This is the newest issue of the Smurfy News, the Internet's Smurfiest newsletter going out to over 1,780 Smurf lovers! Welcome new subscribers! If you know a Smurf lover who might enjoy the Smurfy News, please help us grow and forward this e-mail to them. To subscribe, unsubscribe, or edit your profile, please visit http://www.esmurfs.com and enter you e-mail address in the Smurfy News subscription form, or see the bottom of this e-mail. =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= FROM THE EDITOR'S DESK =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= What's the big news? THE NEW 2002 SMURFS ARE HERE! Read down for a full report. We also have many new items in stock, with more complete marking and paint dot info. The rest of the News is a bit slim this month, got to get those new Smurfs in the mail, so we better get started... -Pete =-=-=-=-= CONTENTS =-=-=-=-= 1) 2002 SMURFS HAVE ARRIVED! 2) NEW IN THE SMURF SHOP 3) FROM THE MAILBAG 4) SMURFY NEWS GIVE-A-WAY 5) CLOSING =============================================== -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- 1) 2002 SMURFS HAVE ARRIVED! -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- The 2002 Smurfestra has arrived! 20479 New Trumpeter 20482 Smurf with Tenorhorn 20483 Smurf with French Horn 20484 Smurf with Trombone 20485 Smurf with Saxophone 20486 Smurf with Clarinet 20487 Smurfette with Flute 20488 Smurf with Tuba 20493 Smurf with Small Drum 20494 Smurf with Big Drum 20495 Smurf with Cymbal 20496 Conductor Every Smurf is wearing a uniform with deep blue pants, a red top and gold accents. There is a deep blue rim on the edge of their Smurf hats. The paint jobs are very good, they seem to take better care these days. All of the figurines are white injected PVC, including Papa (who is often red.) All the figurines are marked "Schleich Germany Made in China (C) 2001 Peyo CE" Each figurine has a blue paint dot on one foot, and a Schleich label wrapped around one leg. 20479 New Trumpeter - Eyes half closed, holding a gold trumpet up high as he plays. 20482 Smurf with Tenorhorn - Eyes wide open, cheeks full blowing into gold horn. Apparently you have to blow hard for this one! 20483 Smurf with French Horn - This Smurf has his right fist in the opening of the gold horn. I guess that's how you play this instrument? 20484 Smurf with Trombone - This one is Brainy, who knew he could play the trombone? It is a two-piece mold, the protruding portion on the gold trombone and both of his hands are apparently molded apart from the rest of the figurine, then they are joined together. 20485 Smurf with Saxophone - Eyes are half closed, maybe he's a little more slumped and relaxed looking as he plays his gold saxophone. 20486 Smurf with Clarinet - Smiling widely as he plays his instrument. Clarinet is black with silver accents. 20487 Smurfette with Flute - Smurfette's uniform is a bit different, with a short skirt in place of pants. "Smufette-dress" type spots are molded into the skirt, but it is painted solid blue with a gold line circling the edge. She plays a silver flute with gold accents. Her eyes are painted very strange - where every other figurine has their full molded eye painted white, she has only a small spot of white, barely larger than the black pupil. 20488 Smurf with Tuba - This Smurf is clinging to his big gold tuba and seems to be getting a real workout, puffing hard and even a drop of sweat rolling down his head! 20493 Smurf with Small Drum - This bright-eyed and cheery fellow seems to enjoy playing his green and yellow drum. 20494 Smurf with Big Drum - This Smurf looks very much like the 51908 "Smurf with Drum" Christmas ornament. The green and yellow drum is molded separately, and then joined to the figurine. 20495 Smurf with Cymbal - This cute Smurf has his cymbals poised, his tongue is out as he concentrates to get it just right, and he waits for his moment. 