Blue Cavern

Hi everyone,

I am taking pictures of all boxes I have for my website. It is for the pages about the box history from 1975 to today.

It is funny how much more details I find now when looking closer on them.

One thing I wanted to share now because I think it could be intresting for many collectors. Not only the "nerdy" ones like me!

I told you before I had 2 boxes of the treestump. One with smurfs inside and one without. One had a sticker saying the box did not contain figurines, the other one did not have this sticker. the problem is that I sold the box without the sticker since it was very damaged from water after storage. However I then moved the smurfs to the box I saved. (off course!! ). And now nobody seems to have a box without this sticker. But now I have found proof that it was sold without sticker and with smurfs also.

On the box I found another sticker, put over the german information.

It says like this about the content: 3 figurines, sauf indication contraire visible au recto par un autocollant. In english: 3 figurines, unless otherwise visible on the front with a sticker.

Here are the pictures. Exactly the ones mentioned on the box were the 3 smurfs in the box I sold. Which I now have saved in this box.

So this is proof that it was sold both with smurfs and without smurfs in the same box.

Variations of the treestump boxes

and please continue to be nerdy...I love to learn from your posts even if I don't always reply

As you know I am updating my variation pages as well..and I am amazed how much more I know now, thanks to your posts..than I ever thought possible. I may not put the information on the website (that's what your website is there for as well as this forum ), but it's nice to know the "nerdy" stuff.

I am not sure I see this as a variation. It is the same box just with different stickers. But some collectors consider them as variations, just like the Maia Borges stickers on the UK boxes. It depends on how you collect. As we all know everyone collects in their way and we find different things intresting.

But it is very intresting for the history. Because in the Mafi-catalogues we see that they sell them both as buildings and then also as playsets with other items and figurines. In cases like that it is good to know that they only used a sticker. this means that most likely no new other box were made for this playset. It is the same with many Mafi-items like cottages, houses, combi-sets, treestump, castle, farm etc.. It seems they were sold with smurfs and then with stickers.

the difference is that in 1983 Schleich added to almost all the boxes that the figurines were not included. So in most cases a sticker had to be added instead if they wanted to sell them as a "combi-set".

Before 1983 they had not information on the boxes that no smurfs were included. But in 1983 they added this to the boxes when they changed to the three-languages boxes. But this box was made during the years when this was changed( 1983) so therefore they added this later with a sticker. I believe most af all boxes though were sold without any smurfs.

Interesting that they were sold both with & without smurfs André. I don't have this set but perhaps one day I shall come across one (one can always dream )

I'm always impressed by your dedication to our hobby

Hi

Variations in the treestump box.....
Wwwwoow this is going to be an expensive forest

Tintin