I love surprises. Especially when it involves collecting Smurfs by BP Australia. My latest acquisition was a wind up walking Smurf. Some refer to this as a Vintage Wind Up Walking Smurf.
Made out of hard plastic and measuring about 8cm tall. My Walking Smurf is in good condition with very little ware. The wind up mechanism still works. But best of all, it came with its original box. Bonus!
My bet is, this would have been one of the first Smurf toys made by Wallace Berrie & Company. Under its feet it tells us it was made in Hong Kong in 1980. No doubt, thousands of these kind of toys were made.
Likewise on the box, it has references to Wallace Berrie and Hong Kong. But on closer inspection there is also a reference to BP Australia. This is small but significent in the eyes of a collector.
For some collectors, keeping the box is just as important as the toy itself. Some say, it increases the value of the toy. I was never fussed by this up until now. Now I feel that the box is part of the toy.
If you collect any Smurf, you want it in as close as perfect condition as it was originally sold. The box itself can you tell you a story as much as the toy.
Keep on Smurfin
Kath B