[Rachel]

How did you rediscover the smurfs?

Hi guys, this question is really for those who rediscovered smurfs as adults after starting their collections as kids - many of us seem to fall into this catergory.

Here is our story, we first went on the internet in about 1995 and surfed around as you do, not really knowing how it worked or what to look for. I know I definitely did a search for smurfs and found a couple of sites (and I mean a couple) which weren't particularly good. A few bits of clipart and very slow loading photos so I suppose I didn't really take much notice. This combined with the fact it was very expensive to go online meant once again smurfs returned to the back of my mind as a distant childhood memory.

Then in 2000, a friend of ours mentioned Ebay and what a brilliant website and idea. We investigated and then spent the next few days trying to get a PlayStation 2! With no luck I then started to search for other things being sold on Ebay and of course I did a search for smurfs, hey presto there was about 3 auctions in the UK for smurf figures. After a little bidding war (we were all newbies!) I managed to win an auction. How exciting!!! I am sure many of you remember THAT feeling. Well, the smurfs arrived a few days later and that was the start. There really weren't many auctions for smurfs in the UK back then, normally about a page and most of them were McDonalds so when I discovered Ebay in other countries and that they were far more popular I couldn't believe it. I must have driven people nuts for those first few months, asking everyone if they had any!

After the Ebay discovery I then started searching for smurf websites to find out more information and was very pleasantly suprised to see that smurf collecting was a popular hobby worldwide and I wasn't alone in my crazy quest.

What's your story?

[Syd Smurf]

Hi Rachel...thanks for your smurfy story.

I have told my story before but I will tell it again for any new members. I had lots of smurfs (30-40) when I was little but they were stolen by my sister in law when I used to live with my brother about 5 years ago..... although I wasn't aware at the time she had them. When I went to move out I thought they would show up somewhere even though I knew where they should of been. I did ask her nicely if she had them and she denied any knowledge about them at all. So I moved out smurfless with my fiancee (robyn aka Mrs Dyar) in about 1999 and was quite saddened bythe fact that I had kept my smurfs in excellent condition since I was 5 and now had lost them when I saving them for when I had kids.

Then last October while recovering from an illness I started going back to work 3 days a week and next door to where I worked and still work now there is a second hand book shop and they had 5 smurfs for sale. Because I missed my original smurfs I decided to buy 3 of them and then a couple of days later I bought the other 2 that were at the shop. I paid a visit to my older sister that same day and I was telling her about my smurfy buys and then started complaining that mine went missing but I had no idea where they went to. She told me that she had them after stealing them back from my sister in law because she knew they weren't hers. She gave them back to me (she kept them in a plastic bag in the garage) and when I saw them, half of them were missing and the rest were filthy and most had been chewed by my sister in law's cat. I had to be just grateful that they were returned to me although I was fuming inside because the last time I saw them they still looked great.

Then Robby said maybe they might have some on Ebay and although I wasn't familiar with Ebay I took her advice and looked them up....yes this is the same Mrs Dyar that now says "no more bloody smurfs".....now not one of her proudest suggestions. There were quite a few auctions going in Australia so I had a go at 3 by the same seller and won 2 of them. I thought this is pretty cool. At first I thought I would just get a few to replace the same amount of the ones I lost....however as we all know I got bitten by the smurf bug and started buying anything that was going. To support my smurf habit I moved to 5 days work and continued buying smurfs like they were going out of fashion. Robby started to get a little worried but I reassured her that I wasn't going to get the whole collection just a few more.....well I nearly have 1000 smurfs now and I am still saying just a few more....but these months Mrs Dyar no longer believes me....even I have stopped believing myself and I can no longer say "just a few more" with any conviction or with a straight face. Ebay continued to fuel my passion until I discovered the webshops around the world and finally the smurf boards such as the Smurf Community here.

It's been a great journey and I have met some great new friends who understand the joy of collecting smurfs and communicating with each other. I tend to be a person who loves to jump in and fully commit to something and smurfs have filled that void after a 12 month layoff due to the illness. At first I thought it would only be short term fling but 10 months on my enjoyment from smurfs has never been stronger. I don't know how much longer I will collect or how many more I will get but I will always have fond memories of this period of my life.

