Welcome to the latest Smurfy News, published June 29, 2003! This FREE e-mail newsletter is from www.MushroomVillage.com! This issue is sent to 2,525 members. Welcome to our new subscribers! (Reminder: All our members are voluntary opt-in, and have requested to be on this list, we do not spam! We also respect your privacy and we never sell, rent, share or distribute your contact information in any way!) =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= FROM THE EDITOR'S DESK =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= If you don't have time to read this entire newsletter - save it until you do! We have some great news to report here, and we don't want anyone to miss a thing! First of all, the highly anticipated "Der Schlumpf Katalog IV" has made it to American shores! We have completed an exhaustive translation of the work to enable English-speaking users to get the most out of this important guide! Please see below for a review and ordering details. Next, we want to share a few of our recent improvements to our order fulfillment practices and procedures. Find out why you can always expect to receive nothing but the best when you buy from us - and learn about our new Smurfy freebies! Next is the ever-popular Smurf Mailbag. Check out this month's special Int'l edition, with a focus on letters from members around the world! Next it's another gripping "Pete's Smurf Room" update? Can anything else go wrong? Can Pete's Smurf ceiling fan fall on his head? YES! IT CAN! Read on for this tale of woe!! Then it's time for some juicy Smurfy News! Join me as I visit IMPS at the 2003 Licensing fair in NYC and get to the root of the Smurf movie rumors! This is news true-blue Smurf fans will not want to miss! Next we reprint the Katalog IV Preface with a link to lots more! "Try it free," and when you realize this book is a must-have, do not delay in placing your order! We are the *only* North American dealer for this guide, and it is selling like crazy! And then again, we have the ever-popular Give-a-Way! What could we be giving away this time? "You gotta be in it to win it!" Be sure to submit your entry. And now, let's all put on our Smurf hats and get on with the News! -Pete www.MushroomVillage.com =-=-=-=-= CONTENTS =-=-=-=-= 1) DER SCHLUMPF KATALOG IV TAKES OFF! 2) WHAT'S NEW? 3) INTL. SMURF MAILBAG 4) PETE'S SMURF ROOM 5) 2003 LICENSING SHOW 6) KATALOG 4 PREFACE 7) SMURFY NEWS GIVE-A-WAY 8) CLOSING =============================================== -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= 1) DER SCHLUMPF KATALOG IV TAKES OFF! -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= For those of you who were waiting for this must-have guide to reach American shores - THE WAIT IS OVER! www.MushroomVillage.com is the exclusive American distributor for this book. It is in stock, selling right now and has swiftly claimed the title of best-selling Smurf guide. The new book is BIG and beautiful! Better than ever before! Smurf collectors won't want to make do with older editions, or other Smurf guides - this is the most complete and up-to-date book on the market! The new guide is specific to the PVC Smurf collectibles - the most highly collected of all Smurfabilia. The book identifies and values most known variations in every category; including normal figurines (in Schleich # order), special releases, Super Smurfs, promos, promo Smurf-a-Grams, Jubilee Smurfs, raws, comic no toxico and other fakes, mini Smurfs, soccer smurfs, miscellaneous pieces, and playsets. Over 2,000 Smurfs are illustrated on 342 pages in breathtaking color and striking detail! Many more variations are covered by the guide that are not pictured. However, the most important color and mold variations are illustrated. The additional content is reason enough for Smurfers to upgrade to this guide. But it gets better than that - a market price is suggested for every figurine covered in the book - the latest such guidance available to collectors! This book is widely regarded as a must-have addition to all Smurf collectors' libraries. The guide is an import printed in German. MushroomVillage.com has produced a translation of the guide, as well as an accompanying German-to-English dictionary with the help of avid member, "Dr. Cleo." This includes the Acknowledgements, Table of Contents, Preface, and all the comments throughout the guide. The dictionary is a thorough work defining *every* terms used in the normal, Super Smurf, and special release sections of the book. The finished product is over 30 pages of material, and it is available free for all from www.MushroomVillage.com! Being a