Smurf with little pink pig

For a short time in the late 1970s or possibly in the early 1980s the ‘Viel Gluck Smurf’ was produced. For this they used Congratulations Smurf (#20067) holding onto a cute pink (PVC) piglet. What I would like to know, is there a way to distinguish the genuine one from a fake one? Or was this smurf never sold by Schleich in the first place.

Facts we know:

Congratulations smurf was first sold by Schleich in 1980 and continued to sell it through to 1986. Congratulations was never sold by BP Australia or Wallace Berrie for the USA. So as a result it was never made out of Hong Kong, it was only ever produced out of West Germany.
In 1981 Schleich released a blue triangle pedestal with Congratulations holding a pink little piglet. The imprint on the pedestal – Herzlichen Glückwunsch und viel schwein im Neuen lebensjahr*.
Schleich also produced another pink triangle pedestal using the same figurine around the same time. The imprint on the pedestal – Schleich Wünscht Viel Glück Im Neuen Jahr!!**

What we don’t know for sure:

Back in 1981 the smurfs were in high demand not just in Europe but around the world. Schleich was also producing not just smurfs but another toys such as their ‘Mini’ animal range. One such animal was a pink piglet.

Now in Germany a pig is a symbol of good luck. Viel Gluck means good luck in German. The symbol of a pig is also quite often associated with Christmas in Germany. So in many ways it would not be hard to add a ‘mini’ range piglet to a Congratulations smurf.

What I think?

I have two versions of Good Luck Smurf, with each one holding a different kind of piglet. I have never thought of them as genuine but I would never call them fake either. Therefore in my opinion they are just simply adorable.

Keep on Smurfin

Kath B

*English Translation: Congratulations and a lot of pig in the new year of life

** English Translation: Schleich wishes good luck in the New Year !!

Smurf says Have a Heart for kids

No one can doubt the power of advertising, especially when it features the smurfs. I recently came across this one from the New Idea magazine, 2nd October 1982.

Have a Heart for Kids is an international organisation, founded back in 1978 in Germany. One of it’s early campaigns was for more traffic lights, more zebra crossings, limited traffic zones and play zones. The number of children killed in traffic accidents has been greatly reduced since this campaign. Eversince the organization has continued to fight for children’s needs and requirements.

Have a Heart figurine

Have a Heart smurf is unique, as there are three different versions. Each one carries a sign with a heart emblem with a saying in English, German & French written in black text. It appears there is no difference to the actual figurine.

Have a Heart ! – English

Ein Herz Für Kinder – German (A heart for children)

De Tout Mon Coeur – French (Of all my heart)

This smurf can be hard to smurf to buy because of it’s likeness to Congratulations Smurf (#20067). The difference lies with how the hands have been made. The Heart smurf should have the inside of the hands more flat compared to the Congratulations smurf where they are more contoured and shaped. This is to do with how the heart shaped sign is slotted into the hands. Whereas Congratulations smurf is reaching out to another smurf to shake its hand.

The same figurine used for Heart smurf was also used for Traffic Crossing smurf (#20155). Heart smurf was made by Schleich between 1981 to 1986 and was never made in Hong Kong. I don’t think it was never sold in the USA by Wallace Berrie. But as you can see by the advertisement from 1982 there is a high chance it was sold in Australia.

Keep on Smurfin

Kath B

Congratulations Smurf vs Heart Smurf

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