[André]

That off course would make sence Lia. Since the names are in dutch!

I also think they added new smurfs as you say. But most likely the smurfs mentioned on the shelves were the ones they had when the shelves first were made and sold?? I am also pretty sure all shelves were made at the same time. The order of the smurfs would have been different if they added a new shelf when they reached 11 smurfs and then a new when they reached 21 smurf etc..

Then just like my BP shelf from Australia, they added names and changed some names on them depending on which smurfs they used. In this case though it seems the shelves were sold, so they probably did not change any names, but maybe the last shelf was for the new smurfs collectors could buy??

[André]

I checked the thread with the walking trumpeter and there is a variation Benny showed with only W germany. That variation could have been used for promotion early in 1977. And the emblem was added in 1978 when Schleich started selling it??? But this variation don´t have any peyo marking.

And I am pretty sure Schleich made this smurf also.

[André]

Regarding the Schleichtrumpetplayer.

I am almost 100% sure that the trumpetplayer 20047 never were made by Bully. If you check the marking you see this very large C which Schleich also used on the chimneysweeper made around the same time.

I think that this mold was made in 1974, but Schleich lost the rights to manufacture smurfs then and therefore it never were finished. When starting again in 1977 they picked this smurfmold up again and used it. So my guess is that it was never made before 1977.

But there is one important thing we have to know.

Only in 1977 Schleich made smurfs that Bully sold. And these some times had Schleichmarkings. For example the beatsmurf and latern had Schleichmarkings when Bully sold them. This Bully poster shows that suddenly in 1977, Bully adds a few new Schleichmolds to their articlenumberserie with only Schleichmolds. This also tells us that this was the year Schleich were allowed to make smurfs again. Also boxes tells us this. However it was not until late 1977 or 1978 Schleich got their old molds back when they started making smurfs for the Nationalpromotion.

That could be the reason it looks like the Schleichtrumpetplayer on the shelves in 1977. However I am almost 100% sure that in 1977 Bully was the only company delivering smurfs to the BP promotion in Holland if you look at all the other smurfs. That also makes me almost 100% convinced that when the shelves were made in 1976 the Bully trumpetplayer should be in that place. No other trumpetplayer existed then and the names gives us the exact 9 first smurfs Bully made and the ones they numbered 1 to 9.

Another thing regarding the marking. In the beginning the marking on the trumpetplayer only had the w germany- and C-marking and as you see they are exactly the same on both smurfs. The emblem was added in 1978 when they started selling it outside the promotion and also was given a articlenumber.

[André]

at least, they did some smurfpromotion in 1969, according to this letter, right? ( but they probably started earlier)

I have seen that stamp with year between 1970 and 1976 also. So I think they could have used the smurfs in promotion then also?? Or only used the stamp??

But not sure they used the PVC-smurfs all the time. My guess is that BP in Holland used the PVC-smurfs between 1965 and 1970. And then also later picked them up in 1976 again and probably used them for a few years again?? BP had the trademark-rights all the way to 1982 in many countries so maybe they sold them longer, but I don´t think they gave them away for free when filling up your car all the time. Probably only a shorter time.

[Lia]

I think that the smurfmobiel was fromthe sixties, due to the cheap price: Fl 1,-
In 1972 they made a nice cartoon album with 70 images, also smurfs, look at the envelop, dated 1972

[Lia]

A Dutch collector gave me this picture

Here you can see the names on shelf 1!
I translated the names ( without the word smurf) in english

(@André: I have a bigger picture for you,if you like)

Lia

[André]

Thanks Lia,

That is the shelf I also want.

All the smurfs on this shelf number 1 is schleichmolds. I really like seeing the names.

One smurf with the most different names must be Lute. I have seen so many different names for that smurf.

The smurfmobiel I was told was sold around 1968, but that is just what I heard. Also I was told that in the 60s you could get a free smurf when buying petrol or you could buy the smurfs for 0,50 cents each??? Do you think that could be correct??

[Lia]

absolutely correct!

[Tintin]

Hi

I like all these BP smurfy items.
It all started with the BP smurfs

Tintin

[Arno]

As André is updating his website about BP history, I remembered keeping some pictures of a dutch seller with the 3 BP Holland shelves with smurfs on them. I think it is a vintage lot, so it can give us an idea of how a collector from this time arranged his smurfs on the 3 shelves. But, of course, maybe it is a collector that bought the shelves after that and sold them last year to get money.
I don't know, because I did not ask the seller if they were the original pieces, where and when bought... just know that he did not want to sell outside Netherlands. But maybe someone here bought them ?!

[Arno]

On the shelf 1, we see the astro is the Bully mold one

[Arno]

On the shelf 2, the smurfette is also the Bully mold one, but the not hearing smurf has been replaced by the traveller

[Arno]

At least, the shelf 3 : all Bully smurfs are the most recent ones, with wider faces ; the trumpeter is the Bully mold.