[Benny]

I bought this blister some times ago on german Ebay.
However, I have never seen a second one

Now I have some questions:

- How many smurfs were issued in these blisters?
- When were these blisters published by Schleich?
- Where were they given out?
- ...


Can anyone help me and say something about it?


Thank you very much

[Lia]

I don`t know much about them too, but I believe they were from 1983?
I have this one

[Benny]

Hi Lia,

I think 1983 can't be, since these smurfs were published in 1985 first.
Thus, these blisters can be actually published until 1985 or later.

Correct me please if you disagree


smurfy greetings



PS: Nice one Lia

[Lia]

Hi Benny!

I just looked at the markings)))
( I couldn`t find them so quickly in the dealers catalogues)

The smurfette in blister is w.germany, marked 1983
and my germany and portugal versions are also 1983
The hongkong and china versions are marked 1984
But you can very well be right that they were published in 1985?

Lia

[Smurfysmurf]

I don't have my smurfs or catalogs handy right now, but I think the date of the markings usually shows the year of the smurf production which is a year before the release date of the smurfs?

Don't remember what year the baby and the smurfette with the baby were released though but it could be 1984. I do remember that 1985 W Berrie released some "special" smurfs that they advertised with special sellers display boxes and also this display



Since none of these two smurfs are on this display, I'd say they were released in 1984 and maybe put in those blisters in 1985?

This is just a guess though...I have never seen those blisters before

Great topic and great pictures

[Tojo]

I've not seen these before but they are very cool.

I wonder how many of these "popular figures" there were.

[Benny]

Hi Lia,

you're right with the licensing years Lia, the German and Portuguese factory got their "Peyo" licences for their molds in 1983 and the Hong Kong factory their license in 1984). The chinese factory got later a mould of one of the other factorys I think.
However, they are usually a year or two earlier, when the figure is really on the market?

It is interesting that both so baby pink and Smurfette with baby are photographed in 1985 in all the dealer catalogs. (Maia & Borges 1985, Applause 1985 and Schleich 1985). You could say everything was clear.

But you can not, because these two figures are pictured in the collector's catalog from 1984 (Nuremberg Toy Fair 1984) already!
This throws my first guess to the winds, so it can also be mid to late 1984.


What do you think about it all, let me know.


Hi Maureen,

I do remember that 1985 W Berrie released some "special" smurfs that they advertised with special sellers display boxes and also this display

I know these special Smurfs, it's the last that were ever produced in the factory of Hong Kong.They appear in the Applause dealers catalog from 1985, together with a beautiful display.
By the way nice display Maureen!

Some of them are very very rare (eg, in tuxedo and gown Smurfette).
I noticed the basketball, he has red stripes on his shoes, as it has only "Made ​​in Hong Kong"-version.
I also think that some of them available only "Made in Macau".


Hi Tojo,

it's interesting that apparently there are very few common.
I think that the blisters are published in Germany or German-speaking countries like Austria, Switzerland and Liechtenstein, simply because of the German packaging.

Are you agree?

smurfy greetings

[Lia]

here the marking of the china version `84
I know only 3 smurfs in these blisters, the baby, the smurfette with baby and the aerobic smurfette.
But I can`t find the blisters in the dealers catalogues

Lia

[Benny]

Hi Lia,

Has the Smurfette with baby in a yellow blister these marks?

If so, I see a CE and then the yellow blister should appeared so much later.

The toy guideline from the EEC, which require to mark a toy with a CE, is valid since 1990/1991!


Best wishes


Benny

[Lia]

Hi Benny

No,the smurfette in blister is marked: w.germany ( on the back of the head) and schleich peyo 1983

[Benny]

Thanks Lia, shame that would have brought some light into the darkness.

[André]

Hi Benny, Lia and Maureen,

I don´t know exactly when these blisters were sold. But I can help you with some years.

All the smurfs you have been talking about were most likely sold already in 1984.

