If you were to ask me what smurfs are hard to buy online, you might find that my answer may surprise you. My answer is Congratulations and Heart smurfs and it is not because of their rarity but because of their similarities. Both wearing white trousers and hat, hands outstretched just to name a few.
From my own experience it wasn’t until I had Congratulations smurf and a Heart smurf without a heart that it finally clicked on what other more experienced were referring when it came to discussing their hands. This is why buying these smurfs online can be tricky especially if you are dealing with inexperienced seller who has no idea.
The difference with Congratulations and Heart smurfs is to do with the position of their hands and fingers. With Congratulations smurf the hands and fingers are contoured and shaped to fit the hand of Champion smurf. The idea was to give it the appearance they were shaking each other’s hands. With Heart smurf the hands are closer together and flatter in shape. Inside the hands is more slot shaped. This is because it was designed to accommodate the heart.
Congratulations smurf was first released in 1980 and can be only found with one marking: W.Germany Schleich S © Peyo 1979. The marking W.Germany can be found between the legs, Schleich S on the inside of the left foot and the © Peyo 1979 can vary as it can appear on the outside of either leg. It was sold by Schleich between 1980 to 1986.
With the Heart smurf, there are three to collect each with a saying in English, German & French. It appears there is no differences to the figurine only to the heart they are holding. The text is always in black.
1. Have a Heart !
2. Ein Herz Für Kinder
translated means A heart for children
3. De Tout Mon Coeur
translated means Of all my heart
The markings to be found are W.Germany Schleich S © Peyo 80. It was sold by Schleich between 1981 to 1986. It can also be found with a mustard paint dot. I have also have one that has a gold oval sticker under the foot that reads Painted in Portugal.
If you are wanting to ensure that the smurfs in your collection are the correct ones, it always pay off to buy from an experienced seller. No question may be silly in the eyes of an experienced seller as they too can appreciate the finer things with smurf collecting. Just try it for yourself, just ask Andrew.
Keep on Smurfin
Kath B