Exorbitant Prices and Double Entendres: Adventures in Smurf Collecting

Story by @GIJoeRepairShop

I’ve been a Smurf collector for as long as I can remember. Nearly everyone of my generation has, at some point, played with Smurfs or watched the television show. Smurf collecting never seems to go out of fashion. If you walk into any antique store today, you’ll be faced with a myriad of Smurf-related memorabilia. There are all manner of plastic Smurfs spanning decades, as well as various plush toys, stickers, lunch boxes, cups, keychains, buttons, board games, and movie tie-in merchandise. It’s a marketeer’s dream. Here’s a typical example of the Smurf section at one of my local stores.

 Well-stocked antique store Smurf display
Being a Smurf collector can also lead you to some strange places. I’ve recently started collecting Smurf buttons that seem to be targeted more towards adults than children. They all bare slogans clearly meant to bring a chuckle to adults. All revolve around the simple notion that any word can be replaced by “Smurf.” Smurf can be a verb or a noun. It’s also easily changed into an adjective. Here are two examples from my collection. “I’ve been Smurfed” gives no real indication of what’s happened, other than it was something unpleasant. Still, I can’t see many kids expressing this sentiment. The Smurf is surprised and looking into the distance, as if something unsmurfy has just happened to him. (They’ve been smurfed over.) The second example is even less child-friendly. Baring the phrase “Want to smurf around?”, the Smurf himself is holding some flowers and is covered in kisses. The intention is clear, the person wearing this pin wants to Smurf around with you. These buttons are definitely not for kids.

 Suggestive buttons. For Smurf’s sake…
Being a Smurf collector is like being a collector of nearly everything. Some things are cheap and easy to start collecting. Others are rare and valuable, if you can find them at all. About a year ago, I saw for the first time the Old Gargamel’s Castle Playset and the Old Farmhouse Playset. I had never seen these before in over 40 years of collecting. You could argue that a simple Google or eBay search would have revealed them to me, but how was I to know what to search for? I was totally surprised when I saw both of these playsets on display in one of my local antique stores. Needless-to-say, despite their hefty price tags, they did not last long and were gone on my next visit. As a child, I would have been completely amazed that Gargamel’s castle was even available to buy at any price. The Old Farmhouse playset was another item that I had no idea even existed.

 Old Farm House Playset

 Old Gargamel’s Castle Playset
Sometimes, though, you find a real bargain. That was the case when I found a complete Moon Explorer Smurf Playset on sale for a fraction of what it was worth at another local shop. I bought it because it was not only affordable, but the Smurf spacecraft looked exactly like the rickety ship that Astro Smurf used in the cartoon. This set comes with everything seen in the image below, including a “USA” flag to plant on the moon. Are the Smurfs from the USA? I choose to believe that they just got some help from an early version of NASA before returning to their medieval French homeland. What do you think?

 A complete Moon Explorer Playset