The Smurfy News is the largest Internet newsletter about Smurfs and Smurf collecting. This issue goes out to ^ subscribers worldwide. Welcome to our first-time readers! If you know Smurf fans that might enjoy the Smurfy News, please help us grow and forward this e-mail to them! To subscribe to the Smurfy News, please visit http://www.esmurfs.com and enter you e-mail address in the Smurfy News subscription form. To unsubscribe, please see the bottom of this e-mail. =-=-=-=-= FOREWORD =-=-=-=-= I hope everyone is enjoying the holidays :) Holiday sales were to best ever. I hear holiday shopping was at a 30 year low this year, blamed on the World Trade Center attack, but I had record-breaking sales here at eSmurfs.com. I guess this is because Internet sales continued to grow for everyone, regardless of the tragedy. The money raised by the Smurf Shop funds this free newsletter, our bulletin board and all the other great things eSmurfs.com has to offer - so A big "Thank You!" to all of eSmurfs visitors who purchased a Smurf, a book or something else in 2001. You make eSmurfs.com happen! On with the News! -Pete http://www.esmurfs.com =-=-=-=-= CONTENTS =-=-=-=-= 1) FEATURED FIGURINE 2) NEW IN THE SMURF SHOP 3) KMS GUIDE AVAILABLE 4) THE KILLER SMURFS 5) SMURF LIBRARY NOW OPEN! 6) FROM THE MAILBAG 7) SMURFS ON TV AGAIN! 8) SMURFY NEWS GIVE-A-WAY 9) CLOSING =============================================== =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= 1) FEATURED FIGURINE =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Another figurine has been added to our popular "Featured Figurines" page. Here is the text, be sure to visit the page to see the pictures! "FAFNIR" the Dragon This dragon was produced by Schleich in 1991 as part of their line of "Crazy Friends." These were PVC figurines with wires inserted so that they could be bent, and hold their new pose. There were four figures in the line; a dragon, a bird, a monkey with banana and a cow. This is NOT a Smurf piece! However, the dragon is often misrepresented as "Fafnir," the dragon appearing in a comic-style cartoon book entitled "Johann und Pfiffikus - Im verwuenschten Land" (German) or "Les pays maudit" (French). In the "Johann und Pfiffikus" (Johann and Peewit) stories, the Smurfs often appear playing a supporting role. A quick comparison reveals that the real Fafnir had ears, wings, no antennae and an arrow-shaped tip on his tail. The Crazy Friends Dragon has no wings, ears or arrow-tipped tail and a pair of antennae. More importantly, this piece was simply never purported by Schleich to be a Smurf-related piece. While the piece is not a Smurf collectible, Smurf collectors desire it as it fits in well with a Smurf display, and looks great with Johann and his sword! There are several versions of the "Fafnir" dragon. There is a green version with red antennae, red spikes down his back and a red snout and feet.. There is also a version with a dark green body, and lighter green spikes. It is unclear which version is rarer. The red version may be found with removable legs (they are stuck like a plug into holes in the body) or with glued legs. The version with green spikes is found plain, and in a promotional version, with "Hoechst" stamped on its side. Hoechst is a group of international companies operating in the life sciences and industry, it is not known when, under what pretext, or how many of the Hoechst promo dragons were produced. View the article with the related pictures at this link: http://www.esmurfs.com/smurfs-featured.html AOL CLick Here! =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- 2) NEW IN THE SMURF SHOP! =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- We have just completed our year-end inventory, which always turns up some pieces that we didn't realize we still have in stock. These pieces have been marked "Out of Stock" but are now back in stock! There is just 1 piece on many of these, don't wait around if you need one! 20004 Shiver (red) 20009 Drummer 20010 Prisoner 20021 Sleepwalker (yellow) 20031 Mailman 20037 Doctor (blue thermometer) 20038 Singer (yellow songsheet) 20058 Champion 20061 Bandleader 20078 Beer 20098 Ballerina 20111 Cupid (yellow bow) 20139 Nurse (white apron) 20176 Good Luck 20192 Smurfette with Baby 20232 Gargamel with lab glass 20458 Newsman (Black & White Smurf) 20459 Nameplate Smurf-a-Gram (Schonwald) 51902 Smurf with Gift Merry Christmas 1981 mug Smurfs Dancing Bumper Sticker Friction Toy - Smurfette Friction Toy - Smurf Here are some that have been "Out Of Stock" but more stock arrived in December: 20411 Azrael 20469 Bouquet 20470 Aircraft Captain 20472 Referee Smurf 20475 Safari 20476 Parachutist 20477 Volleyball 20478 Sports Correspondent 51910 Praying Smurf There are also a few all-new additions to the catalog: 20074 King (raw) 20078 Beer (raw) 20099 Head Cook (raw) 20103 Scholar (raw) These