Schleich PVCs made by other companies

[CherryPizza]

Apologies for yet another Schleich-related post. I PROMISE you that when I finish this obsessive Schleich-gathering mission I'll have some interesting things to show you.

I am trying in vain to clarify the situation when other companies' imprints are on Schleich figures, both Muppet Show and Muppet Babies versions. The three companies in question (from what I've found so far) are Maia & Borges, Applause and CE.

Among the information I have found is:

• Applause re-released the Schleich Muppet Babies figures a few years after Schleich released them, with slight paint variations (this is on Muppet Wiki)
• Maia & Borges re-released the Schleich Muppet Babies figures a few years after Schleich released them (this is on Muppet Wiki)
• Some figures contain both Applause and M&B logos (I know this from looking at the figures)
• Some figures say they are made by 'M&B for Schleich' (this is according to other people's testimonials)
• M&B's website says that it is a Portugal-based company which makes PVC figures for export, mainly to Germany
• Schleich is, of course, a German company, but figures are variously marked as being made in Germany, West Germany and Portugal
• One Schleich-selling site lists a number of figures as being made by M&B under licence from Schleich (these are the Schleich animal figures, which unlike comic characters would be able to be licensed by the company)

I'm believing that the logical conclusion is that Schleich outsourced manufacture of the Muppet items (either during or after its own production of them), and that Muppet Wiki may be slightly in error when listing Schleich, Maia & Borges and Applause Muppet Babies items as different lines. Does anyone have any other insights on the matter?

Just to confuse things further, today I encountered a Waldorf figure, undated, with CE stamped on his back.

 

[muppetperson]

I see CE stamped on a lot of things and it is not a company.It stands for Conformite Europeenne, which means it meets the standard of the European Union.

 

[kingprawnokay]

Right. I don't know when the CE stamp started showing up, but it is an easy way to tell the difference between vintage schleich, and recent reissues of those molds.

 

[Drtooth]

All I know is Schleich is the same company that made Smurf figures (still does), and certain countries did see some other companies either make (legally or illegally) and/or distribute some of those figures.

Much like the Muppet babies figures, when the US had some of the Smurf figures from Schleich, they were distributed by Applause. So, there's that common thread right there. And, indeed, faulty poorly painted knockoff Muppet Babies appeared in odd countries (someone actually had pictures of them... they were terrible, but made out of the same molds and miscolored).

 

[CherryPizza]

And, indeed, faulty poorly painted knockoff Muppet Babies appeared in odd countries (someone actually had pictures of them... they were terrible, but made out of the same molds and miscolored).

Yeah, my aforementioned Schleich-gathering mission has included getting a number of bootleg figurines. They truly are woeful, although standards vary. Some are well-painted in wrong colours, some are purely sloppy, and some Baby Kermits are surprisingly good.

As hideous as they are, I've included them in my collection because, as your post indicates, they are an important part of the toy's history. Also, much as I hate to admit it, there is that part of me that is attracted to them in a "so bad they're good" way. Thankfully, there are also many legal variations on the figures.