20496 Conductor - Papa Smurf serves as the conductor and is holding a short, light brown baton that he is using to set the tempo of the band. The metallic paint is used fairly heavily on these new pieces, and it will be interesting to see how it holds up. Mind you, this is metallic gold they use, not the bright golden yellow. Schleich has used metallic paint in the past and it tends to discolor and/or flake/rub easily, so be careful handling these pieces! I was informed at the NYC Intl. Toy Fair by a Schleich rep that the PVC was treated with a different softener this year, to comply with new regulations. This is a chemical used to create the "hand-friendly" feel of Smurfs. I thought they felt somehow different, but he insisted that the material is identical, only the softener used has changed, and that this is not noticeable. Whatever! I usually like to report which of the new Smurfs are selling best, but this year more people than usual want the set as a whole, which is especially understandable this year. There are a couple of standout though...20483 Smurf with French Horn and 20485 Smurf with Saxophone have been ordered the most. 20496 Papa Conductor has been ordered the least. Sales rarely correspond with the reported favorites however, so let me know! When you receive your new Smurfs, be sure to write me and tell me which is *your* favorite! I will report the results in a future issue. To view and PURCHASE these Smurfs to SHIP NOW, please visit: http://search.cartserver.com/search/search.cgi?cartid=a-6296&category=Smurfs&keywords=new2002&go=GO%21 AOL Click Here! -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- 2) NEW IN THE SMURF SHOP -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- Aside from the new 2002 Smurfs... * The KMS Katalog is back in stock - we are the ONLY US Dealer for this guide. We will NOT be restocking after this second shipment sells out! This guide reflects the most current values. An updated guide will not come out until the Fall, when a new edition of the Smoerfer's Katalog is due. This guide continues to sell very swiftly, don't delay! * If your foreign credit card has been denied in the past, please try using it again! I have modified my checkout process to accept *all* Visa, Mastercard, American Express and Discover, regardless of the origin of the bank (previously, many foreign cards were rejected.) * Many, many previously out-of-stock pieces are back in stock as I process the new pieces located and shipped to eSmurfs by our army of buyers. Our efforts to add marking info to our listing continues. As new stock is added to inventory, we revise the listing to indicate any notable markings. As the hobby matures, smart collectors have begun to pay attention to markings, as they provide clues to the age of a piece. Watch for a future feature on this important topic. Super Smurf listings are revised to indicate whether they are packed in the "older" box, or the newer smurf-head "micro-print" box. There are a *lot* of new listings, so I will only list some here...be sure to visit the link below to view all of the newly revised listings: 20034 Smurfette [Markings: Portugal] 20040 Gift [Markings: CE, Germany] 20044 Lover [Markings: CE, West Germany] 20055 Golfer (white shoes, gray club) [Markings: West Germany] 20056 Cardplayer (with circle) [Markings: Hong Kong] 20070 Harp (eyebrows) [Markings: Hong Kong, Wallace Berrie] 20113 Baker [Markings: Hong Kong, Wallace Berrie] 20144 Indian (black feathers) [Markings: Hong Kong, Wallace Berrie] 20162 Waiter (red glass) [Markings: CE, West Germany] 20172 Jogger (red) [Markings: Hong Kong, Wallace Berrie] 20189 Smurf With Dustpan [Markings: CE hotstamp, West Germany] 20403 Nat [Markings: CE, Germany] 20406 Smoogle [Markings: CE, West Germany] 20407 Chitter [Markings: CE, West Germany] 20411 Azrael [Markings: CE, Germany] 20412 Bride [Markings: CE, Germany] 20413 Groom [Markings: CE, Germany] 20417 Bodybuilder (gold shorts) [Markings: CE, Germany] 20418 Gargamel (hands up) [Markings: CE, Germany] 20421 Smurfette w/ flower [Markings: CE, Germany] 20476 Parachutist [Markings: CE, China, Germany] 20498 Johan [Markings: None] 20501 Paul Revere [Markings: Macau] 20503 Christopher Columbus [Markings: Macau] 20505 George Washington [Markings: Macau] 20506 Abraham Lincoln [Markings: Macau] 40000 40th Anniversary 40219 Rowboat (old box) 40226 Hammock (new box) 40229 Piano (old box) 40233 Helicopter (old box) 40236 Bicycle