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Bully/Schleich Variations |
Made in Hongkong Peyo © Schleich 1984 W. Berrie Co |
Made in Hongkong Peyo © Schleich 1984 W. Berrie Co Leaning left |
2.0195 #1 Grad Smurf |
Schleich Number: 2.0195 - release dates: 1985 Wallace Berrie Co Number: 6171 - release dates: 1985 |
Comparision between the genuine and fake # 1 Grad |
The # 1 Grad is one of the rarer smurf molds released by Schleich during the "Golden 80s" of Schleich smurfs. The mold is of a typical American College graduate with the cap and robe, and my assumption is that it was purely made for the American market as part of the Wallace Berrie Co promotion to bring smurf figures back to the US in the mid 80s. Because the mold is so unique, fakers soon started to make their fake molds based on the original, and most are so good that it's hard to distinguish between the genuine Schleich mold and a fake one. There are some differences though, which you can easily see especially when you have both, the genuine and the fake one. |
This is the front view of both molds. The smurf with the larger face (on the left) is the genuine one, the smurf with the smaller face (on the right) is the fake one. As often with fakes, because fakers have to make their own mold, their creation ends up a bit smaller than the original one as can seen in this case in the face/head. The # 1 Grad diploma is glued to the fake smurf but firmly attached to the original one...it should not come loose if you want to buy a genuine one. |
Another good comparision is the thickness of the diploma. As you can see, the original diploma (again on the left) is thinner, whereas the fake diploma (on the right) is very thick. You can also see that the head of the fake smurf is leaning more towards the diploma, whereas the original smurf is standing up and tall. The fake smurf seems more "sunken in". |
On this picture, you can see the size difference. The fake smurf (again on the right hand side, standing behind the original one) is a little bit smaller and seems more sunken in which is probably the result of the maker making his/her own mold based on the original smurf. You can also see the distinct seams on the hand, and the darker color used. |
My #1 Grad was one of my first "rarer" smurfs I bought when I got into the collecting side of smurfs. I was crushed when I realized it is a fake as I had spend quite a bit of money on it. However, a fellow collector told me to use it as a learning experience, because one day I would get the original one, and once I have it, I can compare both. By the comparision, I would soon learn what to look for when trying to distinguish between a fake and a genuine Schleich smurf. This was one of the best advise I got as a smurf collector, so if you find out you have the fake #1 Grad, don't be discouraged...we all have been there..unfortunately...and after all..it is still a smurf, isn't it? |