German guide, the book does lack production dates for the American market. This information does help one gauge the rarity of a piece. It is also important to note that the prices shown reflect market conditions in Europe. Many pieces were produced only for the European market, and Americans will value those pieces higher than the guide would suggest. Likewise, America-only pieces are in high demand in Germany, and this is also reflected in the pricing. Americans may find these pieces are not nearly as difficult to locate as German collector do. Of course, the Internet is helping to erase those boundaries. TO ORDER THIS GUIDE, CLICK HERE: http://search.cartserver.com/search/search.cgi?cartid=a-6296&category=instock&keywords=sbook001 AOL Click Here! This article has been archived at MushroomVillage.com for future reference. Please visit our article archive at: http://www.mushroomvillage.com/smurfs-library.html AOL Click Here! =-=-=-=-=-=-=-= 2) WHAT'S NEW? =-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Well, Katalog IV of course! If you were waiting for the guide to be in stock before placing your order, now is the time to do it! We have already sold our entire first shipment, and are well into our second delivery of books! This is the most popular guide we have sold to date. Our efforts continue to identify relevant markings on *all* in-stock pieces. These include Country marks and paint dots. Please review our newly identified listings to see if you need any of these markings for your collection. We have also added a NEW FREEBIE! We are now shipping all orders with a FREE Smurfy MushroomVillage.com magnet! Member Gary Mendias designed our first freebie magnet, and it was so well-received we decided to make it standard practice! Gary has design 9 new styles - we randomly ship one with *every* order - collect all 10!! Stick 'em on your fridge, your file cabinet - anywhere you want! Just in case you forget who is "The #1 Smurf Collector's Resource Site!" ;) We are also pleased to announce that we initiated extraordinary measures to ensure the Smurfs you receive are in the best possible condition: As always, we make every effort to obtain unsold store stock for our members - Absolutely Mint pieces are *always* guaranteed. Once Smurfs arrive at MushroomVillage.com, they are handled only with 100% cotton gloves, which absorbs body oils. PVC absorbs body oils which oxidize and contribute to discoloration. After a visual inspection to identify markings and confirm Mint condition, the Smurfs are repacked into 4mil thickness zip-loc bags with write-on blocks. Our bags are double the thickness of bags typically used to repack small collectibles to ensure they are protected from blows that may cause paint rubs in transit. They are also air-tight, water-proof and resistant to conducting heat which will protect Smurfs from smoke/odors, humidity and water damage, and buffer them from temperature extremes. Our item number is identified on each bag to aid you in verifying your order. We also continue to add markings and paint dot info to our in-stock listings. Please use this link to view recently edited listings to see if you need the marking variations we have in stock: http://search.cartserver.com/search/search.cgi?cartid=a-6296&category=instock&maxhits=20&keywords=new0603&bool=AND AOL Click Here! =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- 3) INTL. SMURFS MAILBAG =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- WE HAVE MEMBERS FROM AROUND THE GLOBE. JOIN US THIS ISSUE AS WE HIGHLIGHT SOME MAIL FROM INTL. MEMBERS... "I love to read the Smurfy News. It keeps me informed about all the Smurfy things in the world. Keep up the good job!!! - Edwin Wassink, The Netherlands" "Thank you so much for this fantastic newsletter and web site. I have been a life long lover and newly discovered collector of smurf items. It is *very* hard to find the lovable wonders in Pittsburgh (when you do, they go for a whooping $20 a pop in most cases) however, I have a few to adore and that is better than none! Keep up the *great* work - you all make my day!! -Angel Kay, Allison Park Pennsylvania" "Thank you for all the wonderful work you do in keeping us up to date with all details. I'm sure you don't realize how valuable it is, and how much it is appreciated. Kind regards. -Ramon Starow, Victoria Australia" "I'm just getting back in with the Smurf collecting. It's been over 16 years since I last collected. Enjoy what you guys are doing and keep up the good work. - Travis Reed, Redwater, Canada" "Your site has a wonderful collection of Smurfs. I wish I could afford to