Welcome to the September 2002 issue of the "Smurfy News," a free e-mail newsletter delivered to 2,167 Smurf lovers by www.eSmurfs.com Welcome to our new subscribers! If you know a Smurf fan that might enjoy the Smurfy News, please forward this e-mail to them. To subscribe, unsubscribe, or edit your profile, please visit 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 =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Hey there! I'm back from my little vacation with another great issue of the Smurfy News for you! (No, I didn't hit it big in Vegas, but thank you to all who wished my good luck!) I'm very pleased to announce I have some ALL-NEW items this month, as well as lots of back-in-stock items, all of which now have markings information. Lots of reader mail, a couple of Smurfy articles, -Pete www.eSmurfs.com =-=-=-=-= CONTENTS =-=-=-=-= 1) NEW IN THE SMURF SHOP 2) FROM THE MAILBAG 3) WHAT IS MINT? 4) BEHIND THE LAUGHTER 5) WAREHOUSE NEWS 6) CUTE INDIVIDUALISTIC LITTLE BLUE MEN 7) SMURFY NEWS GIVE-A-WAY 8) CLOSING =============================================== -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- 1) NEW IN THE SMURF SHOP -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- "Is there any way to see just the Smurfs I can buy in the Smurf Shop instead of all the Smurfs that aren't in stock? Lisa L." YES! I have just changed the Smurf Shop so that shopping for Smurfs is easier - less time is wasted scrolling through unavailable styles, because only pieces available for sale will be shown from now on! If someone wishes to look at Smurfs for reference, they should use the eSmurfs.com ID & Price Guide located at: http://www.esmurfs.com/smurfs-idguide.html AOL Click Here! This is the largest interactive, electronic ID & Price Guide in the world, and it is absolutely FREE for eSmurfs.com members! It includes all items currently offered in the Smurf Shop as well as many other items not available for sale, but included for collector reference. MORE NEWS!! We have also begun using a new Smurf freebie! SMURF KEYCHAINS! These are not PVC figurines with key chains stuck in their heads. These are 2-dimensional, Smurfy blue, die-cut flexible rubber keychains printed with colorful Smurfy images. One keychain included free with every order over $50. Collect all 3! BACK-IN-STOCK PIECES!! Here is a list of our back-in-stock pieces for this month: 20010 Prisoner [Markings: Hong Kong, stickman logo, no paint dot] 20030 Torchbearer (white shorts) [Markings: Hong Kong, no paint dot] 20031 Postman (heart) [Markings: CE, China, Germany, no paint dot] 20047 Trumpeter (brown) [Markings: Hong Kong, no paint dot] 20049 Tennis Star [Markings: CE, China, Germany] 20056 Cardplayer (with circle) [Markings: Hong Kong, no paint dot] 20106 Hunter [Markings: Hong Kong, no paint dot] 20107 Carnival [Markings: Hong Kong, no paint dot] 20121 Ice Skater [Markings: CE, Hong Kong, black paint dot] 20124 Santa (yellow horn) [Markings: CE, China, Germany, no paint dot] 20128 Amour (yellow) [Markings: Portugal] 20128 Amour (brown) [Markings: Hong Kong, no paint dot] 20150 Australian Football (red shirt) [Markings: Hong Kong] 20188 Majorette (lavender boots)[Markings: Hong Kong, Wallace Berrie, no paint dot] 20192 Smurfette with Baby (powder blue baby) [Markings: Germany, blue paint dot] 20196 Smurfette with Thanksgiving Pie [Markings: Portugal, Wallace Berrie, no paint dot] 20213 Little Devil (pink) [Markings: CE, Germany, blue paint dot] 20412 Bride [Markings: CE, Germany] 20413 Groom [Markings: CE, Germany] 20429 Hefty [Markings: CE, Germany, no paint dot] 20476 Parachutist [Markings: CE, China, Germany] 20486 Smurf with Clarinet [Markings: CE, China, Germany, blue paint dot] 40224 Blackboard (math) [Markings: Figure: CE, Germany, blue paint dot; Easel: West Germany] 40263 Smurf with laptop [Markings: Figurine: CE, China, Germany, blue paint dot; Desk: CE, China, Germany] 40601 Gargamel's Lab 40603 Western (microprint box) [Markings: Figurine: CE, China, Germany, no paint dot; Accessories: CE, China, Germany] 40712 School 51908 Smurf with drum [Markings: Portugal, no paint dot] OTH050 Smurfette Keychain OTH283 Smurfette Bumper Sticker BUT WAIT! THERE'S MORE!! Do