are all unpainted blanks from the Schleich factory. This is what figurines look like before painting. The base PVC color is left unpainted where needed. Most blanks are white, so most Smurfs have unpainted hats and pants. Some Smurfs were injected in color PVC. See the "How Smurfs Are Made" page at http://www.eSmurfs.com to see some blanks in other colors (for example, Papa is usually red!) And more new additions for the Smurfette fan: Smurfette acrylic Keychains Smurfette Glitter Stickers Smurfette Bumper Stickers Smurfette Notebooks Smurfette Pocket Folders Smurfette Pens This stuff is *very* affordable, priced at just $2-$3.50 per piece! All feature Smurfette sitting pretty atop a mushroom :) And of course "Fafnir" the Dragon has been added to the catalog, although none are for sale. I actually do have a Hoechst promo "Fafnir" available for sale, but it is not mint, there is some wear on 3 or 4 of the light green spines on his back, and the dark green base shows through. The "Hoechst" marking is also a bit rubbed, but very clearly visible. A mint "Hoechst" "Fafnir" has sold in the neighborhood of $200 recently on eBay. I will part with this cheery fellow for $110. If you would like him, please hit reply now! I can accept PayPal or a Credit Card #. REMEMBER, THIS IS NOT A SMURF PIECE, THIS IS NOT THE "REAL" FAFNIR! If you don't know this, please back up and read this month's Featured Figurine! HOWEVER, many collectors enjoy displaying this piece with their Smurfs, and I can tell you firsthand that he looks very Smurfy displayed along with Johann and Pewit! TO SEE THE NEW ADDITIONS, CLICK HERE: http://search.cartserver.com/search/search.cgi?cartid=a-6296&category=Smurfs&maxhits=20&keywords=new1201&bool=AND AOL Click Here! -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= 3) KMS GUIDE AVAILABLE -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= The latest Smurf Guide is in print and on it's way to America! The 2002/2003 Comicfiguren Preiskatalog is the most recent ID & Price Guide on the market. Any serious Smurf collector will want to buy this book because it has the very latest pricing. It also shows the most figurine variations of any book currently in print with over 1,750 PVC variations shown over 228 color pages! The values are in Euros (which becomes the common European currency as of 12:00 AM, January 1, 2002 - Happy New Year!) and the text is in German. This is not a problem at all. It is very easy to determine which prices correspond with which figure shown, and much of the German can be figured out using the Translation Tool page at eSmurfs.com: http://www.esmurfs.com/smurfs-translation.html AOL Click Here! You will also find a link on that page to a brief German-to-English dictionary. Feel free to print that out and tuck it into your Katalog 2000, KMS Guides, or other German Smurf guides! If you think another term should be added to the Dictionary, let me know, and I'll add it! I have tried to include most of the commonly used words used to describe figurines; colors, long, tall, short, skinny etc. To purchase the guide, visit our home page at http://www.esmurfs.com and scroll down to see the ad. -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- 4) THE KILLER SMURFS -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- Here is a little story I found on the Internet...I guess it's Smurf related, so sit back and enjoy this tale! "Once upon a time, a very long time ago, the killer smurfs ruled the earth. The killer smurfs had the height of three apple trees and lived in extremely large fungi. The land of the killer smurfs was a prosperous one and their reign was long and powerful. With the coming of men the smurfs prepared for war. The smurfs looked forward to a good fight, after all, it was millennia ago when they killed the last dinosaur in the most brutal way they could conceive. Although they were a little rusty, it didn't take all that long before mankind was also facing extinction. One of but a few men left to fight the evil smurfs was the incredibly moronic wizard called Gargamel. Gargamel had occupied an ancient fortress from where he plotted his cunning plans against the smurfs. The smurfs tried to take his castle many times, but Gargamel always managed to survive somehow. Gargamel was very busy trying to create some sort of natural enemy for the smurfs, for they had none. He came up with a creature with sharp claws and big pointy teeth: a cat called Azrael. After testing Azrael he soon discovered a slight flaw in the design: The smurfs were much much bigger than Azrael and weren't scared of Azrael at all. Adapt, adopt, improve, Gargamel thought. He then discovered he hadn't the power to create a more powerful creature. This caused him great distress, since the smurfs were growing more powerful by the day and soon would be able to take his castle. Since he had reached