diff --git a/changelog/994.md b/changelog/994.md
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..16c58c517
--- /dev/null
+++ b/changelog/994.md
@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+- Fix that getTemplateVars would return an array of objects instead of the assigned variables values [#994](https://github.com/smarty-php/smarty/issues/994)
\ No newline at end of file
diff --git a/src/Data.php b/src/Data.php
index 64a4770ec..f8abe0f6d 100644
--- a/src/Data.php
+++ b/src/Data.php
@@ -224,7 +224,10 @@ public function getTemplateVars($varName = null, $searchParents = true)
 			return $this->getValue($varName, $searchParents);
 	    }
 
-		return array_merge($this->parent && $searchParents ? $this->parent->getTemplateVars() : [], $this->tpl_vars);
+		return array_merge(
+			$this->parent && $searchParents ? $this->parent->getTemplateVars() : [],
+			array_map(function(Variable $var) { return $var->getValue(); }, $this->tpl_vars)
+		);
     }
 
 	/**
diff --git a/tests/UnitTests/SmartyMethodsTests/GetTemplateVars/GetTemplateVarsTest.php b/tests/UnitTests/SmartyMethodsTests/GetTemplateVars/GetTemplateVarsTest.php
index 4aab7c3b0..db60b822e 100644
--- a/tests/UnitTests/SmartyMethodsTests/GetTemplateVars/GetTemplateVarsTest.php
+++ b/tests/UnitTests/SmartyMethodsTests/GetTemplateVars/GetTemplateVarsTest.php
@@ -1,112 +1,126 @@
 <?php
 /**
  * Smarty PHPunit tests getTemplateVars method
- *
-
- * @author  Uwe Tews
- */
-
-/**
- * class for getTemplateVars method test
- *
- * 
- * 
- * 
  */
 class GetTemplateVarsTest extends PHPUnit_Smarty
 {
-    public function setUp(): void
-    {
-        $this->setUpSmarty(__DIR__);
-    }
+	public function setUp(): void
+	{
+		$this->setUpSmarty(__DIR__);
+	}
+
+	public function testInit()
+	{
+		$this->cleanDirs();
+	}
+	/**
+	 * test root getTemplateVars single value
+	 */
+	public function testGetSingleTemplateVarScopeRoot()
+	{
+		$this->smarty->assign('foo', 'bar');
+		$this->smarty->assign('blar', 'buh');
+		$this->assertEquals("bar", $this->smarty->getTemplateVars('foo'));
+	}
+
+	/**
+	 * test root getTemplateVars all values
+	 */
+	public function testGetAllTemplateVarsScopeRoot()
+	{
+		$this->smarty->assign('foo', 'bar');
+		$this->smarty->assign('blar', 'buh');
+		$vars = $this->smarty->getTemplateVars();
+		$this->assertTrue(is_array($vars));
+		$this->assertEquals("bar", $vars['foo']);
+		$this->assertEquals("buh", $vars['blar']);
+	}
+
+	/**
+	 * test single variable with data object chain
+	 */
+	public function testGetSingleTemplateVarScopeAll()
+	{
+		$data1 = $this->smarty->createData($this->smarty);
+		$data2 = $this->smarty->createData($data1);
+		$this->smarty->assign('foo', 'bar');
+		$this->smarty->assign('blar', 'buh');
+		$this->assertEquals("bar", $data2->getTemplateVars('foo'));
+	}
+
+	/**
+	 * test get all variables with data object chain
+	 */
+	public function testGetAllTemplateVarsScopeAll()
+	{
+		$data1 = $this->smarty->createData($this->smarty);
+		$data2 = $this->smarty->createData($data1);
+		$this->smarty->assign('foo', 'bar');
+		$data1->assign('blar', 'buh');
+		$data2->assign('foo2', 'bar2');
+		$vars = $data2->getTemplateVars(null);
+		$this->assertTrue(is_array($vars));
+		$this->assertEquals("bar", $vars['foo']);
+		$this->assertEquals("bar2", $vars['foo2']);
+		$this->assertEquals("buh", $vars['blar']);
+	}
 
+	/**
+	 * test get all variables with data object chain search parents disabled
+	 */
+	public function testGetAllTemplateVarsScopeAllNoParents()
+	{
+		$data1 = $this->smarty->createData($this->smarty);
+		$data2 = $this->smarty->createData($data1);
+		$this->smarty->assign('foo', 'bar');
+		$data1->assign('blar', 'buh');
+		$data2->assign('foo2', 'bar2');
+		$vars = $data2->getTemplateVars(null, false);
+		$this->assertTrue(is_array($vars));
+		$this->assertFalse(isset($vars['foo']));
+		$this->assertEquals("bar2", $vars['foo2']);
+		$this->assertFalse(isset($vars['blar']));
+	}
 
