The best way to clean Smurfs

What do you do when you find that rare Smurf but can see that it has seen better days? Pretend you never saw it and move on. Then dwell on it for the rest of the weekend. Not likely as you know it’s worth giving the Smurf a second lease of life. It also means another one you’ve been longing to add to your collection.

Most older Smurfs not surprisingly will require a good bath before displaying. No matter, where I acquire them I always give the toys a good soak in warm soapy water. If I purchase the figurines online, I give them a longer soak. Warm soapy water and fresh air, you can’t beat it.

Sometimes this is not enough. With a little bit of hard work, you might surprise yourself how lucky you are.

What you’ll need

Try an old toothbrush to remove grime marks. Add a little bit of bicarb soda with water to create a paste. Apply this paste to the toothbrush then massage it into the Smurf. For built-up grime in the creases on their hat or tricky places, try a brow brush.

Another option is putting the figurines in the dishwasher. Does it work? I don’t know as I am too scared to try it. But if you have, I would love to hear about your experience.

Dealing with ink stains is almost impossible to remove. Why people want to write the price under their feet is beyond me. You could try using nail polish remover or glass cleaner. Again I haven’t tried them because I am scared I will remove the original paint. But others I know speak highly about both options as long as you are careful.

Trying to get rid of cigarette or plastic toy odour can also seem almost impossible. I’m a big believer in the fresh air and plenty of it. Another option is soaking in a water and vinegar mixture overnight. Vinegar has a low amount of acidity so it should not harm the paintwork.

These are just my suggestions that work for me.

Keep on Smurfin
Kath B

Wind Up Walking Smurf

I love surprises. Especially when it involves collecting Smurfs by BP Australia. My latest acquisition was a wind up walking Smurf. Some refer to this as a Vintage Wind Up Walking Smurf.

Made out of hard plastic and measuring about 8cm tall. My Walking Smurf is in good condition with very little ware. The wind up mechanism still works. But best of all, it came with its original box. Bonus!

My bet is, this would have been one of the first Smurf toys made by Wallace Berrie & Company. Under its feet it tells us it was made in Hong Kong in 1980. No doubt, thousands of these kind of toys were made.

Likewise on the box, it has references to Wallace Berrie and Hong Kong. But on closer inspection there is also a reference to BP Australia. This is small but significent in the eyes of a collector.

For some collectors, keeping the box is just as important as the toy itself. Some say, it increases the value of the toy. I was never fussed by this up until now. Now I feel that the box is part of the toy.

If you collect any Smurf, you want it in as close as perfect condition as it was originally sold. The box itself can you tell you a story as much as the toy.

Keep on Smurfin
Kath B

Lucky Smurf on holidays

Today in Melbourne, the weather forecast is mostly sunny with a tempearture 31 centigrade degrees. So what better Smurf to talk about than Smurf on Holidays.

First released in 2001 by Schleich and sold right through to the end of 2015. Sunbathing on a yellow towel, under a plam tree, Smurf on Holidays #40261 can be found. Wearing red budgie smugglers (bathers) with a small , white ‘S’ on the front, with arms resting behind his head. The Smurf is also wearing blue wrap around sunglasses and is sporting a huge smile of satisfaction.

When looking to add Smurf on Holidays to your collection, ideally you want to get one with it’s corresponding box. In order to fit everything into the box, the palm tree comes in three parts. Don’t let this put you off, as it is easy to put together. It should also come with a yellow towel and not red. The red towel was included in the Super Smurf – Smurfette on Holidays.

During the time, Smurf on Holidays was produced there were very little changes made. But if you are looking, you can find Smurf on Holidays with shiny dark blue skin or matte, lighter blue skin.

It was also produced with two different markings. Only the figurine and the sand base have markings. The towel has no markings just a circle pattern on the back.

First version markings – 2001 to 2008

Second version markings – 2009 to 2015

Smurf markings: Made in China CE Schleich S Am Limes 69 D-73527 Schw. Gmund © 00 Peyo CE, with a date stamp.

Boxes

Circular Smurf logo with a dancing Smurfs pattern box.
Peyo Creations with a dancing Smurfs pattern box.

Therefore should you want to add Smurf on Holidays to collection, to make your search easier I have added a link to the Toy Dreamer http://www.toydreamer.com.au/smurf1.asp?toytype=supersmurf

Keep on Smurfin
Kath B

Super Smurf Discovery

I have just discovered something new about Super Smurfs, which may have been obvious to most but not me. On some Smurfs made between 2000 to 2002, a blue paint dot can be found. I always thought it was just the Smurf that they added the blue paint dot too.

Only this week I found that with the Super Smurfs, Schleich also added a blue paint dot to the accessories. I am not sure if this was the case for all but it was for School Desk Smurfette.

School Desk Smurfette #40259 was sold by Schleich from 2000 to 2004. Sitting at a school desk, Smurfette is wearing a white dress with pink polka dots, matching pink underwear and small heeled shoes. Her right arm is pointing upwards, as if trying to get the teacher’s attention.

Not only was School Desk Smurfette sold as a Super Smurf but also part of the School Playset. The School Playset #40712 was also sold between 2000 to 2004 by Schleich.

Found by accident

I like to collect Smurfs with different markings and paint dots. I then like to record this into my own database. So when I began cleaning my Smurfs I rechecked the markings on School Desk Smurfette.

I found the following markings on Smurfette:
Made in China (back of right arm)
Schleich S Germany (on Smurfette’s back)
CE Peyo 99 (on Smurfette’s bottom)

Bench chair markings:
81 Schleich S Germany
Made in China CE
Cavity number 3

Desk markings:
81 Schleich S Germany
Made in China CE
Cavity number 1 and a blue paint dot

Like the majority of my Super Smurfs, not all came with their original box. The ones that they did come with their box I kept. Fortunately for me School Desk Smurfette did come with it’s box, which also displays a blue paint dot.

I was stumped, why hadn’t I only noticed this now? I have plenty of Smurfs with a blue paint dot so it’s not as if I didn’t know what it was. Now I am wanting to know if any of you have any other Super Smurfs like this.

If you have any like this, just leave a comment. It would be great to create a list, so other hard core collectors like me have something to look out for!

Keep on Smurfin
Kath B