1969 one small step for smurfkind

A lot of things happened in 1969. There was Woodstock, Beatles release their album Abbey Road, the first man landed on the moon and the most famous of them all was the release of Astro Smurf! Actually since 1969, new smurfs have been produced every year except for 1988 and 1991.

Astro Smurf is a great addition to a collection as the figurine was based on the comic Le CosmoSchtroumpf (The Astro Smurf). Then in 1980’s it appeared in the television cartoon series.

The figurine Astro Smurf was made by Schleich and Bully. Both made their own mould for Astro Smurf and along the way four different variations were released. It was last produced in 1986.

The Schleich version is generally a smaller mould and has a finger pointing up on his left hand. It can be found with a white outfit, white outfit with a red zip and lastly a blue shirt & white pants.

The Bully version can be found with both arms spread out and wears a white outfit with a red square tie. Both versions are found with a clear space helmet.

Sadly the clear space helmets can get lost easily and it is not unusual to find them without it.

Out of the many smurfs produced over the years, Astro Smurf probably best represents today’s pop culture.

What’s not to like about a smurf dreaming of travelling into space.

Keep on Smurfin

Kath B

What’s in a name?

There are no two smurfs alike. You know that and I know that but others don’t.

In 1965 Schleich officially released three smurfs, Normal, Gold and Prisoner.

At that time they were not given reference numbers as we recognise them by today, Normal – 20002, Gold – 20005 and Prisoner – 20010. The same mould was used for all three.

Though a smurf can share the same mould with others they will never be the same. Even a smurf that shares the same name, reference number, country of origin or paint dot no two smurfs are alike.

Normal Smurf may seem like a boring name for a smurf. Wearing his white trousers and hat, we see what a smurf looked like in the beginning. Add a dash of colour and soon it’s appearance changes, add something to its hand and we begin to see what type of smurf this is. Before too long it has a different name reflecting its personality.

Normal Smurf is a classic smurf and a very important one. Without Normal Smurf there would be no smurfs like we acknowledge today. In my opinion Normal Smurf is a must for every collection.

Keep on Smurfin

Kath B

Keep on Smurfin

Collecting is in my nature, just ask my husband.

I have been collecting smurfs since 2002 after a holiday to Amsterdam upon where I stumbled onto the fact that smurfs were still being made. This was a huge shock for a Melbourne girl who remembered smurfs as a kid and thought they no longer existed.

I brought three smurfs at the Comic Art Gallery in Brussels on the same holiday. So began my smurf collection.

People always want to know about my smurf collection or about the smurfs in general. Most people have some kind of association with smurfs. Whether it was buying them from a BP service station, watching the cartoon show on Agro’s Cartoon Connection or more recently the release of the new smurf movies.

So whatever your smurf passion is, share it with others. You might be surprised how much they want to know about your collection.

Keep on Smurfin

Kath

What happened to Papa Smurf’s tail?

Searching for rare variations of smurfs is interesting and exciting when it leads to a find.

My Smurf passion are the PVC Figurines. A few years ago I made a decision about collecting smurf merchandise and decided to stick to the figurines. Lucky for me this was long before the release of the 2011 movie. Since then I have continued to learn about all the different variations out there and believe me there are plenty.

Though one of the most interesting ones is Papa Smurf (Schleich Reference Number 20001). Papa Smurf was first released in 1969 by Schleich. The early version was made out of blue pvc material and has it’s right arm held slightly higher, almost looking like he has his elbow is bent. The other stand out feature is his red tail!

At some point, they added the markings Schleich emblem and W.Germany to under the feet. The Peyo (c) marking was still on the back of the right arm. The tail remained red!

Approximately around 1972 Schleich changed the mold for Papa Smurf. It also appears they removed the Peyo (c) from the back of the arm and added this to under the feet. So it had Peyo (c) W.Germany under the right foot and Schleich Emblem under the left foot. The figurine was made out of a red pvc material. The right arm is positioned slightly lower and has almost been unchanged ever since. You could almost say that the arm is positioned straight. However for a brief period the tail remained red!

Some time after this year Papa Smurf’s tail changed to blue. Since then you will only find Papa Smurf merchandise with a blue tail. Check it out for yourself. I am unsure why it changed or who decided to change Papa Smurf’s tail from red to blue. Though for those die hard collectors if you come across a Papa Smurf with a red tail, there is a good chance you are in the possession of a rare Papa Smurf!

For those who collect smurfs for their markings:

Peyo (c) on the back of the right arm

Schleich emblem W.Germany under the feet. Peyo (c) on the back of the right arm.

Schleich emblem W.Germany Peyo (c) under the feet

For some more information on Papa Smurf, see his listing at wikipedia for loads more info.

Keep on Smurfin

Kath

Smurf Cake Toppers

Smurf cake toppers make the perfect top to any cake for a fan of smurfs celebrating a birthday or special occasion. Kids cakes, of course, are the perfect occasion for a Smurf cake topper. Some great ideas for kids to go atop a cake would be sporting themed smurfs, baby smurfs, cake smurfs and countless others!

In fact you don’t even have to be a fan of smurfs to have a cake with smurf cake toppers, as Smurfs come in so many different shapes and sizes that they can be used for lots of different cakes for lots of difference celebrations. There’s many job and sporting themed smurfs to chose from for many occasions. Also there’s some simple party smurfs that might look good!

Whatever you choose, enjoy your next smurfy cake with Smurf cake toppers.

Melbourne Cup Smurfs

The Melbourne Cup is watched by millions around the world and is the feature event for the Spring Racing Carnival. The Melbourne Cup takes place on the first Tuesday of November and is one of the few cities in the world which has public holiday for a horse race.

20432 Jockey

20433 Jockey Smurfette

20743 Horse Rider

40214 Rocking Horse

40221 Hobby Horse

The fashion on the field is a special event that takes place during the Spring Racing Carnival. This sounds like something for Smurfette.

20753 Party Smurfette