-    public function testInit()
-    {
-        $this->cleanDirs();
-    }
-    /**
-     * test root getTemplateVars single value
-     */
-    public function testGetSingleTemplateVarScopeRoot()
-    {
-        $this->smarty->assign('foo', 'bar');
-        $this->smarty->assign('blar', 'buh');
-        $this->assertEquals("bar", $this->smarty->getTemplateVars('foo'));
-    }
+	/**
+	 * test get single variables with data object chain search parents disabled
+	 */
+	public function testGetSingleTemplateVarsScopeAllNoParents()
+	{
+		error_reporting(error_reporting() & ~(E_NOTICE | E_USER_NOTICE));
+		$data1 = $this->smarty->createData($this->smarty);
+		$data2 = $this->smarty->createData($data1);
+		$this->smarty->assign('foo', 'bar');
+		$data1->assign('blar', 'buh');
+		$data2->assign('foo2', 'bar2');
+		$this->assertEquals("", $data2->getTemplateVars('foo', false));
+		$this->assertEquals("bar2", $data2->getTemplateVars('foo2', false));
+		$this->assertEquals("", $data2->getTemplateVars('blar', false));
+	}
 
-    /**
-     * test root getTemplateVars all values
-     */
-    public function testGetAllTemplateVarsScopeRoot()
-    {
-        $this->smarty->assign('foo', 'bar');
-        $this->smarty->assign('blar', 'buh');
-        $vars = $this->smarty->getTemplateVars();
-        $this->assertTrue(is_array($vars));
-        $this->assertEquals("bar", $vars['foo']);
-        $this->assertEquals("buh", $vars['blar']);
-    }
+	/**
+	 * test that variable assigned by global assign in template is included in getTemplateVars
+	 */
+	public function testAssignedInTemplate()
+	{
+		$this->smarty->fetch('string:{assign var="b" value="x" scope="global"}');
+		$this->assertEquals('x', $this->smarty->getTemplateVars('b'));
+	}
 
-    /**
-     * test single variable with data object chain
-     */
-    public function testGetSingleTemplateVarScopeAll()
-    {
-        $data1 = $this->smarty->createData($this->smarty);
-        $data2 = $this->smarty->createData($data1);
-        $this->smarty->assign('foo', 'bar');
-        $this->smarty->assign('blar', 'buh');
-        $this->assertEquals("bar", $data2->getTemplateVars('foo'));
-    }
+	/**
+	 * test that getTemplateVars returns simple array of values
+	 */
+	public function testSimpleCallReturnsArrayWithAllValues()
+	{
+		$this->smarty->assign('foo', 'bar');
+		$this->smarty->assign('i', 3);
 
-    /**
-     * test get all variables with data object chain
-     */
-    public function testGetAllTemplateVarsScopeAll()
-    {
-        $data1 = $this->smarty->createData($this->smarty);
-        $data2 = $this->smarty->createData($data1);
-        $this->smarty->assign('foo', 'bar');
-        $data1->assign('blar', 'buh');
-        $data2->assign('foo2', 'bar2');
-        $vars = $data2->getTemplateVars(null);
-        $this->assertTrue(is_array($vars));
-        $this->assertEquals("bar", $vars['foo']);
-        $this->assertEquals("bar2", $vars['foo2']);
-        $this->assertEquals("buh", $vars['blar']);
-    }
+		$vars = $this->smarty->getTemplateVars();
 
-    /**
-     * test get all variables with data object chain search parents disabled
-     */
-    public function testGetAllTemplateVarsScopeAllNoParents()
-    {
-        $data1 = $this->smarty->createData($this->smarty);
-        $data2 = $this->smarty->createData($data1);
-        $this->smarty->assign('foo', 'bar');
-        $data1->assign('blar', 'buh');
-        $data2->assign('foo2', 'bar2');
-        $vars = $data2->getTemplateVars(null, false);
-        $this->assertTrue(is_array($vars));
-        $this->assertFalse(isset($vars['foo']));
-        $this->assertEquals("bar2", $vars['foo2']);
-        $this->assertFalse(isset($vars['blar']));
-    }
+		$this->assertArrayHasKey('foo', $vars);
+		$this->assertArrayHasKey('i', $vars);
+		$this->assertEquals('bar', $vars['foo']);
+		$this->assertEquals(3,$vars['i']);
+	}
 
-    /**
-     * test get single variables with data object chain search parents disabled
-     */
-    public function testGetSingleTemplateVarsScopeAllNoParents()
-    {
-        error_reporting(error_reporting() & ~(E_NOTICE | E_USER_NOTICE));
-        $data1 = $this->smarty->createData($this->smarty);
-        $data2 = $this->smarty->createData($data1);
-        $this->smarty->assign('foo', 'bar');
-        $data1->assign('blar', 'buh');
-        $data2->assign('foo2', 'bar2');
-        $this->assertEquals("", $data2->getTemplateVars('foo', false));
-        $this->assertEquals("bar2", $data2->getTemplateVars('foo2', false));
-        $this->assertEquals("", $data2->getTemplateVars('blar', false));
-    }
 }