20025

There are 2 posts tagged 20025 (this is page 1 of 1).

The colours of Swimmer Smurf

Most Smurf collectors adore the colour variations that can be found with Smurfs. Swimmer Smurf is possibly the most popular one, due to the different coloured bathers and swimming rings that can be found.

The Swimmer Smurf #20025 was produced by Schleich from 1977 to 1986 then again from 1994 to 1996. It was during the first five years, where you can find the most colour variations, all with the markings W.Germany Schleich emblem © Peyo.

Swimmer was first made out of blue pvc material, with its red mouth visible. Different coloured bathers or swimming rings can be found. Typically using the colours of yellow, orange or red. With the early ones, the swimming ring’s valve was blue which was later changed to black. It is also possible to find the early version of Swimmer without eyebrows.

  • #20025 Swimmer with yellow bathers & orange ring
  • #20025 Swimmer with red tongue
  • #20025 Swimmer with yellow bathers & red ring

Around 1981 Swimmer was made out of Hong Kong for both BP and Wallace Berrie. The Hong Kong mould was quite different to the Schleich made one. It was a much bigger mould made out of white pvc material, its mouth was not visible and it was painted in darker colours.

All of mine Hong Kong verions have dark yellow bathers and a red swimmng ring with a black valve. Not sure if they ever made one with an orange swimming ring.

It wasn’t until 1983 when Schleich changed the mould on Swimmer to be more like the Hong Kong one. But the Schleich continued to be made out of blue pvc material.

When Swimmer was re-released by Schleich in 1994, this time it was made out of China. By now colour variations were considered a thing of the past by Schleich. The Chinese made Swimmer can only be found with yellow bathers and an orange swimming ring.

Swimmer mystery

Everyone likes a good mystery. In the book, Der Schlumpf Katalog IV published in 2003 they list a Swimmer with Macau markings. In my 20 or so years in collecting Smurfs I have never seen this. If does exist I would have thought we would have heard about by now. What do you think?

Or perhaps the Macau Swimmer drowned and is lying at the bottom of the ocean waiting to be discovered.

Keep on SmurfIn
Kath B

Swimmer Smurf

I have a confession to make and that is I can’t really swim. Even with this small flaw, it doesn’t put me off from liking Swimmer smurf first released in 1977 by Schleich. This is unique smurf as it can be found with mould and colour variations.

The first mould was made out of light blue pvc material and can be found with either orange bathers with a yellow ring or yellow bathers and an orange ring. Both also have a blue valve. The other distinctive thing is the small red mouth and the arms on the underside are completely shaped

Like a lot of smurfs produced around this time, there are many different shades of paints used on the bathers from orange to dark red. Also the eyebrows can vary, from unpainted to thick.

When the Swimmer was made out of Hong Kong they used a much larger mould and white pvc material.  Typically these are found with yellow bathers and a red ring with a black valve. Also with this larger mould you can no longer see the mouth as it is hidden by the smurf’s hands.

The Hong Kong version was  sold in the USA from 1981 to 1985 by Wallace Berrie. As you can find the Hong Kong version with and without W. Berrie markings, it makes me think it was also sold in Australia as well but I couldn’t find anything to back up this theory.

I also have one with Hong Kong markings where they blocked out the year 1977 and replaced this with 1980. It is thought this happened around smurfs sold in 1982. So basically any smurf made before 1980 they blocked out the year and replaced this with 1980. Oddly they later changed the year back to the original year marking on these smurfs. 

Around 1983 the German mould was changed to be more like the Hong Kong version. Though they used a blue mould. It was sold like this until 1986.

Between 1994 to 1996 Swimmer was re-released but this time with China markings. The China version can be found with yellow bathers and an orange ring with a black valve. 

In the Der Schlumpf Katalog IV they list a Swimmer with Macau markings, possibly made around 1985. Ever since this has created debate amongst collectors whether it exists or not. I doubt this actually exists but I am happy to be proved wrong, all in the name of collecting smurfs. 

Keep on Smurfin

Kath B