====================== ABOUT THE SMURFY NEWS ====================== The Smurfy News is the largest Internet newsletter about Smurfs and Smurf collecting with 1,031 subscribers worldwide and growing. Welcome to our first-time readers! If you know Smurf fans who might enjoy the Smurfy News, please help us grow and forward this e-mail to them! To subscribe or unsubscribe to the Smurfy News or view the Smurfy News archive, please visit http://www.esmurfs.com/smurfs-smurfynews.html ========= FOREWORD ========= I had a very rough ride last month - an hour after the May issue of the Smurfy News was published, eSmurfs.com went offline :( I apologize to those who then read the newsletter only to discover the links did not work. For the first time since we began, the Smurfy News subscriber base shrank, as Smurfed off readers canceled their subscriptions. Luckily we have recovered, more people than ever are reading this issue! Of course this was just a temporary set back, we are up and running again, and better than ever! So sit back, relax, and enjoy the SMURFY NEWS! ========= CONTENTS ========= 1) SMURFS - LITTLE PEOPLE, BIG PROFIT 2) NEW 2001 SUPER SMURFS!! 3) NEW IN THE SMURF SHOP 4) FEATURED FIGURINES 5) LOST TREASURE 6) SMURFY NEWS GIVE-A-WAY! 7) CLOSING ------------------------------------ ====================================== 1) SMURFS - LITTLE PEOPLE, BIG PROFIT ====================================== Thanks to Stephen Parkes of the UK for sending us the following Smurf article, which ran in the June 2000 issue of "Collect It!" magazine, the UK's No. 1 collecting magazine: BLUE IN THE FACE Many people assume that the familiar blue, four-fingered Smurfs have only been around since they burst onto the UK chart scene In 1978 singing their Smurf Song' with Father Abraham. This may have been the catalyst that shot them to international stardom and resulted in a myriad of 'smurfy' collectables. But, as Annie Phillips discovers, they have, in fact, been quietly inhabiting mushroom houses in a Belgian medieval forest since 1958. The Smurfs were created on 23rd October 1958 by Belgian artist, Pierrot Culliford, while working on a cartoon strip called 'Johan et Pirouit' in Le Journal de Spirou. According to Culliford - who was simply known as 'Peyo' - they were inspired by the trolls of Nordic fairy tales, with their name a derivation of Schroumpf the Flemish equivalent of 'whatchamacallit'. Initially secondary cartoon characters, they soon inherited celebrity status and, between 1959 and 1963, six 'mini storybooks were published. During the 1970s, these were printed as full size books and, when Smurf songs entered the charts, their popularity grew to such international proportions that the Panamanian Riot Police adopted them as a somewhat incongruous vehicle logo! One of the early Smurf fans was Melissa Silverman, daughter of television executive, Fred Silverman, who was so certain of their international appeal that he contacted Hanna Barbera and, by 1981, a cartoon version of the Smurfs and their escapades was broadcast every Saturday morning on America's NBC. The animated Smuns appeared in over 250 episodes and pulled in 44% of TV cartoon viewers until 1990. Smurf fans usually start their collections with the two-inch-high PVC figures first introduced in 1965. Of all the different variations that have appeared since then, two in particular deserve special attention. Rather inexplicably, the only female in Smurfdom is a blonde Smurfette who has appeared in guises as varied as a Hula Dancer to a mermaid. The other loner is a wise and magical Papa Smurf who, while other Smurfs remain eternally ageless, is 543 years old. His role in life seems to be rescuing the Smurfs in their frequent times of trouble, particularly when they come up against evil characters like wicked wizard Gargamel and his cat, Azreal. Over time, this innocent scenario seems to have tugged at the heartstrings of both adults and children alike, especially in Holland and America where there are two flourishing collectors' clubs. Freda Saunders first got 'ensmurfed' at a car boot sale 12 years ago and has been collecting ever since: "My first figurine was Sunbather Smurf. After that, it soon snowballed and I was looking for them everywhere. I now have neary all of them but you're never really up to date. New Smurfs are being produced all the time. Besides the figures, you can collect Smurf houses, castles, windmills, Gargamel's