you need any of these for your collection? The following are ALL-NEW listing, never before offered through eSmurfs.com: 20033 Clown [Markings: CE, Germany, no paint dot] 20045 Artist (raw) [Markings: West Germany] 20134 Judo (raw) [Markings: CE, Germany, no paint dot] 20144 Indian (color feathers, light pants) on pencil sharpener 20162 Waiter (red glass) on pencil sharpener [Markings: CE, West Germany] 20171 Handy (raw) [Markings: CE, Germany, no paint dot] 20182 Smurfette with comb & mirror (raw) [Markings: CE, Germany, no paint dot] 20204 Smurfette with Flute (raw) [Markings: None] 20412 Bride (raw) [Markings: CE, Germany, no paint dot] 20421 Smurfette w/ flower on pencil sharpener [Markings: CE, Germany, no paint dot visible] 20426 Schoolboy (raw) [Markings: CE, Germany, no paint dot] 20434 Slouchy's First day of School (raw) [Markings: CE, Germany, no paint dot] 20446 Smurf Child w Doll (raw) [Markings: CE, Germany, no paint dot] 20447 Smurf Child on Truck (raw) [Markings: CE, Germany, no paint dot] 20451 New Singer (raw) [Markings: CE, Germany, no paint dot] OTH279 Iron-on Patch - Pointing [Markings: Made in China] OTH280 Iron-on Patch - Smurfette [Markings: Made in China] OTH281 Iron-on Patch - Normal [Markings: Made in China] OTH197 Smurferman Keychain OTH198 Pigtails Smurfette Rollerskating Keychain OTH199 Smurfette Rollerskating Keychain SBOOK69 2001 Mini Catalog (Schleich) Click here to see the all-new and back-in-stock listings for this month: http://search.cartserver.com/search/search.cgi?cartid=a-6296&category=instock&maxhits=20&keywords=new0902&bool=AND AOL Click Here! REMEMBER! The Smurf Shop only shows items that are in stock, so if something seems to be missing when you get there, it means someone beat you to it! THE BEST TIME TO BUY SOMETHING YOU WANT IS WHEN YOU FIND IT! If you need any of these pieces for your collection, buy them now - quantities are limited and everything is always first come, first served! =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- 2) FROM THE MAILBAG =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- "I am the biggest Smurf fan ever! I honestly think I have the largest collection. A few are from mine & my husband's childhood, but most have been added since 1997. My latest addition: Friday at the Salvation Army I found a Pewit doll!! I'm having a difficult time finding a picture of him to see if he's complete, though. I think my favorite piece may be my smurf halloween pvc--he has a gargamel mask on. :) Thanks for the newsletter again, and THANKS for the website from one smurfy collector to another! April Bash, Lexington KY " --- I dunno April! I am aware of several collections numbering in the thousands of all-different PVC's (promos, color/marking variations, etc.) If your collection is that big, congratulations, you have a world-class collection! Otherwise you may have a bit more hunting to do before you can claim the crown! The Smurf with Gargamel's mask is one of my favorites too - don't you think they should have made a Gargamel with a Smurf mask? ----- "I really miss watching the Smurfs at 11AM ET. Do you think if all of us emailed Cartoon Network, they'd switch back? Thanks for your time. -Jessica S., Coventry, RI" --- Jessica, CN has really cut back on the Smurfs. First they moved it to early AM weekdays, but now it's on no more than once every few weeks. Seems to me they are phasing it out again, they seem to be concentrating on new cartoons now. Can you get Boomerang? That's their sister station where the Smurfs are on regularly. In New York City, we can get it on the Dish Network satellite TV. ----- IN LAST MONTH'S ISSUE I PUBLISHED THIS: "Just thought you'd be interested in some Smurf info. I watched the movie "No Man's Land" the other night. This is the film that won the Oscar for best foreign film in 2002. It takes place during the Bosnian/Serbian war in 1993. At one point, a UN tank enters the battlefield and a Bosnian soldier responds to it by saying "The Smurfs are coming! The Smurfs are coming!" I don't know if it was just something funny in the movie, or if all Bosnians refer to the UN as the Smurfs, but it was cute nonetheless. Plus, the movie was really good, so you