[Syd Smurf]

Sorry I'm a pain... I know...

Not at all David. I think it's great that you are debating this one and hopefully that will make us all look out for signs to prove it one way or the other.

You're right though in that I have yet to see any official (made by) Schleich merchandise (poster, catalogue) with the red Pants Trumpeter shown.

Dyar

[Rachel]

Hi David, I agree there is nothing wrong with a good debate about this.

Ours has the Schleich Emblem and was bought in a huge lot about 5 years ago so was very cheap.

Personally, like Fram, I have never really considered the red trouser variation as a "rare" find as I have seen him sold so many times right from when we first discovered Ebay. I will certainly look for some kind of "proof" but as we know, so many genuine variations have not been documented by Schleich in their catalogues and guides that this could cause difficulty.

You mentioned the blue skipping rope, I have to admit, I never thought that was a genuine figure hence why I never bought one but the points that you make about the numbers of her being around are very valid.

The issues of faking smurfs and what is or isn't genuine is certainly a big problem and is going to cause even more controversy in the future I am sure but we do also have to remember that there are many many genuine variations out there to be found and even a few honest collectors / sellers.

[Fram]

I knew I had seen him, but it wasn't so easy finding him again.
Here is at least one example (not that it proves if he's original or fake, just that he is quite common).

[Fram]

And another one. The Smurf fits nicely into the rest of what is offered, and this is in my recollection often the case. This seems to indicate that it is certainly an old variation, and makes the case stronger (for me) for it being a real one.

[XoioX2000]

Ok Fram, I admit these 2 sellers appear to have nothing to do with Smurfs on a day to day basis: they don't seem to be collectors according to what they are currently selling and particularly the 2nd one is only doing job lots type of business (house clearance probably or something alike). The other one is in the toys business and seem to have some inroads for sources of legos and playmobil...

I'm not sure it convinces me either way though. They are just traders. They could have obtained these Smurfs from anywhere... from a long lost childhood collection maybe... (sorry that's a bad joke, and in this case it is only meant as a joke... )

[Fram]

No, I know that these auctions can't prove anything or convince you, and in the end it comes down to a gut feeling, until we get firmer evidence one way or the other. But at least it looks to me that if they are fakes, then they are both old and good, and I wouldn't mind having one.

[Fram]

Another one.