laboratory plus things like pencil sharpeners, keyrings, alarm clocks, telephones, books, records, tapes, CDs and a range of plushes." Maureen Stanford of Childhood Memories at Farnham in Surrey stocks a wide range of Smurf collectibles including figures, soft toys, records and books: "People obviously collect the figures but the mushrooms houses and windmills are also very popular" she says. "A few of the hard plastic figures are particularly valuable because they vary from the norm but, generally prices range from 3-8 pounds, with plush toys starting from about 10 pounds. Many of the Smurf figurines fall broadly into a number of different categories, such as Tradesmen and Sportsmen, but some are purely individual and often thematic characters like the St. Patrick's and Valentine Smurfs. Over the years, the universal appeal of Smurfs has been used to promote assorted products, companies and services and these are generally harder to find. Freda has bought Smurf items from car boot sales and flea markets in this country, but much of her collection has been boosted by forays to the continent: "I buy all the new ones as they come out" she says, "but, because of their origins, I find a lot of tne old ones in Belgium and Holland. I do swaps more than anything and often bring figures back from Germany, like the German McDonald's Smurfs because you can't get them here." Besides the McDonald's figures, there have been several 'Smurf appeal' promotions for big department stores, banks and newspapers. For example, a unique Magic Smurf bearing a 'GB' banner was given away free to every child who visited the Grand Bazaar Store in Belgium. In all, the promotion cost more than 15 million Belgian francs. Many Smurfs have also been given included in foods like crisps, spaghetti and marshmallows although not all Smurf promotions have been licensed. A good example is a promotion run by Zweifel of Switzerland for its 'joujoux' potato chip. Each bag contained a giveaway 1 & 1/2-inch-high Smurf fashioned after a Schleich figurine, with a total of 10 to collect. The current range of around 100 Smurfs is available at British retail outlets and includes some of the older models which are regularly reintroduced. According to Carol Mclaughlin of The Bad Wolff Toy Company, UK agents and distributors for Schleich, the manufacturer has brought back seven old figures and produced 12 new ones this year, including - from the standard range - Smuri in leather shorts, Caretaker, Smurf with a sandwich, Swot, Fireman, Scuba-Diver, Chimney Sweep and Climber. New in the range of 15 Supersmurfs are Smurf on a schoolbench sleeping, Smurf on a schoolbench looking back, Smurfette on a schoolbench and Headteacher." A limited edition of 10,000 'Millennium Smurfs' were also produced for 2000, depicting a Smurf riding on a red and yellow 'rocking' 2000. According to the USA Collectors' Club, the piece - standing an inch higher than the usual two - sold out immediately: "I bought mine for 6 pounds as a pair with a matching keyring" says Freda Saunders "but I believe they are already quite rare and will probably rise quite a bit In value." All Smurf figurines have been given a number, starting with the first Papa Smurf figurine introduced in 1969 which has the number 20001. However, in spite of Papa having the first number, the earliest Smurfs actually date from 1965 and range from a plain blue and white Smurf figurine (20002) to a gold coloured one (20005). But the vast majority of Smurf figurines were produced from the late 1970's onwards: "It's hard to say which have been the most popular" says Carol "but generally Smurfs that come in sets, like the musicians, have probably been the best sellers. Also popular are the various Papa Smurf figures as well as the newer ones with a modern theme, like the mobile phone, computer and snowboard." While re-introductions can give rise to some confusion with dating, further complications may result from colour variations or different accessories. The Winter Smurf (20004), for Instance, came with both yellow and red scarves while the Astro Smurf (20003) went into orbit both with and without a tie. Others wear the same clothing but come in completely different poses. It is also not uncommon for a figure to look the same but have up to eight possible markings, such as 'Peyo', 'Made In Hong Kong', 'Schlelch', etc. and the rarity will have a marked impact on the price. According to the German