheers,
STW
aka
Mel

[Ritter_Schlumpfenherz]

My first smurf was the golden smurf. It was the first smurf that my late Granny gave me as a present.

[Cool Smurf]

I bought my first Smurf, Bride Smurfette, at a store called "Remember When" at Orange Park Mall around 2002 or 2003. Unfortunately, they don't have that store anymore.

I never saw a complete Smurfs episode until I saw them on Cartoon Network around 2002. I never saw them again until my local station brought them back in syndication last year. My sister recorded a good amount of episodes from Boomerang for me to watch.

The only Smurfs comic that I have ever seen is the Astrosmurf, which I bought at a used bookstore earlier this year. I really liked it because Vanity makes an appearance in it. He's my favorite in both the comics and the cartoon.

[attombomb7]

hi everyone!

I found ready your first smurf stories so so touching! and enjoyed visualizing you all with them!

honeymoons and smurfs? so cute! and puffuonecent especially your story made me choke up a bit.. so nice!

I personally had no smurfs in child hood.. didn't even know what they were until I had a roomate a few years ago, who had some that he kept on top of his fridge.. from his childhood..

I always thought they were cute and suggested he go and buy new ones on EBAY, and that xmas I bought him some at a junk shop sort of as a joke..

then I would go try to find more for him.. but eventually we would find EBAY.. and we both got into it..
I was finding them for him.. until I came across really ugly ones and
he would shiver! at the thought of some ugly fake smurf..more of a joke on him..but ...
I then bid on my first smurf.. a smurf holding a green parrot!

I got hooked on the funny ones..and now I collect mostly fakes..
and he is now married and living with his smurf regular collection proudly in a cabinet..

I was very ill at the time and spend all day recuperating for about 2 yrs..
and nothing to do but smurf EBAY and spend spend spend.. as I was saving alot of money being home.

it helped me recover, and once I got past the laughter of some guests! I was fine! and now I sure am happy with my collection.

[Tojo]

That's a nice story too attom. There are so many reasons why people start a collection & it's nice to read how everyone got started. I'd like to think that my children will keep their smurfs too & continue to collect them when they're older.