But not in the normal articlenumber serie. Here are some facts:

Aerobic smurfette was sold in 1984 in US and have articlenumber 6243.

The pink and blue babies were also sold in 1984 in US, but in a special baby-smurf issue and got articlenumber 6585.

Most likely smurfette with the baby also was sold separate in some other way in Europe, because of 2 reasons. First the year 1983 and second that Schleich claims it was sold 1984 in its book made 1985( sold in the 1986 catalogue). And this book was made only one year after so I would assume they got that year correct???

Regarding the markings on the blister:

The type of french marking on the blister Schleic started using after 1983 and together with the ages-warnings I would say that 1984 is a good year for this. Later also possible but not before.

So these blisters could have been sold between 1984 and 1990.

If you check the new Schleich ánniversary-book they say that after 1985 the demand for the smurfs more or less fell overnight, and that over 25 million unwanted smurfs sat on the shelves in Herlikofen. So when Schleich got these problems they closed the factory in Hongkong( last smurfs made in 1985) and made them for a short while in Macau before moving to China( Probably started with C.Y. Lee´s ( former Schleich office manager in HongKong)new started company after the bancruptcy.

During 1978-1984 the smurfs made in Hongkong were made for the "non-european" markets like US, Australia etc.

But in 1985-1986 when they had large amounts of unwanted smurfs in stocks they started spreading the Hongkongsmurfs also to Europe, sometimes painted in Sri lanka. And these many times seems to have been sold in different types of blisters??? The reason for the blisters could also be that the smurfs sold did not have the markings requiered so they sometimes used blisters with markings instead, like with the double wrapings on the supersmurfs( in boxes and in blisters??).

The french supersmurfs sold in Mafi-boxes, which were printed in Hongkong must have been made before 1985. And since smurfette on bike was first sold 1984, it could be that the french supersmurfs-boxes only were made for a short while around 1984( +- 1 year).

So between 1986 and 1990 it seems many smurfs were sold different ways in blisters, greetingwrappings etc. HK-smurfs on the stamps etc. I think they had to get rid of all the HK-smurfs they had in stock in different ways.

But the blisters you show on the pictures can also be from 1984 and maybe it was this way these 3 smurfs first were sold in Germany???

[Lia]

Hi André!

Great to hear from you! and thanks for all the info!!
Mine has a barcode on the back, but I don`t know if we can trace more info via that?

Lia

[Benny]

Hi André,

Hope it goes well

Let's talk about smurfs:

The pink and blue babies were also sold in 1984 in US, but in a special baby-smurf issue and got articlenumber 6585.

Very well observed,first I didn't see that in the Applause dealers catalog from 1984.
In fact, this display is very sweet. The babies should be marked with "Made in Hong Kong", I see this bright blue.

Most likely smurfette with the baby also was sold separate in some other way in Europe, because of 2 reasons. First the year 1983 and second that Schleich claims it was sold 1984 in its book made 1985( sold in the 1986 catalogue). And this book was made only one year after so I would assume they got that year correct???

I'm totally confused, I still do not understand. Very interesting certainly would be the official price lists of Schleich, who went to the dealer. Going to say what is real and when it was available!
I have only seen a few, there are always those A4 sheets with dealer sizes, prices, item numbers, etc. I myself have currently only which of MAFI from 1984.

The type of french marking on the blister Schleic started using after 1983 and together with the ages-warnings I would say that 1984 is a good year for this. Later also possible but not before.
So these blisters could have been sold between 1984 and 1990.

Thus, I also agree.

If you check the new Schleich ánniversary-book they say that after 1985 the demand for the smurfs more or less fell overnight, and that over 25 million unwanted smurfs sat on the shelves in Herlikofen. So when Schleich got these problems they closed the factory in Hongkong( last smurfs made in 1985) and made them for a short while in Macau before moving to China( Probably started with C.Y. Lee´s ( former Schleich office manager in HongKong)new started company after the bancruptcy.