should check it out. -Eric Hempsall" Well, some other members had ideas about this: "This is actually sort of funny to read. One of my friends is from Pakistan and calls the people that part of their religion is for the men to wrap their hair in a white cloth. He (and many other people) call them Smurfs. I assume that this is relating to the Bosnia/Serbian war in the movie. Obviously, the Serbians follow this religion and the Bosnian's call them Smurfs. (However, I believe that the little blue Smurfs are MUCH cuter!!!) Just thought I would share that. Thanks - Ashley" AND FROM ANOTHER MEMBER: "In reference to the article, UN soldiers are often referred to as "Smurfs" due to the BLUE color of the beret/hats that they wear. - TNTChick" ----- I ALSO PUBLISHED AN ARTICLE ABOUT AN ANTIQUE DEALER SICK OF SMURF APPRAISALS. A MEMBER WRITES IN: "Tell that $@#! of an antique dealer that if he is so sick of appraising Smurfs then he at least would know the difference between colors, and that Gargamel's cat Azrael is orange and not BLACK as in his article. Wake up! -Owen" --- Touche! That slipped right by me! Thanks for writing :) -Pete I have a question that's been bugging me for years. Back in 1980 I had collected these little green "Smurfs." They looked JUST LIKE Smurfs. In fact, that's what got me started collecting Smurfs in the first place. Just imagine a green Smurf. But these had gold hats and pants. They played instruments and stuff that the Smurfs do. They, too, had tails and I had probably 10 of them. I, however, gave them away to friends and I even remember one of my best friends still having one as late as 1988. WHAT WERE THESE CALLED??? Were they the American version and then they changed them back to blue? Were they just rip-offs of the little blue guys? WHERE CAN I FIND THEM??? --- These sound like Gnomes made by 'Empire' which were not related to Smurfs, but probably were an attempt to capitalize on the Smurf craze. I still see them around once in a while; often Smurf collectors have a stray Gnome or two in their collection. -Pete ----- I have a few questions. In the May or April issue of Smurfy News you had an article that said that the creator of the Smurfs was sexist for only having one female Smurf, Smurfette. Wasn't there another Smurf, a child, that was a girl? And can you please put some information on the creator of the Smurfs, how it got started, the process, when it got started, and things like that? -SmileyGal" --- Sure, that was Sassette, one of the Smurflings. She was a later addition to the clan, created by her fellow Smurflings to provide a companion for Smurfette. I will be digging up some informational articles on Peyo, the creator of the Smurfs, and publishing them in an upcoming issue of the Smurfy News -Pete =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= 3) WHAT IS MINT? =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Some thoughts by Peter Caparelli "A lot of Smurf Collectors look or ask for mint Smurfs. But what is mint??? -Ralf, the Smurfhunter" IMHO "Mint" means "perfect, without defect," to put it in a nutshell. The Smurf may or may not have been handled or played with, sold or unsold - what matters is the condition. A Mint Smurf should have an as-made paint job. That is, it can still have paint errors and be Mint, provided those defects occurred at the factory. Smurfs are still hand painted to this day, so the job is going to vary. Sometimes there is incomplete coverage, sometimes there is bubbles in the paint, or dripping. This does not affect the Mint grading. A rub is an after factory defect, and if a Smurf has any rubs, it can't be Mint. Ditto for *any* physical damage such as torn PVC, bite marks, missing parts, etc. Extraneous marks also affect condition. A Smurf bearing the original owners initials on the feet is not mint. If there are any ink marks, or paint, or markers, the Smurf cannot be Mint. If a "mark" is really dirt that can be cleaned, the Smurf is Mint, but dirty. If paint or white-out is used to hide a mark, that is a repair, and the Smurf cannot be called Mint. Stray paint marks from the factory do not bring the grade below Mint. These are as-made factory defects. The Smurf still