The National Association of Fan Clubs
| Fan Club | |
|---|---|
| Name: | The National Association of Fan Clubs (NAFC) |
| Dates: | 1977-September 2002 |
| Founder(s): | Blanche Trinajstick (1977-1992), then Linda Kaye (1992-2002) |
| Leadership: | |
| Country based in: | USA |
| Focus: | |
| External Links: | |
| Click here for related articles on Fanlore. | |
The National Association of Fan Clubs (NAFC) is a non-profit listing of fanclubs. It was founded in 1977 and shut down September 2002.[1]
From an April 5, 1993 online ad posted to the Usenet group alt.fandom.misc:
"The National Association of Fan Clubs (NAFC) is a non-profit organizationdedicated to the startup and promotion of fan clubs for luminaries of the music, television, and movie industries. It has been in operation since 1977.
The NAFC operates a service whereby one can locate a club for a particular celebrity. If a fan club for that star is registered with the organization, the inquirer is invited to contact the club directly for further information.
If no club is currently registered, a request is made (thru the quarterly newsletter) to the membership to either start a new club for this honorary or locate this club and invite it to associate itself with NAFC.[2]
The cost of the newsletter in 1992 was around $8 and at that time it contained info on 1500 fanclubs. From an article in the Chicago ribune:
"``There are a lot of them out there,`` says Blanche Trinajstick, president of the National Association of Fan Clubs in Pueblo, Colo. ``There are fan clubs for `The Andy Griffith Show` and `Gilligan`s Island` and `Mr. Ed.` Many of these shows are older ones, and the nostalgia interest is outstanding nowadays. Some of these cults and clubs have been going for a long time, but there are a few starting up around more recent shows.``One recent example is COOP, the ``Twin Peaks`` fan club. Although that moody series was canceled last season by ABC, fans are happily awaiting the release of ``Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me`` in theaters Friday.
Trinajstick publishes an annual directory of fan clubs, and the current issue includes more than 1,500 clubs, including groups for rock stars and actors as well as television programs."[3]
The directory also offered suggestions on how to start your own fanclub. From a 1990 article in the Washington Post:
"Many fan clubs, says Trinajstick fold within a year because the founders don't understand the work involved or set their dues too low or too high. Some go into the hobby with the wrong attitude, believing the club will gain them special access to their honorary."A fan club gives you no special privileges with a celebrity," warns Trinajstick. "Some fans join fan clubs thinking they can get front-row seats or get to meet the celebrity. This is not what a fan club is all about."
NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF FAN CLUBS -- For $3 Blanche Trinajstick will send you "The Fan Club Guide," a homey 36-page introduction to forming and operating a fan club. Trinajstick recounts lessons she's learned in her 30 years in fandom and includes sample membership cards, authorization forms and application blanks.[4]
In a 2011 review of the fanclub publication, The Fan Club Directory, one researcher wrote:
Published between 1979 and 2002, the Directory was a two-staple, roughly 75-page booklet, produced annually by the National Association of Fan Clubs (NAFC). It listed alphabetically every fan club that elected, for free, to become a member of the NAFC, giving readers the U.S. mail address of the current president and/or contact person. The NAFC was an organization dedicated to representing "all fan clubs in all fields of entertainment," and so the listings in the Directory were unintentionally jarring: announcement of The Amazing Pudding, the fanzine for Pink Floyd, sat right across from the Annette Funicello fan club (both are listed alphabetically under "F"); "The Celestial Affiliation of Time Lords: A Time Travel Fan Organization" was next to the "Charlie Daniels Band Volunteers;" Elton John and Al Jolson were side by side. It read like a fantasy middle-school classroom before everybody went off to become famous in their various pockets of the world.[5]
Gallery
cover of the 1993 Fan Club Directory
inside page of the 1993 Fan Club Directory
undated flyer, signed by Linda Kay
first page of a 1994 flyer
second page of a 1994 flyer
References
- ^ National Association of Fan Clubs, Archived version
- ^ INFO: National Association of Fan Clubs - Google Groups, Archived version
- ^ Love A Tv Show? Join The Club - tribunedigital-chicagotribune, Archived version
- ^ INFLAMING THE FANS - The Washington Post
- ^ The Ardent Audience: Fandom Before the Internet: The Fan Club Directory, Archived version