Smurf Guide, 'Der Schlumpf Katalog', Swimming Smurf - bearing the mark 'Made in China'- is worth DM8 compared with DM20 for the one marked 'Peyo'. Super accessories have included Gargamel's Lab, Smurfette's bedroom, Western set, Garden set, Well set and Drum set. 2000 sees the introduction of two new super playsets in the form of a School and Playground. New sets of Christmas, Easter and Back to School Smurfs are also currently available. The old Smurf Easter series, produced from 1984, consists of six different Smurfs with colour variations on three and numbered from 20489 to 20497. PrIces vary from 2-5 pounds each. The History series, made in the late 1980's, has six figures in the set, all marked 'Made in Macau' representing famous characters, such as Christopher Columbus, and numbered 20501-20506. Of these, the most valuable are Thomas Edison and Benjamin Franklin, both worth around 25 pounds each. The traditional Smurf Christmas series of figurines started in 1983 and consisted of 12 different Smurfs with a gold loop for attaching to the Christmas tree Some of these are the most valuable Smurf figurines of all, particularly the Holly Wreath Smurf and two variations of Praying Smurf. All three pieces were produced for one year only in 1985 and, as limited numbers usually make for high prices, the Holly Wreath Smurf can expect to fetch a Smurfly 250 pounds and the Praying Smurfs around 300 pounds each. The beauty of being a Smurf collector lies in the ability to broaden the collectibles net and encompass the broader range of books, puzzles, flasks, lunchboxes and even sheets. A pair of Smurf curtains can be snapped up at car boot sales or flea markets for 5-7 pounds, puzzles from around 4 pounds and books for 5 pounds upwards. The future of a collectables market which has grown up around an unlikely band of diminutive blue folk with their hard-working, honest and friendly image is undoubtedly assured!" ----------------------- eSmurfs.com was also featured in the November, 2000 issue of Collect It! magazine, in the "Collect It! USA" column with Catherine Saunders-Watson. She reports: "Since 1958, Smurfs have been featured on clothing, linens, toys and, of course, in cartoons. Favourite among American collectors though are the Smnurf advertising figurines, of which there are as many as 500 different types. Prices range from as little as 3 pounds for a McDonald's figure to as much as 775 pounds (the price recently fetched for an "I Love New York" Smurf holding an apple). Dealer Peter Caparelli (www.esmurfs.com) says there is always a demand for Smurf advertising figures made in small production runs. He bought out a small group of Smurfs from The Candy Store in Johnstown, Pennsylvania and re-sells them for an average of 20 pounds each." *** I am always collecting articles on Smurfs and Smurf collecting. If you spot one, please let me know. Don't assume I know about it already! You can hit reply right now to tell me about an article, or anything else Smurfy! Thanks again Stephen, from myself and everyone who enjoyed this article thanks to your efforts! ========================= 2) NEW 2001 SUPER SMURFS ========================= Last I had reported, the new Super Smurfs were to arrive in America in Late July. I spoke to Schleich recently and am now told they have been delayed, and will not be in America until mid August! I don't trust their dates. They probably will not have them in the US until the fall. Schleich is closed a good part of the summer and their vacations and holidays always slow things up. I suspect I am looking at September, the earliest. When I receive confirmation they have landed on US soil, I will begin taking orders for the new Supers. I will send out a SPECIAL ISSUE newsletter when that happens, so keep it tuned right here to the Smurfy News! ========================= 3) NEW IN THE SMURF SHOP ========================= I have added quite a few ALL NEW listings to the Smurf Shop catalog at eSmurfs.com this month! This includes never-before-featured mold and color variations, including some rare first run colors that were soon changed. Other new items include PVC pen sets, PVC candy toppers, Maxi-Kinder egg toys, cookies, hard plastic mechanical toys, an early and very rare Dupuis piece and more. Of particular note are the VERY LATEST Candy Toppers and Kinder Maxi toys, all of which are available for purchase right now! Quantities are very limited on these hard-to-get