Smurfette (new box) 40237 Trapeze (old box) 40240 Smurf in Bed (new box) 40242 Lifeguard (yellow flag) (old box) 40512 Basketball (open weave) (Wallace Berrie box) 40621 Well (micro print box) 49001 Large Mushroom House (red/orange roof) 49011 Small Cottage (new, red) 49013 Small Cottage (new, blue) 49014 Smurfette's Cottage (new) Kinder 1996 set (Papa Conductor) Kinder 1996 set (Smurf With Wheelbarrow) Smurfette Puffy Sticker Papa Smurf Puffy Sticker Normal Smurf Puffy Sticker Click here to see all the newest and back-in-stock listings for this month: http://search.cartserver.com/search/search.cgi?cartid=a-6296&category=Smurfs&maxhits=20&keywords=new0302&bool=AND AOL Click Here! NEXT MONTH THERE WILL BE MORE RARE PIECES ADDED BACK TO STOCK. THERE WILL ALSO BE *ALL NEW* LISTINGS!! We have Smurfs on tree stump pencil sharpeners, and raws. Keep it tuned to the Smurfy News for availability info... =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- 3) FROM THE MAILBAG =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- I am a customer Care Representative from Family Channel in Canada. Your site lists us as having 256 episodes of the Smurfs, but in fact we do not. Thank you in advance for your attention to this matter. -Kathryn Nyland --- Thank you! Can anyone tell us if the Smurfs are showing in Canada, so I can update the World-wide Channel Guide? The info shown is from the IMPS Smurf News published in Winter 2000 unless I was given more recent info. If anyone has news of the Smurfs appearing on TV anywhere in the world, please report it to eSmurfs.com so we can share it with the other members! http://www.esmurfs.com/smurfs-tv.html#grid AOL Click Here! ===== Hey? Where's the rest of the mailbag? Sorry everybody, but I upgraded my e-mail client, and accidentally lost a folder full of e-mails I have been saving for this feature :( I wish this was a bad April Fool's day joke, but it's not! Please help me get back on the bandwagon for next month? I am *pleading* with you!! PLEASE hit reply and tell us a bit about your collection, how you began, a Smurfy story, etc. My readers tell me they especially enjoy the Mailbag column - it's interesting to read bits from collectors around the world!! =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- 4) SMURFY NEWS GIVE-A-WAY =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- As I comb through the new inventory I have received, I pulled a couple of less-than-perfect pieces to give away. These are real super Give-a-Ways, this is not the month to skip the contest! 1) 20502 Benjamin Franklin Smurf (paint cracked on key) 2) 20505 George Washington Smurf (Tiny paint smear on nose) TELL ME WHICH PIECE YOU WANT 1st IF YOU WIN! OTHERWISE IT WILL BE RANDOM! Enter by completing this secret entry form for Smurfy News subscribers ONLY!! http://www.esmurfs.com/smurfs-contest.html AOL Click Here Winners will be announced at the Smurfy Bulletin Board in a few weeks, after no new entries have come in for a few days... =-=-=-=-=-= 5) CLOSING =-=-=-=-=-= Sorry the News is so short, but the new 2002 Smurfs kinda showed up just as I was putting it together, and I want to get them out ASAP, so I am going to have to make it up next month. Remember to e-mail me and let me know which of the new 2002 Smurfs is your favorite once you receive them! -Pete http://www.eSmurfs.com =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- THE SMALL PRINT =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- The "Smurfy News" is a FREE e-mail newsletter published for your enjoyment every month by your friends at eSmurfs.com (http://www.esmurfs.com) Joining or leaving the list is voluntary, we do not spam! SHARING IS CARING!! Share what you know with other Smurf collectors by submitting information, news, articles, stories and anything Smurfy to eSmurfs.com - just hit reply now! We collect and disseminate information the world over to keep Smurf collectors united and having a Smurfy good time! (C) 2002 eSmurfs.com, All right reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced in whole, or in part, without the express written consent of eSmurfs.com. 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!!