[Smurfysmurf]

We've talked for years how the smurf movie will bring back the smurfs and make them popular again..and how we will be finding new stuff in the stores.

Has it lived up to your expectations or did you expect more? I have to say, I am fairly overwhelmed to see how popular the smurfs have become again...I even saw a guy with a smurf shirt on the plane last Tuesday which you don't usually see...and I really didn't expect the stores to sell out of smurfs within days (sometimes hours) after putting the stuff out.

The numbers of articles available are pretty much what I expected as I thought they would start slowly to see how well it's selling, but I am surprised that they are not restocking the sold out items. When we went looking for smurfs during the last weekend, we saw empty shelves everywhere or some of the shelves were restocked with non smurf related items. Not sure if this means that they don't intend to get more smurfs in or if the manufacturers are not able to meet the demand...but it did surprise me quite a bit.

I fully expect to see another smurfy onslaught when the DVD is released and think that this will be a very smurfy Christmas. Right now I am hoping for smurfy greeting cards (birthday and Christmas) to be released

[Tintin]

Hi

Interesting topic.............
About all the stuff in the shops, that is what i expected from it.

Only this year a lot of collectors has quit and that is something i didn't expect.
I got my benefit from it, but on the other hand it's always a sad moment.

About new collectors.............mmmmmmmmmm..........
not sure, i have meet a lot of new people on this forum but haven't been to much fairs as i use to, so if there are really a lot new collectors ......

Tintin

[Tracker Smurf]

Smurf greetings cards would be nice...trying to find one for Hope for her fifth birthday but all I could find was a granddaughter one at Halmark...the good news they have one so there should be more... Walmart does have a smurf cake topper set though in their cake book (I'm going to just make my own with some schleich smurfs I've been saving for Birthdays, etc; or I'll see if I can buy the topper and make the cake myself).

[Tracker Smurf]

A lot of kids have been wearing smurf shirts to school and bring lunch boxes and back packs. Its funny because the little kids always come by my classroom to show me. I actually have a smurf corner in my classroom (with the figures we use for our internet project) and the kids stop by to see it. Are these future collectors? Time will tell.

[Smurfysmurf]

I have not seen either one...that is great news...

[stampysmurf]

It's the same here, all the shelves at Target are empty! I wish my local Walmart would carry something.....I keep checking and nothing has appeared yet.

[Tojo]

Hmm, it was good while it lasted but apart from the build-a-bears I didn't see much in the shops here. They had the UHU products, the Hermes boxes & the McDonalds toys of course but the McDonalds action has finished & I only managed to find a few of the UHU glue sticks in one store which was very disappointing - everywhere else that I've looked they only had the normal sticks without smurfs on them.

To be honest the hype here in Germany was very low key.

I'd like to hope that the film will cause children to become collectors but in todays multimedia world I think that most kids prefer to spend their money on things that blink & beep, e.g. Gameboy games & Wii games. I notice that with my kids anyway.

[Gerda]

What surprises me the most is how well the merchandise did without any big advertising for them. I mean yes we had the mc'd promos on tv and the movie promos but no comercials that I saw for the toys or plushes that to me seems that people like the movie and are now flocking the stores in hopes of buying something. I think they underestimated BIG time how popular the smurfs would be and if I where in charge I would be scrambling to release more items before people forget about it again.
so yes i'm like Maureen in that it's sad to see the shelves not being restocked, but I think too that more stuff will come and the fact that movie two has been given the green light says to me more is out there. I just wonder if they will back peddle and try to fill the gap between movies with other things, like more promos. We all know audiences can have short term memories and if the smurfs are not easily found people will move on.. NOT the true collectors of course, we will scream from the roof tops everyday that we want more

[Tracker Smurf]

Though I think the movie helps sell smurfs I have seen that some parents pick them up for their children out of Nostalgia. That is how my duaghter started before we even knew there was going to be a movie and 2 years later she still loves them. I agree they need to be a constant in the toy aisle. Hey is anyone else noticing that Grouchy and clumsy seem to be the most common smurfs left on the shelves? Smurfette is by and far the hardest to find.

[Gerda]

Hey is anyone else noticing that Grouchy and clumsy seem to be the most common smurfs left on the shelves? Smurfette is by and far the hardest to find.

yup I see that here too, surprising as clumsy is the hero in a way. normally heros get picked up more

[bwalters]

I don't get to go to many walmarts. I did go to a couple this weekend and found nothing at one of them. My walmart has a ton of stuff but it is all the same. Papa and Clumsy, and Brainy and Chef or baker. They had several plush too. Went to another walmart today at lunch and found nothing there either. So I think it is select walmart stores. But how to know which ones, I don't know. I did go to a Target a couple of weeks ago and they had hardly nothing. Couple of playsets and two packs, but that was about it. The girl I took to the Movie which knew about my collection, but didn't have any now is the proud owner of all 16 of the Mcdonalds Smurfs. She got all of them before I did. LOL

[Tracker Smurf]

Went to Target today to pick up some smurfs for my two year old's birthday (she wanted clumsy and Papa as she likes to copy her big sister) and they had cut the end cap into half smurfs and half zhu zhus I don't know why they wouldn't get more smurfs since they are selling so well.

[Smurfysmurf]

That's what we've been seeing in PA and Delaware last week as well. I haven't been to my local Target yet but would be shocked if they restocked on smurfs

I am going to Atlanta in two weeks and hope to find a Target and TRU while down there to see if they have anything left

[bwalters]

Well if you just want to buy something come to my Walmart they have about 20 two packs maybe more. It's like 4 boxes of them. I think this is because what they got was all the same. Either that or people beat me to them and bought out the Gutsy's, Smurfettes, and gargamel and azraels. And left everything else. About all I bought from Walmart was the large plush.

[Tracker Smurf]

I hope people get the second and third series figures because I really would rather not buy them online.

[eggie smurf]

I hope people get the second and third series figures because I really would rather not buy them online.

I second that...have not found those anywhere.

Bill does your Walmart have only the first wave or do they have the second as well?

[bwalters]

Just the first wave. And as far as I know only had the Papa and Clumsy, Brainy and Chef, and Gargamel and Azraei. And Honestly I doubt they will restock. Last two weekends the shelves have looked the same to me.