Blue Cavern

All Smurfs are said to be hand painted and I quess people usually associate this with a brush, not any kind of spray paint system. However, at least one version of the Singer and a Gift Smurf I have on a sockel are clearly painted with a spray mold (the blue part of the paint). This can be seen at the edges of the paint e.g. behind the ear and on the hat rim as a faint blur which you don't get with a brush. Spray painted figurines always remind me of cheap cereal box toys

Does anyone know if there are any other spray painted Smurfs?

P

Very interesting question, P!!!Hope some of our expert can answer!!!!!

Hope some of our expert can answer!!!!!

If anyone can, they can

I mean we can ofcourse. This is one wise collective mind spread all over the globe. One collective mind with a serious addiction.

P

Hi guys, yes there are definitely other spray painted smurfs out there. I have quite a few I think. I think most only have certain parts spray painted and then the rest handpainted, I am not sure if there are some which are completely sprayed, I will have to have a check.

I have noticed the blue skin painted like you mention Pauli, I have also noticed quite a few eyes (white) that have also been sprayed. I am pretty sure I have examples where other parts have been sprayed but I will have to have a very close look for this. I have also noticed that some of the newer figures that have been released in the last few years have also had areas sprayed to get different paint effects.

Well spotted Pauli, this is often very difficult to spot.

Great topic, Pauli...


and here is my stupid question..

how can you tell if the smurfs or part of them are spray painted?

One very obvious example is the 2000 of the Millenium Smurf and keychain.


Jim II

Certain variations of the Clown 2.0033 were spray painted too Pauli

Dyar

I think most only have certain parts spray painted and then the rest handpainted, I am not sure if there are some which are completely sprayed...

Thanks for the answers! I really think that there are no COMPLETELY spray painted Smurfs. At least I've never seen one. And hope I never will.

P

how can you tell if the smurfs or part of them are spray painted?

I think the procedure involves some sort of a paint mold which fits over the Smurf so that only the areas to be painted are visible. The seams however are not perfect so some of the paint ends up between the mold and the Smurf, making the edges of the painted areas a little blurry if you look closely. In contrast, when painted with a brush, the outline of the paint is totally sharp.

Did this make any sense?

P

I think peace-pipe is sprayed,too.

Thanks for all this info Guys, ive never realised that some smurfs were spray painted. We will now have to go through ours to have a look and see the difference. Has anyone got a picture of one to post so we can see the difference? Lucie

Has anyone got a picture of one to post so we can see the difference?

Hi Luce, here are a couple of pics to show the eyes and mouth that have been spray painted on a clown.

Sorry about the pics, it is a bit tricky with the flash.

+++++ WARNING +++++

Do not look at the first picture too early in the morning

Thanks for the pictures Rach. I must admit ive never really noticed this before on smurfs. Im very short sighted so i guess thats my excuse. My mission now is to go through all our smurfs (they're all in boxes) and see if we have any !. Thanks again Lucie

I had wondered about techniques for painting the figures. Normally, do the painters sit at conveyor belts painting their portion? Does a single painter take a big box of raw smurfs to a table and have at it? Do they (As spray painting suggests) use stencils? Is machine painting possible?

How hard is it to get a job at a Schleich painting factory?

And, who's the fellow who designs the smurfs each year? Is it possible to get a Schleich public relations representative to do an interview for BlueImps?

Wow, I can just imagine some Chinese woman in central Canton province dutifully dabbing smurfs with her paintbrush not realizing there are hundreds of westerners yearning to know. What does she think of smurfs? Does she hate them? Does she paint other toys, also? Is it a bloody bore? Do the painters talk to each other while they work? Do they listen to the radio? Is the foreman a jerk? What about politics? Is there office politics at a Schleich paint factory?

And, who's the fellow who designs the smurfs each year? Is it possible to get a Schleich public relations representative to do an interview for BlueImps?

Now that would be fantastic. Maybe I should email IMPS or Schleich?

As for the painters, I have been told that in the past, the raw smurfs were sent to painters who worked from home but I really am not sure how they are done these days.

Those are all points that I have wondered about many times & it would be interesting to know the answers.