Smurf Distribution
during the early 1980s
Terry
and Irene Anderson introduced Smurfs into the UK and they were also
the founders of the British Smurf Collecting Club. They have kindly
allowed us to scan some photographs of those early years when smurfs
literally took the world by storm!
Date:
Circa 1980
Location:
On the steps of the Cathedral where St Paul is buried in Santiago
de la Compostela in Spain, just across the Portuguese border.
Information:
This trip was organised following the initial opening of the first
factory in Portugal to employ any females. The factory was located
in Oporto and established to hand paint all smurf figurines, which
were supplied in moulded form from Schleich's factory in "Helikofen"
near Schwäbishgmünd, Germany.
Personnel:
Guests of Victor Maia, Oporto (Factory Owner).
Centre
left: General Manager of Schleich "Ulli Köester"
Centre
right: Owner of new Oporto Factory with wife and daughter
Extreme
right: Terry & Irene Anderson, UK & National Benzole distributor
Behind
centre: The group of European Smurf Distributors for France, Italy,
Switzerland, Austria, Spain & Sweden.
Date:
Circa 1982
Location:
Farmhouse Hotel outside Nuremburg, Germany, during Nuremburg Toy Fair
Party.
Personnel:
Right
- Terry Anderson
Nr
right - "Peyo" Pierre Culliford
Centre
- Herman Schneider, owner of "Schleich"
Left
- New Venezuelan distributors
Date:
Circa 1982
Location:
Visit to the opening of the new Sri Lanka Factory (Quality Crafts
Ltd) outside Columbo Airport, in the jungle.
Personnel:
Group
right: Terry & Irene Anderson
Centre
group: "Peyo" Pierre Culliford and Janine Culliford
Extreme
left: William Li, owner of Hong Kong smurf factory (in red striped
shirt) with his brother Bill
Location:
Outside the Sri Lankan Factory gates prior to the opening. Following
the opening of a new road to the factory (off the airport road), by
an elephant (!) lifting a large tree log off barrier supports to signify
the private drive to the factory was now open.
Personnel:
Centre:
Herman Schneider, Schleich
Group:
"Marlene" (red dress), wife of French distributor and Victor
Maia with family (Portuguese distributor).
The
Official Factory opening in Sri Lanka (Quality Crafts Ltd)
Personnel:
Centre:
Janine & Pierre Culliford (Peyo)
Extreme
right: Herman Schneider (Schleich), Marlene Schneider (blue t-shirt),
William Li, Ulli Köester (Schleich)
Centre
left: Larry Elins (with camera), owner of Wallace Berrie inc. USA.
Rear
of group: Sri Lankan Factory owner & his wife, Gary Trumbo (Marketing
Director Wallace Berrie inc. USA), "Flavio" (Italian Distributor),
Victor Maia & family (Portugal) and other smurf world distributors.
Next
(more pictures)