pieces from Europe, first-come, first-serve, so do not delay in placing your order! Also, previously out of stock, but now back in stock this month: 20006 Brainy (black glasses) 20034 Smurfette 20040 Gift 20044 Lover 20078 Beer 20086 Present (red bow) 20098 Ballerina 20128 Amour (yellow bow) 20130 Graduation (purple) 20142 Mermaid (green tail) 20157 Grouchy 20179 White Baby with Rattle 20205 Baby with Teddy (powder blue) 20206 Baby with Ice Cream (yellow collar) 20506 Abraham Lincoln Smurf 40000 40th Anniversary Playset 40224 Blackboard (math) 51912 Smurfette with Candy Cane Other296 Assorted Puffy Stickers Pstr012 Fold-Out miniposter (day) Check them out, and the other new listings, by clicking here: http://search.cartserver.com/search/search.cgi?cartid=a-6296&category=Smurfs&maxhits=20&keywords=new61301 AOL Click Here ====================== 4) FEATURED FIGURINES ====================== There is a new page on eSmurfs.com called "Featured Figurines." This page will be an ongoing project, a place to feature especially notable figurines and their history. The first featured figurine is the BodyBuilder Smurf. This Smurf was featured in last month's Smurfy News and that article has been transposed to the new page with pictures. Is there a particular figurine you would like to learn more about? Hit reply now, and tell me! To sneak a peek at the Featured Figurines page, click here: http://www.esmurfs.com/smurfs-featured.html AOL Click Here! ================= 5) LOST TREASURE ================= Here is a Smurf-related article I dug up on the life and times of Don Messick, voice behind Papa Smurf. "On October 24, 1997, the animation industry lost a treasure. Don Messick's entertainment career spanned seven decades, with forty years of voice work in animation. Messick performed in over 100 animated programs, providing voices for some of the most beloved cartoon characters on television, including Astro and Rudy on "The Jetsons," Bamm Bamm on "The Flintstones," Boo Boo and Ranger Smith on "Yogi Bear and Friends," Dr. Benton Quest and Bandit on "The Adventures of Jonny Quest," Ricochet Rabbit on "Magilla Gorilla," Papa Smurf on "The Smurfs," and his most famous role, Scooby Doo, in countless formats. Messick's desire to entertain began in modest surroundings. Following his birth in Buffalo, New York in 1926, his family moved down the East Coast to Baltimore, where he lived in his grandmother's house and attended kindergarten. After a few years, the lingering effects of the Great Depression forced Messick to relocate along with his family to the town of Nanticoke on the Eastern Shore of the Chesapeake Bay, where his father was employed. Messick shared with me some of his memories of that time in a 1995 conversation: "Life in Maryland had its ups and downs. It was good for me to get out of the city and get into a country atmosphere, but I didn't like it at the time. I resented it. I thought of myself as a city boy, and I didn't like the lack of amenities. We were in a house that had no electricity. I had to do my schoolwork by lamplight. That section of the Eastern Shore - it was back in the fields. Another house we lived in had electricity, but it didn't have indoor plumbing. I missed Baltimore." While the youthful Messick attended elementary school and adjusted to his new surroundings, he spent much of his leisure time listening to the radio. "I grew up being a fan of radio shows like 'Fibber McGee and Molly,' 'Jack Benny,' and later 'The Great Gildersleeve,'" Messick fondly recalled. By the time he reached age 13, Messick was performing a ventriloquist act for audiences in rural areas of the Eastern Shore with aid of his dummy, Kentworth DeFrost. He was completely self-taught, learning to act from books and his favorite radio shows. "Ventriloquism got me started doing different voices... I never did impersonations. I just developed my own characters, having discovered the versatility of my vocal cords." Two years later, the 15-year-old Messick performed in front of the program manager and chief announcer at WBOC in Salisbury, the lone radio station on the Eastern Shore at that time. One week later, Messick was on the air with his own weekly show. Messick explained, "It was a little sit-com built around my main ventriloquist puppet character and some other characters I introduced. It was a one-man show. I wrote the script and did all the voices and half of the sound effects manually...I