buy even half the rare Smurfs we've seen in your store....Thanks for having such a amazing site. It's nice to know that there is a site that keeps everyone updated on new Smurfs! -Rob Casteel, Portland Oregon" "G'day from down under. Thank you for a very much for the newsletter, it is a very good read. If it were sheets of paper I would not be able to put them down! So it is an addictive scroll, about these little blue darlings. I have started to collect in October 2002 and with your informative news maybe I will not make too many more mistakes. Thanking you once again. -Bevlee Frankee, Western Australia" PETE'S REPLY: Thank you everyone! Kind words like these from visitors and members around the world make it my pleasure to keep it up! ----- "Hello! I am 32 and have been collecting Smurfs for 26 years. I am a big fan of Smurfs! I find New Zealand is not the best place to find Smurfy things, but never the less yesterday was my birthday and I happened to find an awesome Smurf cup along with an old Smurf manual book. Also in my collection I still have a Smurf wrapper from an ice block that I thoroughly enjoyed when I was a child. -"nicki.dog" Masterton, New Zealand" PETE'S REPLY: An ice-cream wrapper? Now there's a devoted collector!! Happy Smurfday!! ----- "When I was little, I couldn't wait to get up on Saturday mornings to watch my favorite cartoon "The Smurfs." I absolutely adored them! I am now 31 years old and your club has re-introduced me to these blue friends. I am thrilled now to have started up my collection which is expanding each day! :) Every time a new smurf arrives at my door, it puts a smile on my face! Smurfs are the best! Kandy Burnett, St Charles, Illinois" PETE'S REPLY: I'm glad MushroomVillage.com has helped to bring The Smurfs back into your life! Now you too realize that Smurfs can bring a little happiness to anyone - they're not just for little kids, they're for us grown-up kids too! ----- "Hi. I have a collection of about 30 smurfs but I am unable to find a way to value them accurately. All are in very good condition and are of the original edition design (or whatever). Please can you help in any way? - David Lourens from South Africa" PETE'S REPLY: I have two suggestions for you David. 1) Buy "Der Schlumpf Katalog IV." It is the latest ID & Price guide on the market. Please read down for more information on obtaining the FREE English translation of this work from www.MushroomVillage.com. My other suggestion is to contact: South African Smurf Collectors Club, c/o Adrian Anema, P.O.Box 1332, Magallissig, 2067 South Africa. You can e-mail Adrian at adriana@isecure.co.za or telephone him at +27 11 82 903 1090 (Cell phone). Good Luck finding other South African collectors who share your passion! ----- "Thanks for the great newsletter. As you know I founded the Smurf Collectors Club in South Africa and because of you posting my contact details on the web, we have now a count of about 26 members. We started out with only 5 in the beginning. Pete, I have an idea. As you know our ex-president was Nelson Mandela (Madiba). I was wondering if it is at all possible for you (you have the contacts) to propose to I.M.P.S to bring out a Madiba Smurf, just like the George Washington, Thomas Edison etc. The rest of the world knows Nelson Mandela, they are even erecting a bronze statue of him in London. He is a world icon and this would mean so much to us in South Africa. Let me know and keep up the good work. -Adrian Anema, South African Smurf Collectors Club" PETE'S REPLY: Well, look who it is now! Please hit reply now Adrian, if you would like me to put you in touch with David, the South African who sent us the last message...As for a Smurf Nelson Mandela, please note that it is Schleich, not IMPS that produces the PVC figurines. IMPS does give the final OK on all designs Schleich proposes to them. We recently submitted quite a few member suggestions to IMPS for their consideration in making the new 2004 Smurfs. The deadline for submissions is past, but I do know Schleich insiders visit the MushroomVillage.com bulletin boards to see what Smurf Collectors around the world are saying. I would suggest posting your idea there. We also intend to collect ideas again for the 2005 Smurfs - be sure to submit this idea then! Many ideas were proposed again and again by the SCCI before Schleich finally released figures - don't give up! ----- "I enjoy reading your newsletter. Been a Smurf collector for many years. The license plate on my car reads "SMURPH." -Sheri McQuarrie, Ormond Beach, Florida" PETE'S REPLY: I'm guessing "SMURF" was taken, and probably "SMURFS" too, huh? How about our readers? Do any of you have Smurfy vanity plates on your car? Tell us, and we'll publish a list in an upcoming issue of the Smurfy News! Just hit 'reply' now! ----- "Dear Pete, My name is Teresa. I am a big fan of Smurfs from Hong Kong. Thanks very much for your effort to put up this site. This is my favorite place to go online!!! For my birthday, my friend bought me the "Smurf Catalog 4" from your site. Today I was happy to receive the book. However, I only find an English translation of the preface, but not the German-to-English translation of the most commonly used terms. I wonder if it will be sent later. Please kindly advise! Many thanks! - Teresa, Hong Kong" PETE'S REPLY: Happy Smurfday Teresa! I'm sorry about the translation. The job was a bit tougher than I expected. I did not want to hold up any orders so I shipped the books immediately with partial translations. Please keep reading and you will find we have completed the translation and the dictionary! There is a partial reprint below, and both are available absolutely free to any and all members from the website! ----- "Hello. I just want to say that I love reading the Smurfy News. I have collected smurfs for 16 yrs and still love them. I am going to do my baby's room in smurfs. I have a question please - The Smurfs used to be on Cartoon Network in the mornings and now are not on anymore. Is there anyway that with all these fans one of the companies that makes the smurfs could air The Smurfs cartoon again on TV. and start selling them in stores? Strawberry Shortcake is back and so are the Care Bears, those two cartoons were in the same era and Smurfs were so much more popular. I just wanted to ask. I hope the smurfs could come on again and be sold in toy stores. Thanks for your time. -Rosie K in Florida." PETE'S REPLY: Well, let me consult my 'Magic 8 Ball' - just a moment, it takes a second to come up...Ah yes! Here we are! It says "SIGNS POINT TO YES!" Rosie, keep reading, I think you'll like what you see! ----- "My husband & I have been married 22 Years. The first year we were married me he gave me a baby Smurf. His named his Rodbie. He has his own room, living room set and even has his own bed with mattress, blankets and pillow. He now has a little Smurf smaller than him which is junior. If he wasn't around we would be lost now. Even our grown kids buy him things at Christmas. Even the grandkids know him as Rodbie and we all love him. -Carol Wright, Belleville Ontario Canada" PETE'S REPLY: Now who says Smurfs fans are kooky? However they touch our lives, it seems that the Smurfs always have a positive impact! Thank you for sharing some of your fun with us! =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= 4) PETE'S SMURF ROOM =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Boy, have I got a tale of woe for you!! Many of you know about my Smurf ceiling fan saga. Well, it continues! To make a long story short, "Anybody out there got a Smurf ceiling fan light kit?" Here's the story - My first ceiling fan lacked the ceiling mounting bracket, and was in overall poor shape. I was scheming to retrofit the bracket, repaint the fain, and recreate and apply the decals, when I stumbled upon another fan, mint in the box. Why bother with the restoration project, when I had a brand-new, never removed from box unit at hand? I discarded fan #1, purchased fan #2 and thought I was ready to roll. About this time I learned this fan had been recalled back in the day... While installing fan #2, the ceiling mounting bracket broke into 3 pieces during installation. It was this part that was responsible for the recall (when it breaks, the fan just drops from the ceiling!) - perhaps this is why fan #1 was missing the part? I located a third-part "universal" ceiling fan mounting bracket and finally installed my fin!! But wait a minute, where's the light? It was then I realized that there was an OPTIONAL light kit, and I did not have it! To make matters worse, I realized fan #1 had the optional light kit installed, and I threw it away!! Now my Smurfs are nice and cool, but they can't see!! "Anybody out there got a Smurf ceiling fan light kit?" I just need the light kit, but would gladly buy an entire fan assembly to acquire it! There is a plate that comes off the central unit of the fan to attach the light kit. I believe I may be able to retro-fit a third party light kit, but I would really like to keep everything as original as possible. There are a *lot* of members out there - a lot of eyes and ears...can anyone help me? If anyone has or knows of a light kit that may be available for