Do you have a smurf that has a Bully marking? Have you ever wondered what is the difference between Bully and Schleich smurfs? Don’t worry it’s a common question for those who are new to collecting smurfs.
In 1965 Schleich started producing pvc smurf figurines however in around 1973 they lost the right to manufacture smurfs. The rights to produce smurfs went to a rival German company called Bully.
The early smurfs made by Bully are highly collectible due to their strong comic resemblance. At the time all Bully smurfs were sculpted by Irmingard Hieber who worked for Bully as their in-house artist.
Peyo, the creator of the smurfs also was very happy with the transformation from his own drawings into the smurf figurines. This was a major thing at the time as supposedly Peyo owned the smurf moulds used.
During this period Bully also started to make their own moulds and used different paint colours compared to Schleich. A couple of good examples of these are Astro (ref# 20003) and Judge (ref# 20016)
Astro was originally made by Schleich in 1969 wearing a white outfit with a clear plastic helmet. Astro smurf has his left finger pointing upward. When Bully started producing smurfs, they released their own version of Astro wearing a white outfit with red square on the front, a clear plastic helmet and both arms outstretched.
Judge was originally made by Schleich in 1971 wearing a black robe with a white mascot. When Bully started selling Judge it was with a red robe and white mascot. The version made by Bully appeared at the time to be a closer resemble to the ones seen in comics.
Some collectors also find the material used in Bully Smurfs especially the only versions more adorable as they were made out of a softer pvc material. Due to the softness, it is not unusual to find these to be more flexible and slightly warped depending on its condition.
It is also possible to find some of really early ones without any markings at all; no reference to Peyo or Bully. Some believe this may have been due to the smurfs being used for promotional ventures. Though there is little doubt these are fake due to their likeness of the smurf character and texture of the figurine.
At around 1977/78 smurfs were beginning to be made by Schleich again. This was when at the time of smurfs being sold by BP petrol stations in Holland and the UK. The popularity of smurfs was just about to hit the world like nothing before.
By 1980 Bully Smurfs were no longer being produced and Schleich had the exclusive licence to manufacture smurfs globally.
Bully smurfs are still easy to find today and the good thing is that they are not expensive. Though as smurfs were created to be played with, most will show some wear or damage. This never fazes me as it reminds me that smurfs were made to be toys.
For some more information on Bully Smurfs and their markings, have a read at this useful site on Smurf Markings
Keep on Smurfin
Kath B