studied books on radio writing and how to bring radio to life with sound effects [and] music." Entertaining came naturally to Messick, who moved back to Baltimore to be trained as an actor after graduating from high school at age 16. "I never had mike fright. I was always fond of performing at the microphone and in front of a live audience, too." Messick lived with his maternal grandparents on Linden Avenue in Bolton Hill, an area of Baltimore that was home to many German and Russian immigrants, a Mecca for intellectuals and artists. At the Ramsay Streett School of Acting, Messick performed in plays and performances in a small theater owned by his instructor. "[Streett] was a graduate of the American Academy of Dramatic Art in New York, so he patterned his technique of teaching after the Academy's," Messick recalled, "We did plays and performances and we'd get requests for some talent from the local radio programs." Messick's drive to perform as a professional radio actor took a rough turn, however, when he approached Baltimore's WCAO about getting on the air with his own show. The young student faced a voice crisis as "the manager of WCAO identified the accent which I didn't know I had." The intonations of his Maryland accent had never been noticed among his fellow Eastern Shore residents, but radio in the big city demanded a more cultivated sound. Thankfully, the problem soon faded, along with Messick's accent. "Going to the acting school quickly got me out of it. We didn't work on my dropping an accent, but it just happened. I can't even duplicate it now." Tragically, just as Messick's professional radio career was beginning to take shape, his father was killed in an accident while working at the Nanticoke School. He and two other workers were taking down a flagpole when it came into contact with electric power lines, killing all three men. According to his younger brother Tom, Don handled the death of his father, "very maturely, even philosophically." Shortly after, the 18-year-old Messick faced yet another life-changing event as he was drafted into the Army. He departed from Baltimore in 1944 by train, carrying his ventriloquist dummy, now named Woody DeForest, along with a tiny uniform his mother made for it. Messick spent 20 months in the Army, where his talent for entertaining was quickly recognized. He was assigned to Special Services, where he had the opportunity to perform for troops stationed across the United States. "The fond memories I have of being in the Army [are of] meeting other performers and doing shows with them in the soldier's clubs. We'd go off base and do shows for local clubs like Lions or Elks, and we were paid for that. It was a nice little sideline to supplement my Army monthly stipend," Messick remembered. World War II ended before Messick saw any overseas duty. After his discharge from Fort Lewis, Washington, he traveled to San Francisco where Monty Masters, a friend of Messick's from the Army, produced and acted in a radio show with his wife on KGO Radio. Messick worked with Masters on his show until he had readjusted to radio performing, then continued his move down the West Coast. In Hollywood, Messick approached a theatrical agent who booked variety talent and was promptly signed up to perform a ventriloquist act. He also performed in local theater and was eventually cast as Raggedy Andy and Farmer Seedling on the "Raggedy Ann Show", broadcast on the Mutual Broadcasting radio station in Los Angeles. While Messick was performing in Los Angeles, he made an appearance on a talent program called the Horace Height Show. He made such a good impression, he was asked to join one of Height's several groups of performers that toured across the country. Messick accepted the offer and joined the tour in the Midwest, performing his ventriloquist act for a few weeks before he decided to seek a change of pace. Still in his early twenties, Messick returned to the East Coast, where he traveled with another ventriloquist act through small towns across upstate New York. "That was my starving period," Messick confessed. But before poverty could drive him out of the entertainment business, Messick got a call from Bob Clampett, who was producing a live puppet show in Hollywood. Messick recalled, "The show was 'Time for Beany', which was all over the country on television. I didn't get on the Beany show, but [Clampett] was starting up another production, so he brought me