the limits of wickedness he could create by making Azrael, he decided to approach the problem from a different angle. If he could weaken the smurfs themselves, they might not prove a match for Azrael anymore. So he started work on a wide variety of toxic concoctions with the sole purpose of reducing smurf supremacy. One specific potion that should have made the smurfs' skin rot away caused it to turn blue instead. Although this wasn't the desired effect, it did cause the smurfs to stay away from Gargamel's castle. This in turn enabled the remainder of mankind to establish a safe colony in the vicinity of Gargamel. This way there was peace for many generations. But the smurfs wanted revenge and started raiding the colony of men. They would surely have been destroyed if Gargamel hadn't taken action at that time. He had developed a magic brew that would divide smurf size by three. He had made a slight miscalculation and they were divided by tree instead of three. They were now only three apples in height. Gargamel was now the most powerful man in the world and he took advantage of this by oppressing both smurfs and men. Attempts of men to make allies among the smurfs failed horribly, because the smurfs killed men on sight, thinking they were in league with Gargamel. The future for men now looked darker than ever. Most men were under Gargamel's control and many were slaughtered in great battles between men and smurfs. Meanwhile men had developed all kinds of stunning machines, but none of them seemed adequate against the smurfs or Gargamel for that matter. It wasn't until the development of the cartoon that the balance shifted in favour of men. With the ingenious invention of the camera, they were able to capture both Gargamel and the smurfs on film and turn them into cartoons. Gargamel and the smurfs, being trapped in the cartoons now no longer posed a threat to mankind. The ages went by and men lived happily ever after, conveniently forgetting the true story behind the smurf cartoons. Written by Edwin Pieter Treur. OH, SO THAT'S WHAT HAPPENED ;) -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- 5) SMURF LIBRARY NOW OPEN! -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- I have begun work on the Smurf Library, where I will be archiving Smurf-related articles that have been printed in the Smurfy News, and which are contributed by our visitors. If you have an article that is not featured in the Library, please contact me by hitting reply now! You can mail me a copy or scan and e-mail it to me, just contact me and we'll get it added so everyone can enjoy it! Here are Smurfs Cartoon & Toy Synopses that will be added, see the end for a link... SMURFS CARTOON "Proving that we indeed are a one-world community, NBC president Fred Silverman bought the rights to the Flemish created characters known as the Smurfs and turned them into one of the most successful and smurfiest cartoons ever to hit the air. Created by cartoonist Peyo Culliford in 1957, the Smurfs (called Schtroumpfs in their homeland) had already become popular as American toys when Silverman got the idea of turning the little blue guys into a bunch of big green. The Smurfs were a group of over 100 dark blue, three-apple tall humanoids who lived in the mushroom homes of Smurf Village. They were led by 543-year-old Papa Smurf (who didn't look a day over 530). Their lives would have been perfect were it not for the villainous Gargamel, a wizard who spent his days trying to capture the wee creatures. Gargamel's cat Azrael added to the menace, always looking for a smurfalicious snack. The single-emotioned Smurfs - including Brainy, Jokey, Vanity, Grouchy and Clumsy - were later joined by Grandpa Smurf and five Smurflings, who went back in time to become youngsters. Gargamel, too, got a friend in the form of the unscrupulous Scruple. In 1982 the Culliford characters Johan and his aide Peewit ("Peewee" to U.S. kids) were given their own segments during the expanded, 90-minute Smurfs, but the two humans simply weren't as smurfy as their tiny friends, and thus did not last. Despite its incredible popularity, The Smurfs actually encountered some controversy. Some adults considered the show quite sexist in its use of the one original female character, Smurfette, who was created by Gargamel as a way to fool the other Smurfs. In reaction to the criticism, the siren was changed into a sweetie via some Papa Smurf magic, and later seasons brought further Smurf femmes like Sassette. Perhaps the most memorable feature of the show was the use of the word "smurf" in every possible tense and construction. For instance, it wouldn't be unusual to hear a Smurf remark something like, "It's such a smurfy day, I think I'll go smurfing in Lake Smurf." In any case, the show won two Emmys as Outstanding Children's Entertainment Series and, in 1987, actually did a message episode. In