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I came of age in a time when Trapper Keepers, Pound Puppies, California Raisins and glasses with designs of cartoon characters imprinted on them were all the rage. Unfortunately, as a child, I was unable to procure the last of these treasures...leaving me forever uncool. Despite the fact that virtually every fast food restaurant in the world carried glasses boasting the Care Bears, Alvin and the Chipmunks, He-Man and She-Ra, my mom refused to buy a set for me. I begged and begged, but to no avail. I thought they were cool; she thought they were tacky.
Fast-forward 16 years. When I was 22 and got my first apartment on my own, the very first thing I bought for my new digs were a set of six smurf glasses: one at a time off eBay. I was an adult and I could have my cartoon glasses, darn it!
Sadly, however, for various reasons (not enough cabinet space, a husband who also thinks they are tacky...) the time has come for me to relinquish my beloved smurf glasses... However, the thought of them going to someone who doesn't love them or, worse yet, in the trash, makes me a little nauseous. So, with this thought, today my blog detours from being a sketch blog to a gift blog. I'd love to send my smurf glasses to one of your out there who fell in love with them as a child as I did or has a child today who would enjoy them.
Please leave a comment if you're interested or if this post brings up memories of your childhood... I'll decide on the lucky, smurphy recipient later in the week.
33 comments:
Ooohhhh!!! I love the Smurf glasses! We had a whole set when I was a kid - probably because my brother and I were the perfect age when they came out. (We also had the Muppets Go To Hollywood glasses.) My brother and I would give Dad Gargamel at every meal, which became a huge family joke. We later named a one-eyed farm cat 'Azriel.' Thanks for the trip down Memory Lane!
Execution is amazing!
Ok, so you gave in to Edgar? If Rob even suggested I get rid of something as cool as smurf glasses we would have a full-scale fight. Anyway, I collect tacky things and I too never got to have any cool glasses as a kid (although it was the Tom & Jerry ones I wanted) so if you bestow them on me I promise I will treasure them always:)
I actually have a Garfield set because I used to be obsessed with Garfield (ok, still am...a little). I don't need another cartoon set, but just wanted to say how many memories this brought back! SHE-RA!!!!
I too used to have a set of Smurf glasses...and McDonalds charector classes...and my all time fave, Strawberry Shortcake glasses. Actually, I still have a Strawberry Shortcake mug in nice milk glass.
It is so much fun to take a stroll down memory lane and remember all the times my brother and sister and I would get up extra early to make sure we got to watch He-Man, She-Ra, Smurfs, Garfield, Punky Brewster, Chip and Dale, and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.
Oh yah, I had TMNT glasses too.
I'd be honored if you chose me. :)
I love this sketch! As a mom I thought the glasses were tacky. Now I wish I had let my son collect them-he was even Papa Smurf for Halloween one year! He's about to become a first time Dad. I'd give your wonderful glasses to him and say it's OK to allow a little tacky!
I am considerably older than you - such that I used to sit on the end of my bed with my coffee on Sautrday mornings and watch The Smurfs - I had a job. I had a house. I had a family. I was in my late 20's!!!
It's all good.
~Mad(elyn) in Alabama
Suzanne, this is an awesome post!!!
How can you help but smile when you see those glasses? Such great memories...and a fantastic sketch.
This is a wonderful drawing! The best way to memorialize something you love. Now onto the big girl glasses.
I was never allowed any character glasses as a child either. My parents almost never took us to eat fast food, and when we did go we were never allowed kids meals. I think I am scarred for life. I now have 4 amazing children who I take for kids meals at least once a month... so feel secure in the fact that your mom's scarring will benefit someone. If you have children, they will probably be allowed as many character glasses as they can handle. :)
Tremendous! Okay...I am not a Smurf fan (no need to worry about entering me in the foray to win)...but the cartoon glasses...I love them! So many memories. I had a Snoopy set...I think from McDonalds...what I wouldn't give to get those back!
Those are so cute. I used to get up early every Saturday just to watch the smurfs.
Sadly, my mom was of the same opinion as yours and I never got any in my youth. But I bet my kids would love those!
Er, no thank you on the Smurf glasses, but I wanted to commend your mom for having good taste. ;D
I'd actually much prefer a print of your sketch of the glasses than the real glasses!
Awww, I'm not entering the drawing for these, but it brought back sweet memories of watching the Smurfs on saturday mornings in front of the tv with a folding metal "smurf" tray. It was the kind that made a little lap desk (on in my case, tv dinner tray). How smurfy! This is right up there with Little Miss and Mr books!
It's funny how many people have commented here that they weren't allowed to have these as children. Add me to that list-how my mom got away with raising FOUR kids and never having any of those glasses, I don't know. Pretty skillfull on her part.
Speaking for my sister and I, they still make our hearts leap when we see them somewhere-and it doesn't have to be the Smurfs, it could be any of the character glasses mentioned here. They're so 80's-like taking a trip in a time machine. (But I better not enter the contest, as cool as they are. Our shelves are crowded as it is!)
I second the person who said they would like to buy a print of this. It's so cool!
Oh my god yes! I used to have a bunch of flinstones jelly jar glasses! But they broke over time.
