My name is Kathy and live just outside Orlando in a little town called Chuluota, Florida, USA and here is my story.
How long have you been collecting Smurfs?
I’ve been collecting Smurfs on and off for 40 years. I stopped while raising our children and had packed them away for a long time. About 7 years ago I rediscovered them and it was like finding an old dear friend. We’ve been inseparable ever since.
What’s the appeal?
Nothing looks as nice or as sweet as a Smurf. Even the Halloween Smurfs make you smile. And they are a whole world of their own. In a very jaded world, Smurfs are a wonderful reminder of how sweet life can be.
How many do you have now?
Now that’s a loaded question. I have display cases, plush dolls, posters, buttons, stickers, key chains, lunchboxes, mugs, books, ceramic sets, Christmas items, bed sheets, wallpaper, baby items (tethers, spoons, bibs, etc.), DVDs, LP albums (records), calendars, and much, much, more. Here’s a summary of the items I really collect.
Regular Smurfs – 525 figures. Some of those are variations but I’m still missing 7 of them. I also have about 150 duplicate figures.
Super Smurfs – 52 super smurfs, most in their original boxes.
Promo Smurfs – All of the 1996, 1997, 2011, 2013, and 2017 McDonald’s (American) happy meal toys plus 5 other non USA Promo Smurfs.
Buildings – All of the small cottages except the 1980s blue one. 3 large smurf houses (1980s & 2010s). The 1980s windmill.
Playsets – 7 of the play sets including the Moon Explorer play set in its original box and packaging.
When did you start?
I started collecting while I was in college in 1980. My husband (then boyfriend) gave me Grouchy Smurf as a makeup gift for a silly argument. He gave me a few more and it took off from there! Collecting Smurfs in the Southern United States has not always been easy.
After the Smurf cartoons were taken off American television it was very difficult to find new figures. People insisted no one made them anymore. When my husband’s company was bought by the Siemens Corporation, he started traveling to Germany and would bring me new figures.
What’s your favourite item in your collection?
It’s toss-up between the first one my husband gave me and the Moon Explorer play set. I worked on the US Space program for 26 years and my family gave me the play set as a birthday present many years ago. I was shocked to find out how much it’s really worth. However, I could never part with it.
Do you ever find yourself having to explain your collection to people?
All the time! The running family joke is who will be stuck with them when I die. People chuckle when I tell them I collect smurfs and describe how big my collection is. They really gave me side looks when I tell them I went to Europe for my 60th birthday to attend my first Smurf fair and to visit Brussels.
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Keep on Smurfin
Kath B