The Smurfs were one of the surprise hits at the first annual New York
Comic-Con held in February 24-26, 2006 at the Jacob Javits Convention
Center.

Smiles lit up the faces of the young and old alike when they
noticed the Smurfs. As they lined up to have their picture taken with the Smurf
mascot many shared the warm memories they have of the Smurfs. People gathered
around the Diorama of the Smurf Village pointing out all the Smurfs they had in
their collection and were eager to obtain information on where they could
purchase their lovable blue friends.

Sam Armstrong, CEO of Schleich North
America, Inc. said, “The incredible reaction of the crowd during Comic-Con
really indicates the pent up demand consumers have for our Smurf
figurines.”

Schleich has begun to promote the Smurfs prior to the
much anticipated all-new CGI movie version of “The Smurfs” by Paramount and
Nickelodeon which is scheduled to release in 2008. Producers have conceived the
project as a trilogy and are aiming to release the first film to coincide with
the 50th anniversary of The Smurfs.

Schleich is a German toy manufacturer
that has been producing the Smurf figurines under license for over 40 years and
continues to produce new styles every year. The new 2006 ‘Halloween’
Smurfs, which are now available, were on display at Comic-Con and received a
cheerful response as did all the classic Smurfs.