Absolutly correct Benny!!
That is why I wrote that you could not see it on the picture. If I would have changed the position of the stick immediatly everyone would have known what was wrong.
So both have red handlegrips on their accessories. A bit hard to guess maybe???
So you are correct Benny.
It is a genuine Schleichsmurf but at the same time not sold like this by Schleich.
I love these kind of smurfs. It is from a lot that have been displayed in a way that made the red materialcolour on the stick disappear. But since it is a collector and not a faker who had this the stick has not been moved and therefore still is red where the hand was holding the stick.
I just love it anyway and it tells so much about the secrets about some accessories and paint, that we think can be variations from Schleich, but accually are colours changing with time.
Never seen it on this stick before though??
I must add also that it is the materialcolour that has change, just like the red colour disappearing on the red mushroom-umbrella. In that case to yellow. So it is not paint in this case, but sometimes it is on other smurfs.
Maureen 
