With winter now behind us and warmer days are becoming more frequent, it is time for me to buy new pyjamas. So what better smurf to give me inspiration than Sleepwalker Smurf first produced by Schleich in 1972 seen wearing a long white nightgown with a yellow pom pom on his hat. Sleepwalker appears to be sleepwalking as he has both arms stretched out in front of him with eyes closed.
During the time Bully produced smurfs, 1974 through to 1977 they sold Sleepwalker with a red pom pom on his hat. During this time Bully changed the colours on a number of smurfs they acquired from Schleich. By the time Schleich started producing smurfs again in 1977 they painted the pom pom yellow or green.
In Australia, Sleepwalker was first sold in 1980 by BP Australia and was made in Hong Kong. This most likely around the same time it was sold by Wallace Berrie in the USA. This version of Sleepwalker only ever was produced with a yellow pom pom.
In the Smurf Collectors Club Newsletter 2 published in 1986 they list a version of Sleepwalker with a black pom pom. I never heard or seen a version with a black pom pom, so I presume it never actually existed. Also in the Der Schlumpf Katalog IV published in 2003, they list a version of Sleepwalker with an orange pom pom. This is considered a fake by most serious smurf collectors.
Bully also produced a series of mini Sleepwalker smurfs for a variety of boardgames. Each figure can be found with a red, green, blue, black or yellow body with white pants and hat, with a round base it is standing on. Underneath the base are Bully © Peyo hand etched markings.
Around 1980/81 Schleich also produced their own version of a mini Sleepwalker with a loop on the top of the hat and © Peyo marking on the base. These came in a variety of solid colours such as black, blue, green, yellow, orange, red and also produced transparent coloured one.
Sleepwalker was last sold in 1984 by Schleich and is one that most adults recall having as part of their collection when they were a child. Now back to looking for new pyjamas without anymore distractions.
Keep on Smurfin
Kath B