sale, PLEASE let me know about it!! =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= 5) 2003 LICENSING SHOW =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= MushroomVillage.com was in attendance at the 23rd annual Intl. Licensing & Merchandising Expo held on June 10-12 2003 at the Jacob K. Javits convention center in New York City. It was quite a show! I especially enjoyed the area showcasing cartoon characters and am pleased to report a number of 80's icons were present and making comebacks - Strawberry Shortcake, My Little Pony and the Care Bears were each "in attendance" and ready to strike up new licensing and merchandising deals - and so were the Smurfs! IMPS (International Merchandising, Promotion & Services), which handles licensing rights to the Smurfs name and image on behalf of Studio Peyo, was present at the show, as they are each year. They had a 10 foot x 10 foot pavilion and used large, wall-sized vinyl banners to enclose a semi-private conference space with a meeting table. On the table was some paperwork and the new 2003 "New Generation" Smurf PVC's made by Schleich. Each of the "walls" featured Smurfy artwork and was marked (c) 2003 IMPS. The first said "The Smurfs" in the typical "Smurf" font. Another wall said "I love them!" with a normal Smurf holding a flower. Another said "I hate them!" with grouchy standing next to flowers looking rather stomped on. The last wall was the most interesting! "NEW!" is printed at the top. On it, a normal Smurf steps through a frame of a film strip. A new film perhaps? The Smurf is a computerized, vector graphic model on one side of the film strip, and as he is stepping out on the other side, he is "fleshed-out," in "3-D." I introduced myself and asked what this poster was about. An IMPS rep confirmed that there *is* a new Smurf movie in the works! I asked if it was the live-action musical that had been rumored on the net. He thought this was very funny! "No," he said, "It will be an animated movie, of course." I wondered if the rumored musical was a joke (it was first published on April 1st) but I was not disappointed to find out it was untrue! A NEW ANIMATED MOVIE? THAT IS FANTASTIC !! Even better as far as I'm concerned!! (I later confronted ProductionWeekly.com about their information, and they admitted it was a hoax! There is no live-action musical in the works!!) I told him I had found a press release from A&A Computer Systems stating they sold 3-D modeling software to IMPS, (as reported in the last issue of the Smurfy News), and asked if this was for the movie. I received only silence and a smile! He would reveal nothing else about the movie. He would not tell me what the movie is about. He would not tell me when it would appear in theatres. It is all top secret!! That February 2002 press release can be viewed here: http://www.mushroomvillage.com/smurfs-article028.html AOL Click Here! Remember, this was also confirmed by an A&A rep who said "The company that owns the Smurfs is planning to make a 3D series and/or feature film. They are based in Belgium and have bought Discreet 3ds max and Alias | Wavefront Maya 3D software from A&A Computer systems to make this production. They are now in pre-production and already made a pilot film, but nothing has been released yet, it's still all top secret. The press release last year is the only official announcement A&A was allowed to spread. I'm sorry, that's about all I can share, but I can assure you the 3D Smurfs are gorgeous and you'll be seeing more of them later on..." My interview continued... MV: "Are there any companies currently manufacturing or distributing licensed Smurf items in the US? Can we have a list of suppliers?" IMPS: "There is no list, because there are none right now." MV: "What about Kalan [a prior US manufacturer of Smurf school supplies, patches and stickers]?" IMPS: "They did not renew their license." MV: "I used to get the "Smurf News" from IMPS [their publication which reports each year's licensing deals] but have not gotten it lately? IMPS: "It has not been published for two years, we've been too busy." MV: (thinking "busy, eh? With what?") "Will there be any US Smurf merchandise produced in the future, or will it be just the movie?" IMPS: (laughing) "Of course! It will be big, we always do things big! There are a lot of people, like you, who want to see the Smurfs come back to America!" When is this going to happen? Guess what? That's a secret too! At this time, IMPS politely requested that we end our chat, as several business-suit clad men showed up with briefcases - it was time for their first scheduled appointment. Was