The chiral title compounds, C21H18N2O2, (I), and C21H18N2OS, (II) - products of the three-component reaction between benzylamine, isatoic anhydride and furyl- or thienyl-acrolein - are isostructural and form isomorphous racemic crystals. The tetrahydropyrimidine ring in (I) and (II) adopts a sofa conformation. The amino N atom has a trigonal-pyramidal geometry [sum of the bond angles is 347.0° for both (I) and (II)], whereas the amido N atom is flat [sum of the bond angles is 359.3° for both (I) and (II)]. The furyl- and thienylethenyl substituents in (I) and (II) are planar and the conformation about the bridging C=C bond is E. These bulky fragments occupy the axial position at the quaternary C atom of the tetrahydropyrimidine ring, apparently, due to steric reasons. In the crystals, molecules of (I) and (II) form hydrogen-bonded helicoidal chains propagating along [010] by strong intermolecular N - H⋯O hydrogen bonds. © Toze et al. 2018.