The hat trick is a classic magic trick where a performer will produce an object (traditionally a rabbit or bouquet of flowers) out of an apparently empty top hat. The Magician smurf was first produced by Bully in 1979 performing a magic trick with his grey top hat and scarf. Wearing a red cape with a yellow scarf in his left hand and a light green scarf protruding from his grey top hat.
This variation of the Magician is seen in the Schleich catalogues from 1980 to 1985 and then magically in 1986 it has a black top hat with a a dark green scarf protruding from it. It then reappears with a black top hat in the Schleich catalogues in 1991 to 1994 and again in 1998 & 1999. So only the Bully marked Magician can be found with a grey top hat.
In the USA, Wallace Berrie sold the Magician with the black top hat only for two years, 1982 to 1984. When it was first sold it had the markings Made in Hong Kong Schleich S © 1979 Peyo under the feet. Later they added W. Berrie Co to the markings.
I have always thought that they must have produced huge number of these Magician smurfs with W. Berrie Co markings as later on they added a CE hand etched marking to them and sold them throughout Europe.
However my favourite Magician is a fake not based on the regular smurf. It is fake Magician smurf wearing a red suit with a black bow tie. Under his red jacket his well padded stomach can be seen, hidden by his white shirt. In his right hand he holds out a grey rabbit by it’s ears and in his left hand he holds out his black top hat. I have no idea of the origin of this fake smurf but he is definitely one of my favourite ‘fake’ smurfs. What’s not to like about a slightly overweight smurf performing a magic hat trick.
Keep on Smurfin
Kath B