it a potential US licensing deal on the table? I hope so, and I hope it was the first of many! Basically, what I left the show understanding is that there is definitely a new Smurf film in the oven. It is definitely an animated film. From the look of the banner, the A&A press release, A&A's comments and IMPS' reaction to our question, I am guessing that the animation will probably be computer-generated 3D-type animation, much like "Toy Story," or the recent hit "Finding Nemo." The film could be a major component of a reintroduction of the Smurfs character to the American market. IMPS is working on licensing and merchandising deals that would be behind any products produced for the American market and had appointments scheduled during this expo. MushroomVillage.com member Andrew Somer also attended the show and spoke with IMPS. Andrew reported "[IMPS] said not to expect a movie to be out in 2004. Sometimes studios buy the rights to a movie idea and do not produce it for many years afterwards." Surely this is a complex process - but things are looking up for American Smurf collectors, who have been waiting years for this to happen! FINALLY, 80's kids across America will be able to introduce a new generation to one of the most beloved characters of all time! As always, we ask all our members to keep their eyes and ears wide open!! Report any and all Smurf happenings to MushroomVillage.com so that all our world-wide members stay informed! We will certainly report more as we learn it! =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= 6) KATALOG 4 PREFACE =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Here is the English version of "Der Schlumpf Katalog IV" as translated by member "Dr. Cleo." Thank you to the author for permitting us to translate and reprint the material in the Smurfy News and at www.MushroomVillage.com The SMURF CATALOG was originally meant to be for our own personal use. As passionate Smurf fans and collectors, we found out pretty fast that for "fair" collecting, swapping, buying and selling of our little blue friends, an open reference book was absolutely necessary. This is now already the 4th generation of the "Schlumpf Katalog", which is meant to be an open and informative reference book for "beginners" as well as for "experts". Since "Smurfing" became very attractive and more and more collectors discovered the thrill of this collecting field, a lot of questions arose: Which Smurfs do exist? What color and mold variations are known? Which are the rarest figurines? How high is the value of these figurines? What do the Smurfs look like? We feel our Smurf catalog can answer these questions. We don't claim our catalog to be 100% correct and final. Even though we deal very intensively with the little gnomes, there will always come up new variations, rumors or information. This is the thrill of Smurf collecting - everybody can be the "discoverer" of an unknown Smurf or variation. Ever since the release of our first black and white catalog in 1996, we have received a lot of enthusiastic encouragement. The "SMOERFER'S" Smurf catalog 2000 has helped Smurf lovers from all over the world with their "hunt" for missing figurines and gives them a guideline for swapping and trading Smurfs. Since the "Smurf-scene" has changed quite a bit over the past years, it really was about time for an updated, new and improved "Smurf Catalog IV". Besides the update of prices, a lot of newly discovered variations to regular figurines were added and chapters about "Promotional Smurfs," "Smurf-A-Grams" and "Raw Smurfs" were heavily extended and improved. With the help of many great collectors, we succeeded to catalogue almost all Smurfs and their variations that were produced by Schleich and Bully. We are far from claiming absolute certainty - every once in a while new figurines are being discovered, but still, Smurfs that are not mentioned in this catalog should be approached with caution. Our worries to have made a catalogue exclusively for "Smurf professionals" vanish while leafing through the pages and the fun one has by looking at the many hundred different blue faces. And now, have fun browsing! For the rest of the translation, please visit: http://www.mushroomvillage.com/katalog4preface.html AOL Click Here! TO BUY "Der Schlumpf Katalog IV," click here: http://search.cartserver.com/search/search.cgi?cartid=a-6296&category=instock&keywords=sbook001 AOL Click Here! =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- 7) SMURFY NEWS GIVE-A-WAY =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- Our Smurfy News Give-a-Way grows more popular each