an anti-drug show, Poet Smurf became addicted after rubbing a witch's magic orb, requiring the help of Papa and the gang to overcome his problem. The Smurfs hit the silver screen in 1984 with The Smurfs and the Magic Flute. The film was actually a dubbed version of an older Belgian Schtroumpfs feature, and our teeny weeny heroes didn't even appear until a ways in. The film flopped, but the cartoon continued to rule Saturday morning for the better part of the decade. In 1989, in an attempt to save the nearly decade-old show, the producers had the Smurfs leaving Smurf Village to visit various times and locations. Fans were smurfed off. The show was cancelled after that season, surviving only in the syndicated package titled The Smurfs' Adventures." SMURF TOYS "Peyo's Smurfs were smurfed in nineteen-smurfty-smurf and smurfed to supersmurfdom in the United Smurfs of Amerismurf with the smurftacular smurfcess of their smurfevision smurf, smurfed Smurfs. For all non-Smurfspeak-enabled web browsers, here's the smurfdown: Cartoonist Pierre Culliford (known to the world as Peyo) debuted the Smurfs in 1958 in Belgium's Le Journal de Spirou, within one of the cartoonist's popular "Johan & Peewit" stories. The little blue forest creatures quickly became a hot item, earning starring roles in their own comics and in a 1976 feature, La Flūte ą Six Schtroumpfs (released in the U.S. in 1983 as The Smurfs and the Magic Flute). The Smurfs were instant superstars in their native land, and toymaker Schleich unveiled a line of PVC Smurf figurines in the 1960's. Each tiny figure was finely detailed, showing the personalities and characters that had made the wee ones such a success. The toy line came across the Atlantic in 1978, but Smurf-mania didn't really hit the States until the premiere of Hanna-Barbera's Smurfs cartoon on NBC in 1981. The show ruled the Saturday morning airwaves for the better part of the decade, and toy sales skyrocketed. A variety of Smurf-related merchandise reached toy shelves over the course of the show's run - puppets, video games, puzzles, etc. - but the core of the Smurf line were always the collectible figurines, manufactured in the U.S. by Applause. Smaller than the traditional Smurf stature of "three apples high," the figurines were tiny enough to fit in pockets, sit on bookshelves, hang from Christmas trees, hide in desks at school, and almost anywhere else. The popular Smurfs were all represented: Papa Smurf, Smurfette, Brainy, Hefty, Handy, Jokey, the wicked Gargamel, henchcat Azrael and others. But the beauty of the Smurfs line was that, since pretty much everyone looked alike, a new character could be created simply by giving him a book, an oboe, a sledgehammer, skis, a funny hat, etc. The Smurfs left NBC in 1990, but the characters remain international icons. Over 400 variations on the Smurf theme have been produced to date, with more added each year by new smurfmaker Irwin. A fiftieth anniversary spectacular in 1998 drew large crowds across Europe, and the toys themselves continue to smurf out the smurfs like a smurf out of smurf. Keep on smurfing." Visit the Smurf Library at: http://www.esmurfs.com/smurfs-library.html AOL Click Here =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- 6) FROM THE MAILBAG =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- "My husband's father used to go away a lot for work and it was his regular present to my husband to buy him a smurf while he was away. He has about 150 smurfs, which I have finally let him display in our house (doesn't really match my Chinese/African/Balinese ornaments!) He only acquires new smurfs when close friends go overseas. - A.B., Woonona, Australia" --- Thanks for writing, I love hearing from Smurfy Friends all over the world! -Pete ---------- I just found something SOOOOO cool, I'm just dying to share it :-) I don't dare to post this information on your message board but I thought I'd share it at least with you. [LINK DELETED] A new Mc Donald promo that's NOT YET officially released????? Maybe Mc D. is planning a new smurf promo campaign ????? Who knows :-) -anonymous --- I don't want to reveal what this link was just yet (stay tuned to the Smurfy Bulletin Board!) but our anonymous tipster was right! Our friend Dirk recently posted "I just read on the official Mc Donald's Homepage Austria that they'll be having 8 smurfs as Happy Meal toys from December 28th to January 31st." The 8 new toys are hard plastic Smurfs with plush accessories! Great detective work guys, keep those tips rolling in! -Pete ---------- Hello, I wanted to let you know cartoon network is showing the Smurfs again. You probably already know this though. It's on weekdays 8am-9am Pacific time. I am so excited! Thanks, Becky --- Becky, I had heard by the time you wrote, but Thank You just the same! I cannot possibly cover every Smurfy event that happens