I would love these!
We didn't have smurf glasses because we lived in the boonies and you couldn't get such things there, but we still have this cute (and very faded) little smurfette duffle. I must admit, I am too old for the smurf age, but lucky for me I had two little girls that LOVED them and a little sister, so I got my fill of them! LOVE them! Smurf-atootie! ~m
I actually keep some cartoon jelly jar glasses for when wee ones visit and they always (knowingly) "need" a drink of water when they come over!
Oh I remember those! I LOVED them!! We always fought over which one was ours. Darn brothers.
I would be HONORED to give them a new home!!!
That is such a cool sketch, BTW.
Oh, how I LOVED the Smurfs! My BFF and I invited a crazy game we called "Smurfy" in which we lay on our backs, placed our respective Smurfs between our feet, then threw our feet over our heads and behind them, trying to place the Smurf onto my dresser behind us. We were about 10 at the time. We were usually laughing too hard to have much success. :)
My mom told me the character glasses had lead in them, so we couldn't drink from them, so there was no point in having them. I'll have to ask her if she just made that up so she didn't have to deal with character glasses in the house! As you can see, I was much scarred by the lack of character glasses in my house and would love to remedy that situation!
Your artwork is beautiful, by the way.
Oh my gosh, I hadnt checked in in a awhile and look what I almost missed. My friend grace LOVES the smurfs and has a tattoo of one-she would dearly love and cherich the glasses. I would love to be the reason she gets them, she has done so much for me-cooked for me when i have been sick, watched my kids, and is just an all round great person.
That is so funny! We recently got a new cable channel called "Teletoon Retro" and I've been watching the Smurfs with my kids (along with Alvin and the Chipmunks, Fraggle Rock and so many Bugs Bunny cartoons, it's ridiculous). I have to say, I'm not so sure about it being called retro though, makes me feel really old. :) On a side note, that drawing is fantastic, I wish I could draw like that!
LOVE those glasses.
you're an amazing artist. at first look i thought it was a photograph. came back later and realized you'd drawn the pic.
I'm a smurf fan from way back, too. I've LOVED reading your blog. I found you a week or two ago on a mission to find fellow artist bloggers. Lovely, fun giveaway! :)
I totally went as a Smurf when I was little for halloween... it was a perfect costume. All the neighbors could ask was "What the heck is that?" Good times!
PS- Love your blog (I'm a bit of a lurker!)
Never mind the glasses, I'll take the drawing.
I had forgotten how much I loved watching the Smurf's until I saw your post. It brings back many happy memories. I would love to have the glasses! Or the drawing!
these are so delightful!
I am of this era as I read. and my husband-we were dating at the time to me to an ice show- it featured the smurphs! It was not what he had thought it was! But all went well and we joke of it still.
amazing:-) this bring me to memories of my childhood specialy when me and my brother run to the TV to watch Smurf's...Ooohhh! great day's. I will keep them alway's in my mind.
Thanks for this moment Suzanne:)
I grew up in small-town 1980s Ireland and we never had anything as exotic as Smurf glasses. The best it got was jars of Nutella spread, which came in a glass you washed out when you'd done with the chocolatey stuff inside, and I remember some of them had Scooby Doo designs but they were hard to get hold of. My mum (aged 69) still has one that she uses all the time! Your husband is wrong, there is nothing tacky about Smurf glasses! I would have killed for these back then, and I'd still love a set of them now.
(I'm in London so probably not eligible to win them due to shipping costs etc but I loved your post and thought I'd throw in my $0.02.)
OMG I can't believe your story about the SMURFS!!!! I LOVED the smurfs as a child and still DO as an ADULT! lol My 2 year old daughter loves them too! We have Italian DVD's of the Smurfs she watches every week! As a little girl, I LOVED visiting my grandmother (Nonna) in Italy whenever we did - she was a very sophisticated woman with an upbringing in France - but with all her class and sophistication, she never lost that kid at heart personality - she had a 3 shelf cabinet FILLED of these various cartoon glasses in her kitchen cabinet which, I ALWAYS admired and LOVED! Since then I have always purchase one or two glasses with cartoons on them whenever I come across them. In Italy the maker of Nutella produces small jars of nutella that can be reused as drinking glasses and they always have cartoon characters on them or disney characters such as the various animals from the movie "Bambi", etc. - your blog brings me back to the memory of me being a child and fascinated by my nonna's glasses - unfortunately through the years I am not sure what happened to her glasses...she passed away ten years ago and I have not been back to my parents hometown in more years than that - but THANK YOU for putting a smile on my face and bringing me back to a fond memory that I will always cherish...
My 8 yr old daughter volunteers to teach and model social skills to children with autism, because her big brother has autism. She is incredibly patient and understanding, and finds ways to reach the kids through songs, games, and just sitting quietly beside them. She volunteers with autism sibling support groups and shares her feelings about having a brother with autism who cannnot communicate nor care for himself. She is an amazing open, loving and giving child who would probably choose to share or donate this doll if she won! Thank you for an opportunity to honor and recognize her contributions to making the world a better place for children with disabilities.
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