grades Mint. Yellowing is a natural occurrence in PVC, and IMHO does not affect grade. Unfortunately, as time marches on, we have little option but to watch our Smurfs gradually loose their bright, bright whites. However, I have found bright white examples of even very old figurines and seen yellowed Smurfs that were not really that old. What makes this happen is something I have not yet discovered and am always trying to find info on. If anyone can help, it would be appreciated! I suspect something environmental is responsible for the rate of yellowing - perhaps light, temperature, humidity. Or maybe it is something that comes in contact with the PVC in the air, in cleaners or on hands. Until we have better info, to retard yellowing I suggest playing it safe on all counts. Keep Smurfs out of bright light, extremes in temperature and humidity, use mild or no cleaners, keep them behind glass wherever possible, and use cotton gloves when handling the very rarest pieces to preserve their condition. =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= 4) BEHIND THE LAUGHTER =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= From the April 1st 2002 issue of "The South End," the official student newspaper of Wayne State University. By Huckelberry Hound "The Smurfs" were the pride of Peyo. At their pinnacle they commanded the highest respect in the cartoon community. They replaced "The Care Bears" as the No. 1 show for children under 10. They had the fame, the money and the envy of all two-dimensional drawings. But with the success came unprecedented trouble. Controversy, drugs and tragedy would dog the mushroom house dwellers until their unfortunate demise at the hands of network executives, who were fed up with defending their tiny terrors. It began simply enough, on Oct. 23, 1958. The Smurfs made their first appearance in a story of Johan & Peewit in "Le Journal de Spirou." Their creator Peyo had worked previously at a number of drawing jobs, but the introduction of the Smurfs into Spirou would change his life forever. At first, the Smurfs were just secondary characters. But they soon became stars in their own right. After a few mini-albums, their tales began to appear as full albums. Then the film "The Smurfs and the Magic Flute" appeared in 1984, which set them in the pantheon of cartoon legend. "They came out of nowhere and dominated the scene," said friend Bugs Bunny. "I hadn't seen that kind of over-night success since Rocky and Bullwinkle, and maybe Scooby-Doo." The smurfs television show ran September 1981 through Decemeber 1989. They were a group of just over 100 humanoids who lived in the mushroom homes of Smurf Village. Led by 543-year-old Papa Smurf, their lives were nearly perfect except for the wicked Gargamel, a wizard who spent his days trying to capture the wee creatures to turn them into gold. Gargamel's cat Azrael was an added peril, always looking for a smurfalicious snack. "Off screen, we were all pals," Gargamel said. "We went to Studio 54 in New York, then jumped on a lear jet to Popeye's mansion in the Keys. I even stood up at Greedy's wedding." Ironically, the parties and jet-set lifestyle is what landed some of the smurfs in hot water, the same kind Gargamel tried to boil them in on the show. Hefty Smurf, the strongest character who bragged he could lift a cat, drew attention from his enormous strength for such a tiny individual. "It was the '80s, the cold war was heating up - we had to beat the Russians," he said. "So yeah, just in case, my agent and I thought it would be a good idea for me to be the protector just in case of an invasion. So I took the steroids." His admitted use to the banned drug, bambuterol as well as testosterone enhancers, led him to a clinic in Sweden for detoxification for six months. "It was hell without Hefty," writer Gene Meyers said. "He was a fan-favorite and we had to write around him. It wasn't easy. We just said he went on a spiritual journey to find himself. That pleased a lot of the religious critics." The show instantly was under fire from fundamenalist religious groups that claimed the show encouraged children to practice witchcraft and an unwholesome commune lifestyle. "Thank God the