I know that the last in Hong Kong produced "new" types, these Smurf that Maureen has shown up on their display. They are as I said mapped in the Applause dealers catalog from 1985 and some very rare, as only 1 year may shorter and produced in limited editions (I would like to know these numbers)!

But in 1985-1986 when they had large amounts of unwanted smurfs in stocks they started spreading the Hongkongsmurfs also to Europe, sometimes painted in Sri lanka. And these many times seems to have been sold in different types of blisters??? The reason for the blisters could also be that the smurfs sold did not have the markings requiered so they sometimes used blisters with markings instead, like with the double wrapings on the supersmurfs( in boxes and in blisters??).

I know they were often sold in France. It is the same reason for the many Smurfs with handetched CE marking. Schleich had the warehouses full of Smurfs which nobody wanted to buy 1986/1987.

Perhaps Schleich looking only after a method to classify individual figures to save space in existing shopping shelves!
I assume that many shops and department stores had requested so.

The french supersmurfs sold in Mafi-boxes, which were printed in Hongkong must have been made before 1985. And since smurfette on bike was first sold 1984, it could be that the french supersmurfs-boxes only were made for a short while around 1984( +- 1 year).

Their rarity confirmed this hypothesis

But the blisters you show on the pictures can also be from 1984 and maybe it was this way these 3 smurfs first were sold in Germany???

I agreed

What do you think?


Best wishes


Benny

[André]

regarding the barcode Lia,

If it has anything to do with Schleich and not just is a sticker used by the store where it was sold, we can compare it with this barcode Schleich used in 1989.

I think these barcodes are among the first ones used on boxes by Schleich.

If you check it and compare with yours, the articlenumber is the last 5 digits, if you remove the last digit.

Then the articlenumber should be 1105 on the smurf you have??

If you check the marking the write "Für kinder ab 3 jahren" and not as the old ones only " ab 3 jahren".

So your blister is probably from before 1989 when they used printed barcodes. But I don´t know if Schleichdid this on all boxes made after 1989.

[André]

I agree with you Benny regarding the 1985 smurfs.

I am not sure all were made though. Maybe the last ones going to be sold in the autumn never made it to the stores???

And I am not sure they got any other articlenumbers except the ones you see it the catalogue as 24-packs. But as you say we still miss some articlenumbers like the number for smurf with jokey in trickbox, 6754. So there must be more articlenumbers used by W Berrie after 6256, smurfette holding baby. Do you know higher numbers??

Regarding the articlenumbers in the catalogues we can say that it seems not all are in these. For example not all of the specialissues sold by W Berrie ( 6530 halloween, 6580 st patrick, 6560 #1grad, 6565 #1 teacher etc) are in the catalogues. ??

[Benny]

I remember a document of the SCCI, which only contains the numbers you know already. For all the smurfs which should have higher numbers they wrote "after poster":banghead:
I think they wrote higher numbers than 6754 jokey with trick box were never officially published by Applause.

The SCCI took the numbers, especially these:

- 6530 Halloween
- 6580 St. Patrick
- 6560 # 1 degree
- 6565 # 1 Teacher

from a poster which was designated as a "Blue Moon" poster.
I do not own it, you did it?
Otherwise I think, these numbers appear namely nowhere.
So not even the SCCI had higher numbers!


Smurfy greetings


Benny

[André]

Yes,

I have the blue moon poster, but it is from 1984 so the last ones are not pictured unfortunatly.

[André]

Hi André!

Great to hear from you! and thanks for all the info!!
Mine has a barcode on the back, but I don`t know if we can trace more info via that?

Lia

Hi again Lia,

I checked a few different variations of both boxes( polkadot, new displays etc) and old supersmurfs-boxes with the old stickers with barcodes. All of them starts with 4005086 and then articlenumber. So I don´t think the sticker on your box has anything to do with Schleich.

[Lia]

Thanks André, then it`s probably a barcode, used by the shop.
I`ve searched through lots of catalogues, but I can`t find these blisters anywhere. well, it`s nice to have one

Lia