back to California." Messick signed a six-year contract to work in live puppet shows, but programs that featured cartoons adapted from old film libraries were quickly supplanting such productions. Rather than staff an entire puppet show, "It was cheaper for the local stations to hire one person to be the host of shows such as that," Messick explained. When his contract expired, Messick followed the trend. "I started going to the major animation studios such as MGM and Warner Bros. to introduce myself to them, because I was under contract and unable to freelance for six years. It was like starting all over again." It was during that time that Messick met William Hanna and Joseph Barbera at MGM. "I didn't know at that time that MGM was about to close its animation production. MGM couldn't see any future in cartoons for television. It was too expensive." When Hanna and Barbera left MGM to start their own animation studio, they remembered Messick. In 1957, "Ruff and Reddy," their first made-for-television animated program, debuted. Messick and Daws Butler were hired to perform every voice on "Ruff and Reddy". Messick provided the voices for Ruff and Professor Gizmo, while Butler voiced Reddy. "They [Hanna and Barbera] asked me if I knew Daws Butler, and I said 'Yes, he's my best friend, I've known him for years,'" Messick recalled. "I first met him when he and I were in a radio acting workshop in Hollywood for ex-GIs." Butler and Messick were very close outside of the studio. They would often go out with their wives to clubs or to dinner. "Daws was responsible for getting me a Screen Actors Guild card. He introduced me to Tex Avery at MGM, who was the producer of the early theatrical Droopys. Bill Thompson was not available for some reason and they were in the midst of producing one of the theatrical cartoons with Droopy. Daws told Avery I did a similar type of voice to the Wallace Wimple that Bill Thompson did on the Fibber McGee show, so I was hired." Messick continued, "In that theatrical, there was a bull out in the pasture and he was charging up to the rail where Droopy was sitting. Droopy looks at it and then turns to the camera and says, [in character] 'Y'know what? They think he's a mad bull...and he is too!'" In 1958, "The Huckleberry Hound Show" aired, in which Messick and Butler performed as Pixie and Dixie. "Pixie was one of my generic, treble clef, high-pitched voices," Messick laughed. Hanna and Barbera went on to conquer the realm of television cartoons, powered by their simplistic, inexpensive style of limited animation. Messick remained a crucial part of the studio's voice talent corps, providing voices for dozens of characters. Reflecting on the time he spent with Hanna-Barbera, Messick said, "In the earlier days of limited animation, because of that process, Joe and Bill wanted to depend heavily on the voice of the character to bring it to life because the animation was so restricted. That's where Daws and I shined, I guess you might say. That's the reason that those characters developed with such realism and warmth. They have a genuine charm to them despite the limited backgrounds and so forth. The concentration [was] on the characters, their spoken personalities." In 1969, Messick was cast in what would become his favorite role: Scooby Doo. He very was proud of his contribution to the Scooby's run of 22 years on television. As Scooby Doo was refined, Messick developed an affinity for Scooby as a character, not just another acting role. "Everyone seems to like him," Messick said, "He's got human foibles. He gets into problems, but he always lands on his feet. It always works out for him." When Scrappy Doo was added to the show, Messick had the opportunity to perform two roles that frequently conversed with each other, an exercise he delighted in. "It's been a forte of mine to be able to do so many different voices back and forth, talking to each other frequently. It all goes back to my one-man radio show in Salisbury. That's where I developed that particular ability." Messick's career kept going strong through the 1970s and 80s, landing memorable voices such as Papa Smurf and even a live television role with a young Jim Carrey on "The Duck Factory". On that program, Messick played, what else, a cartoon voice actor named Wally Wooster. While many of his characters from years past still enjoyed popularity on television, Messick continued performing until 1996. Among