month! Our last drawing attracted entries hundreds of entries from around the world - Australia, Belgium, Canada , Denmark, England, Germany, Holland, Ireland, New Zealand, Singapore, South Africa, Sweden, USA, and The Netherlands! The Smurfs are truly characters that are beloved around the world! It seems Lady Luck was with our friends "Down Under" when I drew our winners - both hail from the lovely continent of Australia! Congratulations Lynda Webb of West Wollongong, Australia! You won 20501 Paul Revere! And congratulations to Bevlee Frankee, of West Australia, Australia! You won 20205 Baby with Teddy! Here is a comment Bevlee submitted with her entry: "All my little blue darlings seem to take awhile to arrive. I'm sure they've gone walkabout - but the look of sheer pleasure on their faces when you open their traveling capsule matches mine, making it all worth while!" Congratulations to both of you! Your prizes are in the mail! My, oh my! I'm running out of things to give away here! I *really* need to get my Smurf room finished so I can get those boxes out of the attic and award some really juicy Smurf stuff!! This month I'm offering a full set of MushroomVillage.com magnets! This set of 10 magnets each features Smurfy images and themes with our logo! Be the envy of all your friends! Enter the drawing by completing our NEW secret entry form - only Smurfy News subscribers are given this link: http://www.mushroomvillage.com/contestform.html AOL Click Here THE WINNER WILL BE ANNOUNCED IN THE NEXT ISSUE OF THE SMURFY NEWS!! =-=-=-=-=-= 8) CLOSING =-=-=-=-=-= With this, we bring another issue to a close. We hope you enjoyed it, and remind members to stay active in your club if you want it to continue! We serve merely to collect and spread the information we hear. We cannot do this with active and persistent efforts from YOU! Speaking of member input, we are nearly done tabulating our results from our last survey - "Which is your favorite New Generation" Smurf? We reported the best selling figures last issue, and we can say this: The favorites being reported are *not* those that are selling best! Full results next time! Until we meet again, "Smurf on!" -Pete www.MushroomVillage.com =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= FORWARD, SEARCH, SUBSCRIBE =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= If you haven't already done so, please forward this issue to one or two of your friends or associates. Thank you so much! You may search for Smurfabilia in our database, the largest resource of it's kind on the Internet! Please visit our ID Guide page: http://www.mushroomvillage.com/smurfs-idguide.html AOL Click Here! To subscribe, unsubscribe, or edit your profile, please visit www.MushroomVillage.com and enter you e-mail address in the Smurfy News subscription form, or use the link at the very bottom of this e-mail. =-=-=-=-=-=-=- 'SMALL PRINT' =-=-=-=-=-=-=- The "Smurfy News" is a FREE e-mail newsletter published for your enjoyment every month by your friends at www.MushroomVillage.com - joining or leaving the list is voluntary, we do not spam and we never sell, rent, share or distribute your contact information in any way! www.MushroomVillage.com carries the full range of current production Smurf products by Schleich as well as much of their retired line and other Smurfabilia. If you enjoy this newsletter, please help support us with a purchase - Smurfs make great gifts! SHARING IS CARING!! We collect and disseminate information the world over to keep Smurf collectors united and having a Smurfy good time! Please submit information, news, articles, stories and anything Smurf-related to www.MushroomVillage.com - just hit reply now, or use the "Contact Us" link at the site. Submissions become the property of MushroomVillage.com. They may be edited and republished in all media. The Smurf character is a registered trademark of Studio Peyo - License I.M.P.S. MushroomVillage.com is a collector resource and retail Smurf shop only, it is not affiliated with I.M.P.S. or Studio Peyo. For information on licensing the Smurfs name and/or character, contact I.M.P.S. at rue du Cerf 85, Genval 1332, Belgium The contents of this newsletter do not necessarily reflect the opinions of MushroomVillage.com. MushroomVillage.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. (C) 2003 MushroomVillage.com All right reserved. Please do not reprint or host our materials on your website without explicit permission. However, if you found this newsletter interesting, we grant you permission, and strongly encourage you, to e-mail it to an associate or friend. Thank you!