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How to Collect Vintage Smurfs

Children of the 1980s hold a special fondness for the cartoon characters that colored their youth. Of these characters, few are as well-known (or blue) as the Smurfs. While most Smurf lovers are no longer children, some of them are beginning to pine for the toys and memorabilia they might have let slip away. Not to worry; there is still Smurf swag floating around. Read on to learn how to collect vintage Smurfs.

Instructions

- 1
  Get the drinking glasses. This colorful set of drinking glasses, distributed by the Hardees fast food chain in 1983, is a crown jewel of the Smurfabilia collection. They are still fairly easy to find on the Internet, and can be purchased individually or in sets.
- 2
  Join the network. On the Internet, sites such as Mushroom Village are dedicated solely to bringing lovers of Smurf collectibles together. Here is where you will get in contact with people who are eager to barter and discuss obscure and coveted pieces.
- 3
  Be sure to have the original cast represented. Start a collection of figurines, being sure to include the whole gang from Papa Smurf to Brainy. Don't forget about the supporting cast as well, such as Bigmouth and Johan.
- 4
  Look for Smurf merchandise that was made between 1981 and 1989. This was the life span of the original Hanna-Barbera animated series. Anything produced after this time frame cannot really be seen as vintage merchandise.
- 5
  Hunt for original Smurf merchandise that came to America in the 1970s through a company called Wallace Berrie and Co. This merchandise was crafted after the original Smurf comic strip, created by the Belgian cartoonist Peyo.

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