his recent roles were the voice of Hamton Pig on "Tiny Toons" and an unforgettable appearance on "Freakazoid!" as Dr. Vernon Danger in a spoof of Jonny Quest. At the end of his career, Messick had grown from an eager young boy with a ventriloquist dummy into a respected industry favorite. He was soft-spoken and humble, quick to credit his colleagues for his success: "I've always been very grateful to people such as Bill Hanna and Joe Barbera and Daws Butler. There have been so many people I've enjoyed working for and with. I've been fortunate." Don Messick was a remarkable actor whose dedication to his craft and to his fans will not be soon forgotten. We are fortunate in having the opportunity to enjoy the legacy he leaves behind. By Brett Rogers ========================== 6) SMURFY NEWS GIVE-A-WAY ========================== Last month's contest got fouled up, due to the site crashing, so we still have that prize to give away! It was a homemade, yarn-stitched, plastic-canvas tissue box cover featuring Papa, Smurfette and two normal Smurfs! 4.75" square by 7.75" high and is perfect for covering a box of tissues in your Smurf room! Also included, are two bonus hard plastic figurines; a jointed Papa and Handy marked "IMPS China 1996!" I will also be giving away another prize for June. That prize is 40211 Gargamel with Azrael! To enter the contest, just visit the eSmurfs.com bulletin board and post a correct answer to the trivia questions. The first winner chooses which prize they want, the second winner gets the remaining prize. Hurry! No random drawing this time, the first correct answers take the prizes! Here's the link, look for the message titled "June Smurfy News Give-a-Way": http://www.esmurfs.com/cgi-bin/forum2/dcboard.cgi AOL Click Here! ============ 7) CLOSING ============ Well, that's all Smurfs! I have a bit of sad news...most of you know I am in the process of buying a new house. My wife Hope and I expect to close very soon on the "mushroom," and we will be super busy moving in, so I am going to give myself a break and skip the July issue of the Smurfy News. Gosh, I can hear you groaning from here! Don't worry, I will still be working on new site additions and will be back in August with lots of new surprises! The Smurfy News will also be upgraded to a new ADVERTISING-FREE format. Hey, you want Smurfy News, not another credit card! As always, I *love* to hear from my readers! Please hit reply now and let me know what's new with you! I may fall a bit behind in replying, as I get lots of mail after the Smurfy News goes out, but I do read and answer all of it! Of course, I am ESPECIALLY interested in mail from those with something to share...maybe a picture or a story. I can't keep track of every Smurfy thing that happens, I rely on YOU to help keep me informed, and then I am happy to help spread the Smurfy good word! Let me know if you hear of a new promo, or tell me about yourself and your collection. If you feel up to writing a little article or letter telling how you became interested in Smurfs and Smurf collecting, I'll publish it in a future issue! Have a Smurfy day now! -Pete eSmurfs.com ---------------------------- The "Smurfy News" is a free monthly e-mail newsletter published by eSmurfs.com (http://www.esmurfs.com) Joining or leaving the list is voluntary, we cannot add or delete you! To subscribe to the Smurfy News send an e-mail to SmurfyNews-subscribe@listbot.com. To unsubscribe or view the Smurfy News archive, please visit http://www.esmurfs.com/smurfs-smurfynews.html Want to submit an article or information for publication in a future issue of the Smurfy News? Please? Send it to esmurfs@esmurfs.com or hit reply now. All letters will be considered for publication unless the author requests otherwise. They may be edited for clarity and space, and we may print your first name and State or Country unless you request that we do not. All right reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced in whole, or in part, without the express written consent of the author. The contents of this newsletter do not necessarily reflect the opinions of eSmurfs.com. eSmurfs.com makes no warranties, either expressed or implied, about the truth or accuracy of the contents or information provided by the sponsors or by the writers. Use info contained herein at your own risk. Nothing in life is guaranteed. Let the buyer beware. A stitch in time gathers no moss. Oh, and SMURF ON!!