Dyar

[attombomb7]

I thought I might cut and paste part of Dyars story to mine..

I was also off due to a serious illness..which is now fine..( I died and came back hehehehehe and had major surgeries..to bring me back ):D

I was off for 2 yrs to recover.. being single made it very difficult.as you can imagine..the 1 first year. ( oh..I am fully recovered now, and have no real scars)..

and I was bored...so I started to browse the Ebay sites..to look for just stuff..and started to collect things..

I had bought a few smurfs at a junk shop a yr or so ago for a friends xmas gift who loved smurfs as a kid..and now collects them too..

so I browsed smurfs on EBAY to find more gifts...instead I bought some for myself....last summer..and now have tons! since I love to collect things..and this was perfect.since they were small and affordable ..

well! affordable if you only buy a few. ha ha ha ha!!.but I was building my collection
very fast..mostly as you know fakes..since I found them cute..and my friend hated them...so I would buy lots to keep the fakes and gave away the smurfs for a while.. but not any more I now have way more smurfs.

my friend fell in love and moved..so I now have tons of my own smurfs

I never had or saw a smurf when I was a kid..!

but now I love collecting them...

Attom

[eggie smurf]

Unlike Andrew and Attom, I had no illness when I started collecting again. (I'm glad you are both fine now!) I was talking about smurfs to my fiance last November, reminicsing and what-not and he said "I bet Ebay has them for sale." I told him I didn't really want to buy any but thought I would look anyway. Well there were thousands of auctions and after a few weeks of thinking about it, I decided to sign up for Ebay and off I went. I have a little over 300 smurfs now and love collecting them. I'm starting to get into the variations as well and trying to find the rarer smurfs cheap (which isn't easy but I've gotten a few good deals on Ebay). Plus it's fun smurf hunting in the antique shops and flea markets around here. They almost always have the glasses and sometimes plushes and if you're really lucky, a PVC or two. My guest bedroom has turned into a smurf room -- soon that will be my step-daughter's room after I'm married...she loves staying in there when she visits! I think I'm getting her hooked on smurfs too, which is great since she is only 7 and has never seen the cartoons.

P.S. I was going to attach a pic of my collection but there is no "attach" feature on this post reply. Is it hidden somewhere?

P.P.S. When I went into Papa Smurf's post to reply to posting pics there, the attachment button is there but not on this one. Weird or am I crazy?

[Rachel]

Great stories, keep them coming.

P.S. I was going to attach a pic of my collection but there is no "attach" feature on this post reply. Is it hidden somewhere?

P.P.S. When I went into Papa Smurf's post to reply to posting pics there, the attachment button is there but not on this one. Weird or am I crazy?

Hi Staci, I can't see any problems, there seems to be an add attachment bit here posting this now. Maybe try replying again?

[attombomb7]

hey I liked that story Eggie!!

and your collection sounds great!!

Attom

[eggie smurf]

Thanks Attom!!

[Syd Smurf]

Unlike Andrew and Attom, I had no illness when I started collecting again.........Weird or am I crazy?

So Stace....how did you get mentally ill and crazy since collecting smurfs? Now that would be an interesting story and I don't think you can blame me for that as mental illness is not contagious otherwise Mrs Dyar would be ........well a lot worse than what she is anyway.

PS - It's funny for a fish to get hooked on smurfs.....I never thought of using that type of bait before.

Dyar

[attombomb7]

ah but she's a blue fish!!



Attom

[eggie smurf]

LOL! Mental illness is contagious if it's from you, Andrew! OH but you don't have to tell that to Mrs. Dyar

[Syd Smurf]

I think Stace actually suffers from a Mental Gillness on a higher scale

[eggie smurf]

Actually it's on my lower scale but thank you for the diagnosis

[kira1970_]

My sister and I used to have hundreds of smurfs..... We had a neighbour who worked in a BP service station....... She used to bring them home for us almost every night..... I had a very large dolls house and my smurfs used to live in it...... They were very lucky smurfs as they had full use of Barbie's pool and Barbie would take them on Holidays in her campervan.
Sadly I outgrew my dolls house and Barbie things and I gave them away to my cousins daughter..... The smurfs went too...... I was recently going through a few old boxes that my Dad had kept for us when we were young and 10 smurfs were in the box.
I have started buying smurfs again...... My son is 9 years old and he has some of the smurfs that arn't in good condition they now live in his Castle and Pirate ship....I have a 4 year old apprentice smurf collector(nephew), he can tell you what smurfs I have and now he wants his mum to buy some...lol...He loves it when he is here and a parcel arrives in the post.
Kira

