This Prewar Steiff Riding Bulldog Is The Wheel-Deal Indeed!

Look at what just rolled under the Christmas tree of this lucky collector! What a bow-wow beauty for sure! But just who is this captive canine, and what is the story behind him? A new friend shares,

"Hi, my name is Jeanette and have been dabbling with collecting bears, etc. for near on 45 years. My latest find is a Steiff pull along Bully Bulldog. He stands 15" tall not including the wooden wheeled frame. From nose to tail, he is 17" long, his ears have long gone. He has a leather collar with remnants of horse hair still attached to it, it also has Steiff buttons all around it, in total 12 buttons are present. He also has his original bell attached to the collar. He has a pull string still attached, but unfortunately no noise is made when it is pulled. He has large amber and black glass eyes, a black stitched nose, and velvet muzzle. The wooden wheels measure 2.5" in diameter. The pull along frame has a moving front axle, so it can change direction. Any help you can give me, i.e. date, etc. would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance!"

This dog on the go would take the pole position in any vintage Steiff enthusiast's collection. What Jeanette has here is Steiff's Bully Bulldog riding animal. This fine fellow was made in 28, 35, 43, and 50 cm in black and white, orange and white, or tan and white from 1927-1936 overall. This model is measured vertically from the top of their heads to their toes, not including their wheels. As such, Jeanette's treasure is the either a large version of the 35 cm or a small version of the 43 cm version; it is Steiffgal's best guess he started out life closer to 43 cm and sort of shrunk over time (like the best of us.)

The condition of Jeanette's Bully is commensurate and typical to that of a beloved ride-on animal. These realities include things like alot of wear on the back/top areas where a child would sit, a silent squeaker from overuse, and the loss of ears which were probably used as handles for much of its working life! Fortunately, it is not terribly difficult to replace the black velvet ears on this pattern, and Steiffgal would consider doing that restoration if this Bully was in her collection.

One thing that really pops on this example is his great BLING! According to Pfeiffer's 1892-1943 Sortiment, this item is described in part as, "mohair plush, horse hair or leather collar, standing, riding animal, wheels, connecting frame, swivel head, squeaker (barks.)" Jeanette's Bully has a fantastic collar featuring a combination of horse hair detailing as well as a cascade of long trailing f buttons - truly the best of all worlds.

The Bully Bulldog that we all know and love was introduced in 1927. This design was an instant sensation with both children (as a plaything) and adults (as a collectible and an accessory). He was modeled on the French Bulldog—the “it” companion of those in the know at the time. Bully's pattern featured oversized glass pupil eyes, a black embroidered nose, and a snout and jaw constructed to give him his requisite breed jowls. Full bodied Bully was made in velvet and mohair, as well as sitting and standing, in sizes ranging from 10 to 50 cm through 1939 overall. Here on the left, you can see Bully as he appeared in the company's June, 1927 catalog. This image is from Carsten Esser's Steiff Catalogue 1920-1929.

Given his popularity, beautiful Bully was also produced in numerous novelty forms. These included as a pincushion, pull toy, dangling Charleston doll, jointed dog doll, puppet, purse, and pajama bag, among others. Today, prewar Bullies are one of the most universally desirable and sought-after pre-war Steiff designs among collectors - especially those like this one on wheels! Prewar Bully has been replicated numerous times over the past few decades and even these newer models are coveted by collectors.

Steiffgal hopes you've enjoyed this discussion on this Riding Bully, even if just in a roundabout sort of way.

Have a question about one of your Steiff treasures? Let's talk! Click here to learn more.

These Three Dog Highlights Take The Blue Ribbon At Ladenburger Spielzeugauktion's November, 2024 Steiff Archive Sale

Ladenburger Spielzeugauktion of Ladenburg, Germany is presenting its 415 lot Steiff Archive Auction on November 23rd, 2024. This breathtaking sale features century spanning treasures directly from the Margarete Steiff GmbH archives in Giengen. In an effort to consolidate space within their storage areas, Steiff decided to deaccession some redundant items from their overflowing archives. As such, the Giengen company has partnered with Ladenburger Spielzeugauktion to find new homes for these fine archival items.