Rev. Jerry Falwell stepped in to clean up children's television. When he outed the smurfs - wretched little creatures - from that perverted show because, Falwell pronounced that the character (Vanity Smurf) is clearly a fountain of gayness," said Marlena Ross, president of Parents for Being Straight. With his mirror in hand, and a flower in his bonnet, Vanity Smurf simply revered himself. Called "egotistical" by his co-workers, Vanity loved talking fashion, track lighting and Bette Midler and Barbara Streisand. The most self-involved Smurf was also the only gay cartoon character of his time. The National Confederacy of Gay and Lesbian Rights Activists, honored the trailblazer in 1990 for being "open about his homosexuality." "He was a real pioneer in atime when it wasn't popular to be a gay cartoon character," said Ruth Foray, president of NCGLRA. "You wouldn't see another openly gay cartoon character until Elmyra from Tiny Toons." Some adults considered the show quite sexist in its use of the one original female character, Smurfette, created by Gargamel, and used as a sexual toy to fool the other Smurfs. "I wasn't really the slut I was portraying," she said. "At the time I had a husband and a new daughter to think about. It was just a role I smurfed." But the un-smurfy criticism was mounting. The show began to slip in 1986. Harmony Smurf said the contriversies took their toll on the cast. "In the beginning it was like, let's just do something smurfy," he said. "But the Smurfette thing and with Vanity's openess, it just turned into a great big cluster-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. It turned out his problem wasn't just an act. "The stress of the show and my inability to be creative with out the smurf smack, led to my addiction with pain-killers." Not even the show's patriarch was above controversy. With the cold war coming to peak in the early 1980s, the centuries-old Papa was claimed by many to be communist simply for wearing red. "First of all, I am blue and white," he said. "With the red, I'm simply filling out the colors of the American flag. Sure I understand my association with Karl (Marx) and Fredrick (Engels) seems fishy, but we were just poker buddies. Not all of their ideas were bad, though." Several other smurfs lost a fortune when they got tied up in junk bonds. "Dreamy, Grouchy, Lazy and a few others of us hired Michael Milken to control our finances," Scaredy said. "Christ, we lost our smurfs on that one." Gambling, alcohol and prostitution brought down other smurfs. Then Hefty was sued for incompetent craftsmanship when a makeshift mushroom theater came crashing down on a group of play actors in the off-Broadway production of "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest." It was the ultimate metaphor. Despite the addition of Shakespeareian-trained Grandpa, who was brought in to give the show class, and the children smurfs, which were supposed to appease critics who wondered how they reproduced, the show lost favor with its fans. "Fantasy TV was dead," Brainy said. "People wanted realism in cartoons. So they watched Thundercats, Transformers and Gem. Like those were real. It smurfin' hurt when we got cancelled." 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. The show was cancelled after that season, surviving only in the syndicated package titled "The Smurfs' Adventures." The actors tried to find work in Hollywood and on Broadway, but no one would have them. "There just wasn't much demand for three-apple high actors. Not when they had Macaulay Culkin and Danny DeVito," Jokey said. "I smurfed and smurfed but could only get bookings in comedy dives. It wasn't very smurfy at all." No, not smurfy at all. THIS ARTICLE HAS JOINED THE REST AT OUR LIBRARY OF ARTICLES: http://www.esmurfs.com/smurfs-library.html AOL Click Here! =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- 5) WAREHOUSE NEWS =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- Just wanted to report a little observation I made. In opening up and unpacking some new inventory here, I noticed something. These were unsold store stock, still in Schleich unopened multipacks. I have, on more than one occasion, found differing