[André]

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).

I hope you have the Liverpool soccersmurf to go with the mirror Tojo??

[André]

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

I am pretty sure you can skip Sweden Maureen! For sure with black shorts.

I must remember checking your site more often.

[Tojo]

Sadly no

At the time that I was an avid fan of Liverpool & went to see them play I wasn't a smurf collector. It's a shame as I would have been able to buy one straight from a toy shop for comparably little money instead of what I'd have to pay now!!

[Tommo]

It would have been pre 1982 with the New Zealand rugby smurf Andre. It was painted in Portugal as well as it has a mustard dot. I remember reading the rugby thread on here and it was strange that they never made one with the Australian colours

p.s. Andre, I've sent you a pm in reply to your message.

[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.

Another funny thing with the rugbysmurfs is that all countries BP had promotions in got their variations. I am pretty sure the BP PVC-smurf promotion already ahd stopped in Holland then. Not that I think a dutch rugbysmurf would sell that much?? Sorry

South Africa: Springbok and British Lions

UK: 5 Nations teams. And maybe also New Zealand?? I would guess so. I got my all black from the UK also.

New Zealand: All black.

Australia: They got the australian rules variation at the same time. I would have loved a normal Australian rugby variation also.

All this happened almost the same year.

[André]

It would have been pre 1982 with the New Zealand rugby smurf Andre. It was painted in Portugal as well as it has a mustard dot. I remember reading the rugby thread on here and it was strange that they never made one with the Australian colours

BP only got yellow dot smurfs or Hongkongmade ones I think.

BP used the portugal factory also for items sent to australia and new zealand. Like with the BP petrol attendants.

The year is almost exactly 1981. ( Almost and exactly in the same sentence ) Maybe late 1980??

[André]

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

Maureen,

the one with black shorts listed as Sweden on your site is a bundesligasoccersmurf I think. Dortmund??

[André]

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

I think you got most of them right Maureen? I should have checked your site first.

By the way, why do you think it is Sheffied United? It seems a bit odd since they played in the third division during the early 80s.

[Smurfysmurf]

I got my information from here
http://www.blueimps.com/smurfs_news16.html

I know next to nothing about the English football league (except for Manchester United who I followed for a few years because I liked one of their players )

I think there are a couple of very old threads on here that Rachel based her article on...I will look for them when I get off work

[Smurfysmurf]

I don't find the old threads (they might have been on the old forum that crashed many years ago), but I found this one about the 20035 variations

http://www.forum.bluecavern.com/viewtop ... ight=20035

Especially page 4 where Christy shows her Danish smurf on a Danish card.

[André]

I am pretty sure it is like this Maureen.

The ones on Christys site are the ones in the UK release.

They were made exactly the same time the rugby were made.

And it is 6 of each.

Very easy to spot because they are all yellow dots and the most important thing. All have the dots on the chests.

Maybe National desided to only make 6 variations of each and that is why only the top teams or the most populair teams were made.

I am also pretty sure Sweden is not the intention of the yellow and blue one. The 6 ones are most definatly UK teams.

How these teams were chosen?? Maybe FA cup, top first division teams, chosen because of town, etc ???

[André]

Thanks to Pierre who posted the BP South Africa promotion we can date those rugby to April 1980. These were the first of these rugby variations. Therefore also blue material just like the first normal variation.

And thanks to the leaflets we know the UK Soccervariations and the UK rugbyvariations were sold after this in late 1980 or during 1981. Well definatly 1981, but could have started late 1980.

I am also sure the white shirt soccer and the orange shirt soccer has nothing to do with this promotion and therefore they don´t have the dots on the chest. These 2 were made before this and at least in Sweden sold pre 1980.

And just like in Germany during 1980 the variations of the soccers were league teams.

[André]

So which were the teams?

I think we can be pretty sure about Wolves, right. Just like you write Maureen.

And then Liverpool and Manchester United most definatly.

Arsenal was also among the biggest and most populair teams then. Therefore my guess is that the one looking like Sweden is meant to be Arsenal.

I also know from my childhood that Nottingham Forest was a very populair team. Also among the top teams when these smurfs were made. And the kit goes perfect for the one you mark as Arsenal. But actually Arsenal goes good with this kit also.

The last one I would say is Southampton.

I will see if I can get in touch with Martin and he can give his opinion.

[Tintin]

Hi Andre

I got the same names in my file for the teams.
Not sure were i got it from, but i always been pretty sure they were not US teams like in the DSK .............

gr Tintin

[André]

I asked Martin and he agrees with the teams I guessed. He says 90% solved. the last 10% we have to wait with until we find a picture or poster from National with the teams.

But remember it is only the ones with the 6 ones with the dots on the chest which are UK teams. Not the other ones.

For example the White shirt soccer also was sold in UK with yellow dot, just like the one I got in Sweden when I was a child. But that one is not among the special release for UK. Just like the rugbysmurfs they have dots on the chests. 6 rugby and 6 soccer specially made for UK.

So I think you can add these teams for them if you don´t have them.

Liverpool FC( the reds), Manchester United( I am not going to use Martins nickname for them but the real one, The red devils), Nottingham Forest, Woverhampton wanderers( Wolves), Arsenal FC( the gunners) and Southampton FC( The saints). At least they are so far the most logical teams when checking the years, comparing the kits and also that they were top teams in the first division then.

[André]

Tommo helped me get the last one of the six UK rugbys!!!

Thanks Tommo!!

One of my goals this year is to get all the 9 rugby variations.

So now I only need to find the 2 South Africa releases. But no rush. It is a long way until December.

By the way I found this green dot rugby in a box. Not in the best condition but I don´t think rugby was among the ones you listed as green dot smurfs in another thread??

[bundleofkent]

Hi, Andre is correct as usual.!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

They must have used the Arsenal away kit as their home kit is the same colours as Nott Forest (and they played in their 3 fa cup finals wearing the yellow/blue)

The only "fly in the ointment" is that I had the white/black with the dot on the shirt (and without).....

Tommo- rugby: no Australia as they were a second class rugby team in 1980, they only really got good after 1984 (Ella, Campese etc)

Martin

[Lia]

Thanks for bringing this up!!
and for solving the mysterie:-)

I never paid much attention to the soccers, but when I looked in my cabinets I found 5 of them. ( all with mustard dots)

Funny, I could have sworn that the yellow blue was swedish

[André]

Thanks Martin and Lia for helping me.

regarding Sweden it would have been really odd if only Sweden was among the teams??? the other ones don´t go with any national teams connected to UK during this time. And it was not sold in Sweden.

regarding the white shirt and black shorts. I did not know that with the dot. But as I was a big soccerfan during those years I am pretty sure Tottenham Hotspurs goes with that kit. And they were a big club then. But I am not sure about that. But I googled the kit used and it fits perfect??

The teams is always hard to say exact and we can only guess some of them until we see a actual advert or poster by National regarding these variations. But I am almost 100% sure all the ones with the dots on the chests are UK teams and not national teams.

One reason for chosing teams could also be that they wanted some towns??? But it would be more logical to chose populair teams because they would definatly sell better. I think the teams we have listed definatly were teams that would make cash?? And as Martin said it is a shame that they not did any boxes for them like the bundesliga.

[Tommo]

Andre, it was a pleasure. Glad you won it. I had visions of the internet not working and missing it and it going for the bid it was on.

Martin, thank you. I have some Ozzy friends who I can tease about them being a second class rugby side.

With the soccer ones, what are the correct markings? Christy has some with date markings and some with & without the W.Germany marking.

Lastly to the rugby ones; were the South African and British Lions ones ever made with white pvc as well or will they only be blue pvc?