Butterfly Catcher Archives

Today, we find the Butterfly Catcher walking along with a butterfly in his net. What a way to spend your day catching butterflies. If only we could find the time to do such a thing.

The Butterfly Catcher is wearing his customary white pants and hat. The butterfly net & stick and butterfly are made from a yellow plastic. The yellow plastic used can vary from a really light to a dark yellow shade. Sometimes the net can be found painted brown. The butterfly’s wings can be found painted with tinges of red or not at all. The butterfly’s eyes can be found painted in red, black or not at all. It is also quite common to find only one side of the butterfly’s eyes painted. Not sure why they did this!

The Butterfly Catcher was only sold by Schleich between 1979 to 1984 and was given the article 40209. The Butterfly Catcher was never sold in Australia or the USA. So I do not believe this Super Smurf was ever made in Hong Kong. Perhaps there was concern that it posed a safety risk with the net & stick being removable.

The differences you will find with this one is to do with the net and the butterfly. It appears little changed with the actual smurf. When looking around at other sites I have found at least four colour variations.

1. Light brown net, unpainted eyes, red painted wings
2. Light brown net, butterfly with black eyes, wings unpainted
3. Dark brown net, butterfly with black eyes, red painted wings
4. Brown net, unpainted eyes on one side, red eyes on the other side, red painted wings

So far I have only come across three different marking variations. I have never really understood why they positioned the markings Schleich S © Peyo between it’s legs and the W.Germany under it’s right foot. Very strange!

1. W.Germany Schleich S © Peyo
2. W.Germany Schleich S © 79 Peyo
3. W.Germany Schleich S © 79 Peyo + mustard paint dot

#40209 Butterfly Catcher – note holding his stick in his left hand & his mouth is open

#20088 Traveller – note holding his stick in his right hand & his mouth is closed

Sometimes the Butterfly Catcher can get mixed up with Traveller #20088. The big difference between the two smurfs is that Butterfly Catcher holds his net in his left hand and has his mouth open. Traveller holds his stick in his right hand and has his mouth closed.

Keep on Smurfin

Kath B