marks within the same multipack! For example, I have found West Germany, both with and without Schleich's stickman logo, in the same factory sealed poly bags! Just food for thought... =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- 6) CUTE INDIVIDUALISTIC LITTLE BLUE MEN =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- by E. Borgers, reprinted from www.geocities.com/Paris/Cafe/2877 The Smurfs... cute individualistic little blue men! SCHTROUMPF...?! WHAT? Why Schtroumpf? Why this strange original name (in the French text)? Simply because in search of a name for the cute little dwarfs he just drew, Peyo (real name: Pierre Culliford), wanted to find a name with derision. Finally it was something approaching the German word for socks: Strumpf. As the word was difficult to read for non-Germans, and due to the rather dumb signification, deterioration gave the famous Schtroumpf!! (Pronounced: Ch-Trough-mm-ppff) THE SMURF ERA In fact these strange little blue men were at first a secondary set of characters for another series from Peyo: Johan and Pirlouit. This series was a kind of medieval farce with a cohort of interesting characters. Amongst them: Pirlouit, small page accomplice of Johan, always ready for a good laugh when not temperamental. The Johan and Pirlouit series was rather successful when suddenly in 1958 in one of the stories: La flute à six Trous- little blue dwarfs were everywhere. The Schtroumpf era had began. THE SMURFS GO TO MOVIES! They were so well liked by the public that Peyo and his team of artists (among them a young guy named Walthéry that will become one of the major Belgian artists a few years later) had to create in a hurry a special series in the early sixties dedicated only to the Smurfs. It was immediately a hit at the European level: well built scripts, tongue in the cheek criticism of the weaknesses of the human nature, little theater of the human comedy, cute characters, and appealing drawings. Everything was there to make it one of the phenomenal success of comics in Europe. It was so big that a few years later (early seventies), a full feature animated cartoon was realized for the cinema in Belgium: La Flute à Six Schtoumpfs - Schtroumpf in the title was the funny use of the name of the little blue men as replacement word for names, verbs and other words; this is the way the Smurfs were speaking in their original adventures written in French. And believe me Belgian animated cartoons were rare things by lack of funds (not lack of talents, because two studios in Brussels were working on animated cartoons for foreign clients). 3D SMURFS??!! Advertisement companies in Belgium, Holland and France were quickly aware of the potential of the Smurfs to draw the interest of the public. The end of the sixties and seventies saw the Smurfs everywhere. Until a German company producing latex gadgets started to produce under license small latex figurines of the Schtroumpfs/Smurfs. An instant success going rapidly to a craze in the middle of the seventies. A few models of Smurf figurines were not enough to satisfy the demand, more was the motto. Therefore Schtoumpfs with all sort of attitude and an impressive diversity of accessories were casted for the kids... and the already emerging collectors! SMURFS GOES ON AMERICAN T.V.!!! Middle of the seventies, in the middle or the wave of Schtoumpfomania in Europe, American businessmen visiting the continent were amazed by the success of the little blue Schtoumpfs (known as Smurfs in English). They took them to Hollywood which sent them as a cartoon series to TV through the magic of Hanna and Barbera. Peyo followed himself the Americanization of his Schtoumpfs, insuring that their world was kept intact, as well as their behaviors. He kept a very close eye to the scripts and Hollywood did a good job by keeping the drawings in the original ways. It was an immediate success...again! The TV series gave also birth to a second generation of books, directly aimed to younger kids and taking inspiration from the TV series. The figurines hit the American market as well...and American collectors seem now to be amongst the most interested to keep it going. Many sites on the WEB dedicated to the