[André]

Pierre told us on Facebook about the mistake Schleich made on the valentinesmurf. They printed Scnw. instead of Schw. He has contacted Schleich and they will cahnge this. Great info Pierre!!

However I want to add that it is only on the cavity 3 heart the mistake is made. Maybe also on the cavity 2. I have cavities 1 and 4 and they are correct.

Another thing also.

Have anyone seen the tag with 3+ instead of CE before? In which countries is that used?

[André]

I noticed that the tag has 3+ and made in China on the loose US ones!

[Smurfysmurf]

I had noticed the 3+ before but honestly never thought much of them as I take the tags off the smurfs. I think this refers to the they don't recommend the toys to be used by under 3 year old kids.

[André]

Hi Maureen,

I agree with you about the ages warning. Usually that seems to be on US toys. It seems they have a more strict regulations redarding toys since they did the same when they started with the ages-warning( ages 3 and up) on the boxes when they added the english language on them in 1983.

The thing in this case is that they usually don´t have these tags in the displayboxes. I think they made a mistake and put one in my box. Only one with this tag in the whole box. I think that one should have been pack in a bag to be sold as loose ones somewhere else.

It is also interesting with the countrymarkings on the tags which we don´t have in Sweden.

[smurfowen]

Pierre told us on Facebook about the mistake Schleich made on the valentinesmurf. They printed Scnw. instead of Schw. He has contacted Schleich and they will cahnge this. Great info Pierre!!

However I want to add that it is only on the cavity 3 heart the mistake is made. Maybe also on the cavity 2. I have cavities 1 and 4 and they are correct.

Another thing also.

Have anyone seen the tag with 3+ instead of CE before? In which countries is that used?

PLEASURE

Can you add this to your variation page please

[Smurfysmurf]

do you mean the individual tags on the smurfs? I always find them on all of my smurfs in the display boxes...it's always so aggravating because I take them off

and yes, the US has age warnings on all of their toys...

[André]

do you mean the individual tags on the smurfs? I always find them on all of my smurfs in the display boxes...it's always so aggravating because I take them off

and yes, the US has age warnings on all of their toys...

Yes Maureen, all smurfs in the displayboxes have tags. But then with CE, because they are in those boxes. The ones with 3+ seems to be the ones sold loose in the US. Or do you have a displaybox with those 3+ tags on the smurfs in that box?

Maybe they pack them different depending on to which country they will send them??

[Smurfysmurf]

aahhh gotcha

I am at work so my mind is full with health insurance stuff..and smurfs...whiile listening to Queen

I think I still have the tags on last years smurfs which I bought all in the box..I'll look at them tonight when I get off work..if I forget, just remind me

[Smurfysmurf]

Andre, I checked last year's smurfs which I got in the display box and all of them have the CE on the tag not the 3+.

I didn't get the full box from an online seller but from a small toystore in PA...

This year I won't be getting the full box, but decided to get individual sets from different sellers (just to see if there are differences ) and Christy is helping me with an empty box

[André]

Andre, I checked last year's smurfs which I got in the display box and all of them have the CE on the tag not the 3+.

I didn't get the full box from an online seller but from a small toystore in PA...

This year I won't be getting the full box, but decided to get individual sets from different sellers (just to see if there are differences ) and Christy is helping me with an empty box

That is a great way Maureen and it is good to have smurfy friends helping eachother.

I am not sure if the CE is mostly a european thing?? But I think it could be, that the displayboxes always have CE-tags?? Just guessing. It looks like that on Dyars site also? And I got both variations from the US. CE-tags in box and 3+-tags in the bags with 5 each. And they were made and sold the same time.

[Smurfysmurf]

could be...the only thing..I didn't get last years from Europe but from a small toystore in Pennsylvania (or Maryland..would have to check with Stace and Dyar as they actually found them ). Of course, this toystore could order them from a European seller..but I think they probably got them from their US Schleich distributor.

We did find it weird that they sold them in the display boxes..and they thought Stace and Dyar were weird for buying both display boxes filled with the smurfs

I usually only find the smurfs sold individually in the generic boxes or on the Schleich shelves...I'll pay attention to the tags once I find the 2013 smurfs in the stores, and will ask Dyar to pay attention as well

[Tommo]

I received the Valentine one with the mistake when I ordered them.
Time to go and find the one without today

[paolo]

The tags show 3+ also in the new Smurfs available in the shops in Italy

[Smurfysmurf]

Not trying to be smart but interested in opinions....

Do you consider this mistake a variation or a mistake?

Obviously it was mass produced and will not be that rare..but it also was obviously not intended by Schleich

So far, I tend to regard it as a variation even though it was not intended

[Lia]

as a nice mistake and therefore also as a variation))
I`ll try to find one with mold nr.3!

Lia

[André]

Not trying to be smart but interested in opinions....

Do you consider this mistake a variation or a mistake?

Obviously it was mass produced and will not be that rare..but it also was obviously not intended by Schleich

So far, I tend to regard it as a variation even though it was not intended

I would say it is a variation because it was put there by Schleich. Sometimes Schleich makes changes in the mold and in this case they have said they made a mistake and will change it, so I would call it a variation. But I assume this is a variation only for the extreme collectors, like the 1980 year on all old Hongkongsmurfs or dotvariations??

[André]

The tags show 3+ also in the new Smurfs available in the shops in Italy

Thanks Paolo,

I went to the a toystore today to buy some new Schleichanimals for my daugther and noticed this also in Sweden. But only on the new 2013 animals. All the old ones still had the CE-tag. The manager of the shop confirmed this and said it was a new thing on the new ones in Sweden. Maybe they skipped the CE on the tags since it is already on the figurines and added the age-warning instead.

But the 3+ has been on the tag before in other countries.

I will check with Schleich and see what they answer.

[André]

Hi,

I got an answer from Schleich regarding the 3+ on the tags. And as we guessed it is actually only needed for the US-market.

Just like when they added the ages warning on the boxes when they added the english to the german and french-boxes.

Schleich answer:

"Hi André

Thank you very much for your mail. The ce is always engraved on the figure, the 3 + is an age recommendation, which is only needed for America."

[The Smurf Collector]

I recently purchased one with the marking error and the smurf has the cavity number 4 under his foot. I could not locate any cavity number on the heart though.

Now I have two of this surf and one of the correct spelling and one with the error. I just have to work out what will be the best way to display them.

To answer someone's query whether it is a variation or error I would say both. Though I was very happy collector to find one with the error.

Best Regards
Kath

[Lia]

I found one too! ( cavity 3)

Lia