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When it comes to collecting, Christine McDonald isn’t smurfing around.
She said she remembers watching the Saturday morning cartoon, and fell in love with the little blue creatures at 10 years old. She quickly started collecting figurines of the mushroom-dwelling characters.
“I saw them in the store and just fell in love with them,” she said. “I just thought they were the coolest thing, so I started buying them.”
It all started with a ballerina and Brainy Smurf, and 43 years later McDonald’s collection has grown to around 2,000 of the figures that first appeared in Belgian comics in the ’50s.
“I just think they’re adorable,” she said.
Christine McDonald has been collecting Smurfs for more than 40 years. (Mia Holowaychuk/650 CKOM)
Her massive collection now includes velvet paintings, plush dolls, puzzles, Funko Pops, 8-tracks, PEZ dispensers, board games and a lot more. McDonald said she keeps much of it in its original packaging.
“It’s very overwhelming. It would take probably at least two days to actually see everything in my collection,” she said.
“It’s just something that makes me happy.”
The most-prized pieces in her collection are the hundreds of original 1980s figurines of Papa Smurf, Hefty Smurf and every other character in between.
Still, McDonald said she’s always looking to add more, often searching for collectibles in antique shops and flea markets.
She said the most unique item in her possession is a small Smurf-themed drum set.
Christine McDonald says the most unique part of collection is a Smurf-themed drum set. (Mia Holowaychuk/650 CKOM)
McDonald’s friends and family have helped add to her collection over the years by bringing her Smurf-themed souvenirs from places like Mexico.
“(My husband) likes to moan and groan about it, but he’s the first to point something out to me that I would like,” she said.
Although the value of her collectibles fluctuates, McDonald doesn’t plan on selling any of her Smurfs until after she retires.
The collector’s hobby even extends beyond what’s in her house. McDonald said she’s seen every Smurf movie, and even has a Grumpy Smurf tattoo.
McDonald said her dream is to someday fly to Belgium, where the franchise originated, to attend one of the Smurf fairs that draw thousands of people each year.
McDonald said she keeps much of her collection in its original packaging. (Mia Holowaychuk/650 CKOM)