Smurfs will emphasize the Smurf figurines against any other form of Smurf representation. IT'S A SMURF, SMURF'S WORLD? The village of the Smurfs was apparently inhabited by male Smurfs only... One of the very controversial addition to this peaceful community was a Smurfette. This to prove that Peyo did not try to create a too Utopian world for his Schtoumpfs. The Smurfette certainly injected some new source for agitation and arguments in Smurfland. This gave at least a feminine touch to the following Smurfs Comics series (issued in Europe first). (C)1996 E.Borgers THIS ARTICLE HAS JOINED THE REST AT OUR LIBRARY OF ARTICLES: http://www.esmurfs.com/smurfs-library.html AOL Click Here! THIS MAKES 20 ARTICLES! We are always accepting submissions! Please send us your original article or a copy of one that you have seen. We need to obtain permission to reprint and archive articles, so please do your best to identify the source! =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- 7) SMURFY NEWS GIVE-A-WAY =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- Congratulations "carterfrick" in Flesherton, Ontario, Canada! You won the last Smurfy News Give-a-Way and your prize is on it's way! (That's a 20417 Sport & Fitness Bodybuilder promo keychain!) Here's carter's nice comments he sent with the entry: "This is a really good site, I like every thing that is in it. I really enjoy the check lists and the Id and Price lists. They help me figure out what ones I have. Keep up the good work." Thanks Carter! This month's freebie is the 20030 Torchrunner with the Belgian emblem printed on his chest! Enter by completing this secret entry form for Smurfy News subscribers ONLY!! http://www.esmurfs.com/smurfs-contest.html AOL Click Here THE WINNER WILL BE DRAWN AND ANNOUNCED AT THE ESMURFS BULLETIN BOARD BEFORE THE NEXT SMURFY NEWS: http://216.104.189.49/cgi-bin/forum/dcboard.cgi AOL Click Here! If anyplace is eSmurfs headquarters, it is the bulletin board! Please stop in, introduce yourself to your fellow members, and join the fun! =-=-=-=-=-= 8) CLOSING =-=-=-=-=-= Well, that's all folks! As always, much thanks to our contributors! I received a lot of mail saying the Smurfy News was missed in Auguest, but please do remember you can find your fellow members everyday at the Bulletin Board at eSmurfs.com. It is a MUST-STOP on the Internet for any serious Smurfer! Almost forgot to announce we have a new board dedicated to Fake/Reproduction Smurfs! If you spot something funny, stop by and share! This is also the place to ask any questions you might have about identifying fakes. You are encouraged to share pics, we host them for you on our server, it's easy! PLEASE NOTE!! I HAVE MOVED THE BULLETIN BOARD! THERE IS A FORWARDER IN PLACE TO SEND YOU TO THE NEW LOCATION IF YOU VISIT THE OLD, BUT IT WON'T BE THERE FOREVER - PLEASE BOOKMARK THE NEW LOCATION, AND UPDATE ANY LINKS YOU MAY PUBLISH! Here's the link again: http://216.104.189.49/cgi-bin/forum/dcboard.cgi AOL Click Here! Until next time, Smurf on! -Pete www.eSmurfs.com =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- THE SMALL PRINT =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- This newsletter is (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. The "Smurfy News" is a FREE e-mail newsletter published for your enjoyment every month by your friends at eSmurfs.com (www.esmurfs.com) Joining or leaving the list is voluntary, we do not spam! eSmurfs.com carries the full range of current production Smurf products by Schleich as well as much of the retired line and many other Smurf collectibles. If you enjoy this newsletter, please help support us with a purchase - Smurfs make great gifts! SHARING IS CARING!! Share what you know and learn with other Smurf collectors by submitting information, news, articles, stories and anything Smurf-related 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! The Smurf character is a registered trademark of Studio Peyo - License I.M.P.S. eSmurfs.com is a collector resource and retail Smurf shop only, it is not affiliated with I.M.P.S. or Peyo. For information on licensing the Smurfs name and/or character, contact I.M.P.S. at rue du Cerf 85, Genval 1332, Belgium