[André]

OK,

this could be old news for some of you??? For me I did not know this before.

As many of us know the Blue and white ice lolly smurf was made for the Australian market. But maybe you don´t know why it was painted like this.

I found this poster from BP Australia 1980, which has the blue and white lolly on it.

if you check the names on the smurfs one of them is called Smurfee.

[André]

So I did like this on the computer and found out that they called the ice lolly smurf "Smurfee".

And the reason for this is that it was made to look like the Ice cream they sold in Australia then.

I borrowed this picture from internet. Ad from 1979.

[André]

So they thing with this paintvariation of the ice lollysmurf is that it was actually made for the australian market before the US, maybe already in 1979?

So first HK marking made for Australia with blue and white lolly. US variation started in 1981.

As said before, maybe old news for some of you???

[André]

And since they named the smurf after the ice cream it was clearly made to look like it and kind of a promo then.

It seems BP had the license for the name "smurf" from 1979 to around 1982 in Australia. ??

[André]

And I think the big selling success of the smurfs in BP stations in Europe in the end of the 70s was the reason BP started it in other countries also.

"Two years later, in 1979, a contact in London had called him to let him know about these small gnome-like toys that BP was distributing at its petrol stations in England and The Netherlands as part of its marketing campaign "service with a Smurf"

[Lia]

Very nice André

here`s another example

[Smurfysmurf]

I did not know about "smurfee", Andre....thank you so much for telling us about it.

The question now is....who was first..the smurfee with the blue ice-cream...or the blue ice-cream named smurfee

[André]

I did not know about "smurfee", Andre....thank you so much for telling us about it.

The question now is....who was first..the smurfee with the blue ice-cream...or the blue ice-cream named smurfee

I am sure the ice cream was first, Maureen. Or same in time??

But they could have renamed the ice cream when they made the smurf?? But I don´t think so??

BP got the licence for the smurfs in 1979 in Australia and the icecream was sold 1979. I think they started selling the ice lollysmurf in 1980 in australia, one year before the US. And then the ice cream already existed???

The mold for the HK ice lolly was also made 1979, so this also tells us that it was probably sold 1980??

[André]

I don´t think they would have painted it like that unless the ice lolly already existed??? Then I think they would have painted it like the german lolly I assume, don´t you??

[André]

Maybe any of our members from Australia can tell us this?

Or remember the history?

[André]

There are few other intresting thing regarding this poster.

You have for example Thirsty. This smurf was never sold by W Berrie in US. So the HK variation of this was probably made and sold for Australia and maybe other countries??

If you check your HK smurf there are many HK marked which seems never to have been sold in US.

For me it could be like this.

Schleich made a lot of HK smurfs sold in different countries until 1982. These are not W Berrie marked.

I think from around 1982 all smurfs made in HK were made for W Berrie and that could be a reason why they started marking them then and not before??? What do you think??

[Tojo]

I'd never heard of Smurfee before so thanks for bringing this to our attention André. He's one of my favourite smurfs actually

[bundleofkent]

Like I said Sherlock Holmes.....unbelievable!!!!

[André]

The signbearer on this poster is also intresting. He is holding a butterfly.??

In UK, National did not sell the signbearer if I am correct. Maybe the BP companies did not want a smurfs with a sign like this??? Why?? Protest marches??? It will be intresting to see what he is called and if it has a name.

Was this sold in Australia? Do any australian members remember this?

Cricketer on picture. Never sold in US. Probably HK-(without W Berrie)variation sold in Australia.

But there is actually one and I think only one smurf not going that well with the articlenumbers. I do think it is the only one. It is one smurf that got a high articlenumber but still was sold already around 1980/1981. Otherwise I think all smurfs got the articlenumbers when they were sold, except for the ones they changed the articlenumbers on. For example supersmurf gargamel/Azrael. This was made early with the first supers and should have been sold 1978 with articlenumber 40207. Then next year they changed the articlenumber to 40211?? So either they did not sell it in 1978 and changed the articlenumber or there could be first boxes with articlenumber 40207??

So which smurf don´t go with the articlenumbers?? It is 20150 Australian football( rugby) smurf, and therefore it actually goes very good in this australian thread!!?? It seems to have been sold around 1980/81 in Australia.

I do have a theory about this also, if you check the markings!! But could be a longshot?? I get back to that theory tomorrow!

Maybe you have taked about that one before???

[André]

One more thing.

I am pretty sure BP never sold any smurfs in Australia before earliest mid 1979!!

[Pitufo]

Thank you ANdré for all the info. the SMURFEE info is interesting and new for me

There is a flaveur of ice cream at Spain called "Helado de Pitufo" too. Of course it is BLUE

[Gerda]

Wow that is interesting. i would almost call him a promo smurf then rather than a varitaion but to date he has never been called a promo.. maybe this should change Nice Info, thanks Andre

[André]

I think it says:

Vanilla on one side and smurfberry on the other.

We had similair icecreams in Sweden also at this time. But it was only cola flavour. We used to buy these a lot when I was young since they were easy to break in the middle and then get 2 icecreams instead.

[André]

Wow that is interesting. i would almost call him a promo smurf then rather than a varitaion but to date he has never been called a promo.. maybe this should change Nice Info, thanks Andre

Yes Gerda,

It is almost a like a promo. And I think it is the same with the Australian rugby smurf. I think it was sold as a promo for VFL( Australian Football League( before 1990) and just like the Hexalotte and Dr Dich they as promovaraitions don´t get any articlenumbers like the others( at least not in the same articlenumberserie).

When this smurf first was sold by W Berrie in US 1982 it got the articlenumber. That is why it got a higher articlenumber, eventhough sold in 1981 already by BP Australia. They also used the same base then as on the HK mold for the first rugby sold at the same time by BP then.

So the HK rugby was never sold by W Berrie in US, but in Australia as you can see on the BP advert from 1981 on Dyars site. Together with the VFL variation of the Australian rugby.

I add the picture of Dyars poster and I hope it is OK with him??

Also the logotype used by VFL before 1990.

I have asked Dyar if he can give us the names on the smurfs in this ad.

[André]

And at the point when these first ones were sold they did not use W Berrie markings on them!

But I don´t know for how long the VFL was made??? Maybe the australian collectors remember this??