by myself. I rely on the eSmurfs network of members and friends to tell me when they learn something new. You can post news on the Bulletin Board or come right to me. I will report every bit of News I hear! Thanks for keeping me in mind, it is appreciated by Smurf fans everywhere! -Pete -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- 7) SMURFS ON TV AGAIN! -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- Did everyone catch the Smurfs Christmas Specials on Cartoon Network in December? If you missed it, try stopping into the Smurfy Bulletin Board more often! I discovered it was going to be on in 10 minutes and posted a message. Within minutes other Smurf fans were on the alert and we soon discovered the Smurfs are back on Cartoon Network with a regular schedule for the first time since April 2000!! Visit the Cartoon Network Smurfs Schedule to see the dates and times the syndicated cartoon will be shown in the next 30 days: http://alt.cartoonnetwork.com/Schedule/0,3671,CTN|0|304007|Eastern,00.html (If this link does not work, copy and paste the full address into your browser) AOL Click Here! These times are Eastern Standard Time. To check other time zones, use this page: http://alt.cartoonnetwork.com/Schedule/0,3671,CTN,00.html AOL Click Here! Stephen Parkes also reported on the Smurfy Bulletin Board the Smurfs were back on in the UK on BBC2 from 7:00 AM to 7:25 AM at least through the 21st of December. I hope they are still on, can we get an update from our friends in the UK? I have edited the "Smurfs on TV" page to include this new information. Please take a look, and if you know any of the information on that page to be no longer current, please hit reply now and let me know! Remember, I rely on YOU, the eSmurfs visitors and members to help keep all Smurfers in the know! Here's the World-Wide Channel Guide at the Smurfs on TV page page: http://www.esmurfs.com/smurfs-tv.html#grid AOL Click Here! BE SURE THE SMURFY BULLETIN BOARD IS ADDED TO YOUR FAVORITES AND CHECK IT OFTEN FOR THE VERY LATEST SMURFY NEWS! Here's the link: http://www.esmurfs.com/cgi-bin/forum2/dcboard.cgi?az=lobby AOL Click Here! =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- 8) SMURFY NEWS GIVE-A-WAY =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- "Thanks for the exciting news! J.B. is 12 years old and has well over 1,000 smurfs. He lives to collect his little blue men. He is very happy to have won your contest and looks forward to receiving your newsletters! Thank again for a bright spot in his day. -LeAndra McDonald" LeAndra won a pair of keychains in last month's drawing, I'm glad to hear they are going to an avid collector! This month's drawing is pulled from my Less-than-Mint box. These are Mint Super Smurfs, but they have no box. I'll draw 3 winners this time. IMPORTANT!!! IF YOU DO NOT ENTER YOUR MAILING ADDRESS IN THE CONTEST ENTRY FORM, YOUR ENTRY IS DELETED BEFORE THE DRAWING!! I don't want to have to hunt people down if they win, so please be sure to enter your mailing address when you enter. If you win, your prize will mail out that week! THE PRIZES: 40204 Skateboard 40233 Volleyball 40211 Gargamel with mini Azrael For your shot at winning, just complete the entry blank located here: http://www.esmurfs.com/smurfs-contest.html AOL Click Here This is a secret link, only published in the Smurfy News! This monthly contest is *only* for Smurfy News subscribers! Winners will be selected randomly and announced at the eSmurfs.com Bulletin Board in a couple of weeks. Good Luck to all who enter! =-=-=-=-=-= 9) CLOSING =-=-=-=-=- With this, I bring the final 2001 issue of the Smurfy News, as well as a fantastic and Smurfy year to a close! I want to thank again EVERYONE who visits eSmurfs.com, posts to the Smurfy bulletin board, e-mails me with news and events, patronizes the Smurf Shop, receives the Smurfy News and takes advantage of everything else eSmurfs.com has to offer. I've said it once and I'll say it again - Yes, I work hard, and appreciate your thanks, BUT I COULD NOT DO IT WITHOUT *YOU*! As the SCCI always said; "Sharing is Caring." The smurfs hobby is strong today because a core group of die-hard fans stick together and make it happen for the rest of us, and to all of you I want to say THANK YOU!! Hope your Holidays have been Smurfy, and a Smurfy New Year to all! I look forward to another Smurfy year with the wonderful friends I have made in this hobby, see you next month! Until then - Smurf On, and keep it Smurfy! -Pete & the eSmurfs crew =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- THE SMALL PRINT =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- 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 do not spam! Submissions are always welcome! Just 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 or initials and your City, 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!!