Wallace Berrie Boxes 1979-1984

Stuart R Ross brought the smurfs to the US in 1979. Schleich used the
Hongkongfactory for making these smurfs and boxes. However in the beginning
some items were made in Germany. Together with a few items never made in
Hongkong, but still sold in the US. These boxes were also sometimes used in
other countries where the english language on the boxes were more suitable.

Information and variations of these boxes:

First a funny picture from W Berrie catalogue 1981, telling us when it started.

 

In 1979 only these 2 items were possible in boxes. And as you see they showed
german houses in the 1979 catalogue and also the german boxes for these in the
1980 catalogue. So maybe german houses could have been used at first?

 

I think this box also was used in Australia and therefore the box is not marked with
articlenumber and W Berrie. The word smurfland was also very common on the
BP-boxes and posters then. ?? :)

 

Same with the cottagebox. Only printed in Hongkong and no articlenumber or W Berrie.

 

In later W Berrie catalogues these boxes are shown so we know W Berrie used them,
but I am pretty sure they never marked them W Berrie.

 

These are the boxes for the supersmurfs W Berrie used. In the order they were sold in
the US. When W Berrie changed name to Applause in 1984 the boxes were changed.

 

 

However at least 3 of the supers was sold in both W Berrie box and Applause box.
Could maybe be one or two more???

 

And these 2 were only sold with stickers on the old german box made before 1983.
The stickers can only be found on the older box since the later german box was
made after W Berrie had stopped selling these.

 

The first superboxes was made without Wallace Berrie markings at first and then it
was added to the boxes. So the early ones don´t have any W Berrie marking.

 

There are a couple of differences on these boxes. I would guess about 10-12 can be
found without W Berriemarkings. You see that they have added the marking to the
boxes if you compare the 2 boxes on the top. Also you you can see that these boxes
were also used outside US and then sometimes marked with the Schleich articlenumber.
I have only seen a few of these though. I think some were used in the UK.

 

 

There are also some variations of the frontpictures. The volleyball box with maroon ball
was marked W Berrie. The one with the white ball I think was made for other countries.
W Berrie made a change on the blackboard on their box. Don´t know which one was
the first?? The Gargamel and Azrael box was also used outside US, then they
replaced NBC with TV. I think this one was for example sold in the UK.
Otherwise all sides are the same on all boxes.

The NBC serie started in september 1981 and the Gargamel super was sold first
in spring 1982, so no earlier box from W berrie exists I think??

 

The first sportsupers made for the US were sold in the olympianboxes.
6 different ones exists, just like the german olympicschlumpf-boxes.

 

These were marked Wallace Berrie and only sold in the US I think.

 

Already in late 1980 they changed the looks on the sportsuperssmurf-boxes to this one.
The first 6( same as the olympian) had the exact same marking and the newer ones
got a thinner marking. 12 sportsupers possible to find in this box.

 

Here are the 2 ones missing on the first picture.

 

In 1980 W Berrie started selling the smurfplaysets. On this picture they use
german parts and for example the white flower was never made in Hongkong.

 

These are the 8 playsetboxes sold in the US by W Berrie.

 

The fence and gate playsets were, I think, always made in Germany in these boxes
and therefore the boxes also were made in germany. These 2 playsets were also
only sold for a short while in the US.

 

The backside of these are always the same except on the forklift playset.

 

Another funny thing is that the playsets 1 to 3 have smurfs on this side also.
I think only these boxes have this??? :)

 

I have seen playsetboxes without the word smurf on the front also. Gerda has the
boatplayset and I have seen the snail carriage also. Maybe the well playset also exists
without the word smurf. Found the picture of the snailset without the word smurf.
Same markings on all the other sides of the box.

 

The treeswingbox was sold in the US in 1981.

 

1980 markings like many of the US boxes.

 

These 4 boxes for the pensets do also exist with only W Berrie markings.

 

The smurfette cottage box used in the USA by W berrie looks exactly the same
as the german box. Except smaller and printed in Hongkong.

 

In 1982 a larger playset was made for W Berrie also. In this playset the
Hongkongmade fence, gate and flower was used. Not in the playsetboxes.

 

A lot of nice information on the back of this box.