Collecting smurfs from the past through catalogues

I don’t know what it is, but every time Schleich announces their new smurfs for the upcoming year I have a real desire to browse over past Schleich catalogues. There is something almost nostalgia about flicking through a paper catalogue and seeing smurfs from the olden days. Perhaps it’s the feel of it in my hands or the smell of the paper that you can’t get with an online catalogue.

Collecting catalogues are great to collect because they are colourful, informative and interesting. Every year I will drop into any toy shop that sells Schleich in search of their latest catalogue. Recently I was lucky enough to be given some Schleich catalogues from the 1990’s. These are especially precious to me so I have carefully stored them away, well out of reach of curious nieces and nephews.

In the early 1980’s Schleich produced mini catalogues that were sold with their Super Smurfs. Inside the box, along with the Super Smurf was a small checklist on one side and a picture of a smurf village on the other side. I have been lucky enough to find two in my time by complete accident.

National Benzole who had the rights to sell smurfs in the UK in the late 1970’s to early 1980’s also produced mini checklists that included a picture of the smurf along with it’s article number.

1996 Schleich catalogue written in German

To complement their catalogues over the years Bully, Schleich and Wallace Berrie have also produced posters to promote the smurfs. Some of the posters will just depict life in the smurf land and others will also include a checklist.

I have known some people who will actively collect Schleich catalogues written in different languages. Due to the popularity of the smurfs in Europe it is not uncommon to find their catalogue written in more than one language in the same catalogue.

The attraction of holding a catalogue displaying smurfs in my hands will never wain. For me online catalogues just don’t have the same level of excitement. What about you?

Keep on Smurfin

Kath B

New Soccer Smurfs UEFA Euro 2016 in France.

Soccer and smurfs have always had a close association with each other. This is probably not surprising considering that both soccer and the smurfs are extremely popular in Europe.

To continue with this close association, Schleich will be releasing 8 special soccer smurfs in conjunction with the 2016 European Championships being held in France between 10 June to 10 July 2016.

The Footballer Smurfs will be made using the same mould as Playmaker (Schleich ref# 20527) and each smurf will be painted in their national kit colours and with the flag of their country displayed on the white & navy blue checkered ball.

So far only four Footballer smurfs have been confirmed by Schleich in January. This is largely due to qualifications still taking place. A good example of this are countries like Holland and Belgium who have not yet qualify.

These are the following smurfs confirmed by Schleich so far:

Footballer Smurf Germany – 20790

Footballer Smurf France – 20791

Footballer Smurf Spain – 20792

Footballer Smurf Italy – 20793

It is unclear at this point of time if Schleich will sell these like they did with the Budesliga Smurfs. When Schleich released these back in the early 1980’s each smurf was sold in it’s individual display box along with a sign displaying the team’s logo.

The Bundesliga Football Smurfs can generally be found on most Smurf Collector’s most wanted list. I guess time will tell if they become as collectible as Bundesliga Football (Soccer) Smurfs!

In the comic book – Smurf Vs Smurf there is a reference to a game called Smurfball. The story goes that Grouchy refuses to play in a game of Smurfball and instead kicks the ball. Upon doing this the smurfs decide to change the game into one of kicking the ball across the field into the other team’s goal. From that point on, the sport would be played by the North Smurfs and the South Smurfs as the two teams.

So as you can see the connection between the smurfs and soccer is forever strong.

Keep on Smurfin

Kath B

The Astor Theatre – The Smurfs/The Smurfs 2

If you are looking a way to stay cool this Summer in Melbourne how does going to see The Smurfs and The Smurfs 2 at The Astor Theatre sound?

The Astor Theatre is showing both smurf movies – The Smurfs and The Smurfs 2 on Friday 8 January 2016 commencing at 11am.

The Astor Theatre is located at the corner of Chapel Street and Dandenong Road, St Kilda and is easily accessed by public transport.

The Smurfs was first released in 2011 and The Smurfs 2 was released in 2013. Both films were directed by Raja Gosnell.

To find out more on what the evil Gargamel is up to, find out here

Keep on Smurfin

Kath B

Cleaning your smurfs

Collecting smurfs is all about making small discoveries. The simple task of cleaning your smurfs can be a discovery in itself. It can give you the ability to transform a grubby looking smurf into something that almost looks new.

If you are like me, you generally find that you cannot resist any smurf no matter what condition it maybe found in. To some (generally non collectors), what looks like a dirty, grimy, tired looking smurf can be transformed with a bit of TLC.

The first thing I tend to do is to inspect the smurfs to determine what type of action is required. Sometimes the smurfs just require the use of a damp cloth to remove bits of dirt.

If I am only washing one or two smurfs I might just use some bi-carb soda and some vinegar along with a damp cloth to remove the dirt and grim.

In extreme circumstances I will soak the smurfs in a bucket of hot water and some washing powder for approximately 30 to 60 minutes. With this approach after they have been soaking I will then inspect each smurf and may give a bit of further scrub using an old toothbrush.

By using an old toothbrush it allows you to remove the dirt that can be stuck inside the curves of the figurine. This is especially the case when cleaning a smurf’s hat.

Some collectors have also experimented using alcohol to remove ink stains. Though to be honest I have not tried this option so I cannot confirm if this works or not.

Though before all of this happens, sometimes it is important to know where your smurfs have lived before. For example a smurf’s white hat and pants can be discoloured to off white/yellow colour if they have belonged to a person who has smoked.

Also smurfs can be discoloured if they have been exposed to direct sunlight. I have one or two smurfs that have encountered exposure to sunlight and now look like a little odd.

Lastly like anything, make sure you look after your smurfs as in turn they will look after you.

Keep on Smurfin

Kath B