[André]

Hi,

I wanted to ask you a question about the international soccerplayers. Have anyone thought about the teams? I have a theory about them and why they are painted like that and it makes more and more sence to me. Maybe you already taked about it before.

You want to hear what I think.

[Tintin]

Hi Andre

The 20035 ones or the 20068 ??
Or maybe both....................

gr Tintin

[André]

The 20035 ones.

Like these. It just don´t make sence to me. Which countries would this be? And why would they sell these?

[André]

Hi again,

after moose for dinner( not meaning dessert, but the animal). Lovely.

Back to the theory I started.

It seems all pages write teams unknown for the international teams, right?

So let´s think about this.

If you look at this leaftlet from 1981, you can see both a UK striker, 20035, with red shirt and white shorts, and then also a rugby, all white.

Both these are UK variations, right.

[André]

The rugby variations sold in the UK were very precise. The colours represented the teams in the rugby World Cup. This was prior to the first world cup held in 1987. Before that it was called "5 nations Championship". The teams competing in this serie was: England, Ireland, Scotland, Wales and France. Just like the ones sold in UK at the stations and in the toystores distributed by Coronet.

Also the South Africa rugby smurfs were very precise in the colours, right?

[André]

So if they painted the rugbysmurfs so precise and also put the all white England variation on the leaflet, why would they put random national colours on the soccerteams??

Maybe you talked about this earlier???

I am pretty sure those teams are premier league teams, or First division as it was called prior 1992. Just like the bundesligateams in Germany.

[André]

So If we look at the season 1979-1980.

First place Liverpool.

All red kit. And look at the yellow dot on the chest.

[André]

Second place in 1979/80 season was Manchester United.

Red shirt, white shorts, black socks.

White dot on chest.

[André]

Forth place Arsenal.

One of the most historical kits in Uk history( according to fanatics ). This was the one Arsenal had when they beat Man united in the FA Cup final in 1979 with 3-2.

This kit looks a lot like Sweden.

Yellow shirt, blue shorts, yellow socks.

Blue dot on chest.

[André]

Fifth place Nottingham Forest.

Red shirt, white shorts, red socks.

White dot on chest.

[André]

Sixth place.

Wolverhampton.

Very special kit which I can´t see match that many national kits. But it match this one perfect.

Orange-brownish shirt, black shorts, orange-brownish socks.

Black dot on chest.

[Smurfysmurf]

Here is what I have them listed as

http://www.hiddeninthewoods.com/20035so ... 1026316359

I think I checked Rachel's Blue imps website for reference

[Tommo]

Where's third place?

[André]

The last of the more common UK teams are this one.

I would guess it is Southampton who ended up at 8th place.

But the socks don´t match. They actually had red socks before but not this season.

Sunderland match on the socks though.

My guess would be Southampton and if you compare the dotcolours they used on the shirts they match very good if you look at the previous teams right. And black would go good with Southampton. And also the fact that Sunderland played in the second division that year.

[André]

Where's third place?

Good question Tommo.

Actually that is the team I supported back then. Ipswich Town.

In Sweden we always had english soccer on tellie on saturdays in "Tipsextra" and we could bet on which teams should win. That was one of the highlights when we were young. My dad actually had a hat with Nottingham Forest on it.

I don´t know why Ipswich is not among the teams?? But it is pretty obviuos that all teams were not sold like in the bundesliga, so it must have been that some teams were choosen. Maybe because they were populair or for other reasons like location??

Anyway I think this is the most logic explaination to why they were painted like this. In the DSK IV it says USA-teams. Which USA-teams? And why would USA-teams kits sell in the UK where these were sold.

Christy writes UK soccer teams on her website but also teams unknown. I think she is very correct that they are UK teams and nothing else.

I don´t know if you have talked about this before and I am only repeating old news??

What do you think??

UK members??

[Tommo]

I'm afraid that I'm not a football fan and so cannot be of any help A funning thing is the rugby smurf my dad got when I was younger (late 70's/early 80's) is the New Zealand one.

[Tojo]

That's a very interesting & plausible theory André.

I wonder why they would only do this for one season though

I must admit that I really like the footballer smurfs as there is so much variety colour wise

[André]

I maybe also should add that the soccers with white shirt, black shorts and orange shirt/white shorts both have the older marking. And I know those existed earlier. The white shirt I know existed pre the National promotion in the UK since I had that as a child.

We also know that in the beginning of the UK promotion the normal soccer where sold. Then with red ball also. But still with the normal shirts.

So I am pretty sure both these variations started the same year in both Germany and UK.

Bundesliga in Germany in 1980( see catalogue).

First division( only six though) maybe they used the white and black for Tottenham hotspurs??? )) also started in 1980.

My guess regarding the first paintvariations of the soccers are that they are meant to look like Holland and Germany as in the final in the World cup 1978??

[Tojo]

I should think that it would be unlikely that they were US soccer teams as soccer seems to have only become popular in the last few years there whereas Europe has always been football crazy

My Liverpool FC mirror is still in my parent's attic which shows all of the trophies they had won up until then (around 1977).

[André]

I'm afraid that I'm not a football fan and so cannot be of any help A funning thing is the rugby smurf my dad got when I was younger (late 70's/early 80's) is the New Zealand one.

That is not so strange actually.

Since the first Rugby smurfs variations according to my guess were made for the BP in South Africa. Blue material and Springbok and British Lions.

BP had all these made. South African promotion maybe ended as they liked and therefore more variations were made. I know a lot of friends who never would buy smurfs. But if a ice-hockeysmurf in swedish national teams colours would be sold in the stores they would definatly consider buying it.

I am pretty sure you could not get the All Black before the other UK variations. It seems New Zealand and Australia was very big rugby nations then also. Maybe it was similair to when the Springbok was made??