Thanks Kath and Lia!
And your help is always needed and that is how I learn. By asking questions.
Great questions Tommo,
I think you basicly is 100% correct Tommo.
Because many of the variations you talk about are first variations.
So my guesses are these:
Schleich started painting the glasses red in around 1977/78. So red glasses were used before the yellow glasses. And it could very well be a fact that the early smurfs sold in the UK, meaning pre- the lead paint scandal ending in october 1978, were red glasses and red latern. Both those variations were used then. And I have not seen a yellow latern without dot.
According to the BP information the history was like this. The pilot was run in the London area at some stations in january 1978( meant to be started earlier in November 1977, but changed). Then only 2 figurines were used.
The advertising then started in May 1978 with permission of Peyo. At that time no dots were used and most likely the same variations as the german ones were used.
In August 1978 90% of the National stations used smurf figurines in their promotions.
In 1979 new special edition smurfs were produced every month. For example the valentine smurf in febuary. According to the poster ( postman called valentine) that must have been the postman with the heart on the envelope. Most likely the Christmas variation was made in december??
So again my guesses:
20006 and 20024: red latern and red glasses were probably used early also in the UK. But the reason I choose the yellow variations are that those were made for BP to use in the National campaign and existed around March 1979.
20031: Probably made for the UK market in december 1979?? Could have been december 1978 also but I don´t think so. The Holly variation could later also have been used in other countries but seems to always have been painted in Portugal.
20035: Soccer or Striker. I am sure both variations were sold already in 1978 and most likely both variations were sold in the Uk also. But it is possible to see on the picture from the BP archive that a yellow shirt striker with a white ball is shown on that display so I would go for that in this case.
20036: I am sure the Hangglider with the painted patches was the first variation made and there is a possibility that the first variation was sold also in the UK in the beginning. But It was painted like that for such a short time that I don´t think a yellow dot variation of that one exist. Meaning that variation is pre october 1978 and is not the correct one to use on the display.
20041 Hiker with the yellow flower is also a early variation used before the dots started. So the same answer in that case. A UK-display from 1979 should not have this variation
Basicly I think all smurfs sold after the lead paint scandal should have a dot, unless some old ones were still in stock.
Another thing regarding the Striker or Soccer. When do you think they started with the world team colours? I have one with white shirt and black short from my childhood, so I am 100% sure those also were sold outside the UK. I must have got that one around 1978/79??
I would guess that National started selling those in 1979?? Or what do you think?
But when thinking of it I could have been checking those before in another thread??
I think some of the colours were earlier variations and some were variations added later around 1980 and got the yearmarking??
