Have you ever found a paint error with a Smurf? Sometimes something goes wrong at the painting stage, which results in some weird looking smurfs. To find a smurf with a paint error, is pretty amazing when one comes to think about it. Considering how much quality control measures are out there. But for me, nothing beats finding a smurf with a paint error.
So what is a paint error? A paint error can be anything that has not been painted or painted in a different colour. In my opinion these are not variations, these are just genuine mistakes. For example it is not all that uncommon to find smurfs with unpainted tails, smiles, legs or something on the mould.
It should be noted though when smurfs were first produced back in the late 1960’s and early 1970’s there were a number of smurfs that did not have any eyebrows. This was not a paint error, this appears to be deliberate thing. However it is not uncommon to find some of these early smurfs where people have drawn on their own eyebrows. Good examples of these include the small moulds of Sitting, Thinker and Coin.
Some paint errors are quite obvious. Others are a little harder to notice at first glance. Some collectors feel that without having doubles of a smurf, they cannot see the differences. Other collectors deliberately look out for paint errors on smurfs to add to their collection. I must have confess I am occasionaly guilty of this.
Take for example Teacher Smurf, Schleich Ref# 20059. It was first produced with a brown book cover with ‘abcd’ written in black on the pages. The brown paint used for the cover can vary but this is not paint error just different batches of brown paint used.
Later it was produced with a red book cover with ‘abcd’ written in black on the pages. The black writing can vary from thin to thick. This is not paint error just a different style used by the painter.
Now I have Teacher Smurf that I am not sure if you call this a variation or series of paint errors. There are no letters in his book, his smile and eyelids are also unpainted. It is also mentioned in the Der Schlumpf Katalog IV published in 2003 and is for sale on the Toy Dreamer website so it must be variation and not a paint error. Right?
Keep on Smurfin
Kath B