[Syd Smurf]

I just remembered something about when I used to collect. Kira mentioned BP service stations and it reminded me of when I was 6. My nearest BP was at least an hours walk each way there and back and as a 6 year old I used to do that walk quite often. My mother would have a fit because I never told her I was going there and I usually did this after school so I got back quite late when I did the BP walk. I would use the money I was meant to buy lunch with but must of had a bigger appetite back then for smurfs. They were only 40 cents each back then and I remember they kept them in a large clear plastic bowl that looked like an upside down Astro helmet. It used to frustrate me that they always had too many Astros and not enough of some of the others. I wish I could go back and buy all of those Astros now for 40 cents.

I also remember that my Father worked as a delivery driver for a coffee company and they used to have an account with BP so whenever he used to fill up with petrol there he would also add a smurf to the company's petrol tab.

I know this subject is about when you re-discovered smurfs but Kira's post made me re-discover some of those memories.

Dyar

[Rachel]

Hi guys, I have just loved reading your stories, it has been fab finding out a little bit more about your smurf collecting. Anymore stories, keep on posting.

PS - It's funny for a fish to get hooked on smurfs.....I never thought of using that type of bait before.

Guys, when I saw this bit I just had to post this auction.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vi ... 1&tc=photo

I know he's not blue but...............

[Little lucie @ Simon]

Hi guys, i started collecting smurfs again when my dad found one of my old smurfs about two years ago. I think i must have burried alot in the sandpit in their back garden. Sadly now concreted over. The memories came flooding back. We found ebay, Simon also got the bug , now he's worse than me for collecting them. Even my dad collects some. I give him any duplicates i have , and he looks out for them for us at boot sales and toy fairs , he even finds some at antique fairs. My two dogs are very good they never try and eat them Polly washes them and pudsley knows not too touch them ! So for us its a bit of a family hobby. Lucie

[Syd Smurf]

Well maybe I was wrong about it being weird for a fish to get hooked on a smurf product after seeing that post Rachel.

I liked your story Lucie and I wish my fiancee Mrs Dyar would get bitten by the smurf bug as she hates just about everything I like. It would be so nice to share the hobby with someone like you guys do. Then again I guess I am sharing it with all you here so I am not that alone in collecting smurfs really. I do feel sorry for the poor little blue guys that have been buried and now cemented over. Maybe in a 1,000 years they will be discovered by someone and their value will soar as rare antique toys.

Dyar

[attombomb7]

Hi rachel!!

that is soooo sweet!! I even have a few fish decoys too!

I seem to get a bit of everything..but smurfs are my favourites


Attom

[Little lucie @ Simon]

I Love the smurf fish decoy , maybe i could put one in my mother's fish pond in the front garden. This will distract her whilst i go to the back garden and dig up the concrete to find my lost smurfs ! The sad truth about the rest of my old smurf collection is ...... i sold them to my best friend as i desperately wanted a pair of rollerskates . I know it wasn't a very smurfy thing to do . But when your twelve needs must n' all. I was the best rollerskater in our little village tho' I used to skate round the farm like a demon. But alas the novelty wore off................ When i sat on the back off a trailer and the lorry attached to it drove off taking me with it. I couldnt jump off and luckily he stopped to get diesel and found me on the back . Windswept , crying . How i got my come upence for selling my smurfs !

[Guest]

Windswept , crying . How i got my come upence for selling my smurfs !

I'm sorry, I had to giggle at that!

I rediscovered smurfs in Austria on honeymoon in 1999. I walked into a department store and they were everywhere and I came home with stacks of them! Then I was looking on ebay about 18 months ago for Pokemon games and came across smurfs on my cyber travels! I haven't got a vast collection, I was spending too much money to begin with, so running the business is an ideal thing for me as I get to hold new smurfs every day without actually paying for them!