Blue Cavern

Thanks for the pictures Benny,

And this goes also very well with the french supersmurf-boxes made in Hongkong. So then my theory about when they were sold could be correct. Late 1984 or 1985 could be correct time for the "super schtroumpf"-boxes.

These boxes look very similair to them.

Do you agree?

Yes I am!

The font is the same on both boxes (french "superschtroumpf" boxes and french MAFI penset boxes). I think MAFI produced this "superschroumpf" boxes for a short time. Late 1984-1985 could be.

This could mean then, that all Super Smurfs which are shown on pages 18 and 19, with these french "superschtroumpf" boxes were available!
The Sports Smurfs have indeed their own boxes!

This will look like a very big job to search and collect all of them.

That would be great Benny,

but my guess is that only a few of them where sold in these boxes. Just like the pensets where only 3 of 4 was sold in Mafiboxes.

My guess is that Schleich in these years only sold some of the HKsmurfs in Europe. Maybe because they had many of some of them in stock or for other reasons??

Benny,

do you have any idea if the molds are the same?

Strange that they have handetched markings on the Mafi ones? Blocked markings on any? Different size on the base??

Sorry, I have swapped the boxes of two PENSET and so posted the wrong picture. This picture was deleted. This I named then, two other pictures wrong. But now everything is right again!

So yes, the molds are the same! I compared a MAFI cowboy penset (cast markings) with a W.Berrie.Co cowboy penset (handetched markings). They have the same colour, the same size and the same material!

The penset with handetched markings have the w berrie co inc on a different place.

It almost looks like the last handetched c in inc can still be vaguely seen on the one with new printed marking. Is that correct or just the picture "fooling" my eyes??

André I think the picture just hocused your eyes.

I have looked at the place again very carefully. No, nothing to see from a handetched C. Unfortunately, not

Both are cast in green plastic. They feel both as if they were hollow inside. Below is a small hole in each of both.

I think I know why MAFI hasn't imported the baseball penset from Hong Kong. Since baseball is not so popular in Europe, they couldn't sold it very well.

Thanks for checking Benny,

The theory about the baseball-penset makes sence so I agree with that also.