Every item on offer in this amazing event is worth a shout out, so it is nearly impossible to select highlights. Given her affinity for all things canine, here are three incredibly rare dogs that are documented in Steiff's literature that Steiffgal has never actually handled or seen in real life (but would love to!)

You can't help but smile when it comes to this first auction doggie selection. This is lot #4, Steiff's Tino. He is cataloged as: TINO, made in 1936, with button, block letters, unused red flag, number on flag: 3322.2, seat height: 22 cm, yellow/brown mohair plush, black snout, lovely expression, orig. silk bow, rotating head, expressive, hand pattern from the Steiff archive with original Steiff archive trailer. Tino has an opening bid of 360 euro.

It is not exactly clear what breed terrific Tino represents. According to Pfeiffer's 1892-1943 Steiff Sortiment, he is simply an ingenious dog. This might mean he doesn't have a specific breed - much like the company's legacy and popular Molly design who was simply referred to as a puppy. Molly's gentle, sitting, and fluffy aesthetic opened the floodgates to an influx of prewar dog designs between 1925-1938, when nearly 40 new pup patterns were noted in the Steiff catalog - Tino being one of them. Tino's distinctive black facial mask, ears, and tail, as well as body shape and form, have playful, pug-like qualities - which might be the reason he catches Steiffgal's eye! Tino was produced in 17 and 22 cm from 1936-1939.

The next auction pick has a face only a mother (or any vintage Steiff collector) could love. Here we have lot #8, Bertha The Cartoon Dog, with an opening bid of 650 euro. She is cataloged as: Siberian cheese hunting dog made in 1927, item no.: 5332, hand sample in a special small size, caricatured dog, brown tipped mohair, 5-fold jointed, felt insert on the face, embroidered eyes, colored outlines of the eyes, nose and mouth area , H: 18 cm, L: 29 cm, orig. red silk bow, extremely rare, exceptional, hand sample from the Steiff archive produced without button, shield and flag, with original Steiff archive trailer.

The auction house also shares: Bertha is the Steiff-created replica of the funny dog ​​from the American comic "Boob McNutt" by illustrator Rube Goldberg, popular in the 1920s. The little Siberian cheese dog pulled all sorts of pranks in his comics. The comic short stories were published in the Sunday editions of most Western newspapers in the United States from 1915 to 1934. The unusual dog was produced by Steiff in 1927 with 24 copies in two different sizes and variants (with sewn eyes and with glass eyes). Unfortunately, production was stopped due to low demand.

Steiff often used animals or characters from popular comic strips as inspiration for new product introductions, which helps to explain Bertha's origins. You can see one of Bertha's original 1920s era cartoon strips just above... please click on it to make it bigger. This trend began at the turn of last century, when Steiff produced a series of fully jointed dolls based on the comic strip series Happy Hooligan. Steiff's Bertha has several design features that are very typical to the mid-1920s. These include tipped mohair, a dimensional eye treatment, and a distinctive, youthful appearance. According to Pfeiffer, Berta was made commercially in 22 cm in 1926 only. For more information on Bertha, check out:
http://strippersguide.blogspot.com/2022/09/toppers-bertha-siberian-cheesehound.html

There's not a hair out of place with today's final highlight. Here we have lot #31, Steiff's Puli, with an opening bid of 280 euro. She is cataloged as: Puli, made on September 7th, 1935, dog, with button, shield and flag, block letters, elongated f, unused yellow flag, No. 1328.02, handwritten inscription on the breastplate “Puli”, glass eyes, shaggy long mohair, red original . Leather collar, blue-gray coloring, fixed head, unused condition, H: 26 cm, L: 35 cm, with orig. Steiff archive trailer.

Puli dogs are very smart, loyal dogs - and are best known for their corded, dreadlock style coat. Their waterproof fur can be kept long or trimmed, but either way requires way more attention than most other dogs. It is possible that Steiff made a Puli for its general line in the 1930s because the dog was starting to gain global popularity as well as visibility at the time. The American Kennel Club (AKC) recognized the Puli as a dog breed in 1936. The company's long, curly mohair was a great material to replicate the breed's distinctive coat. 

Steiffgal hopes this discussion on these amazing and rare canines has been a fetching experience for you!

For more information on Ladenburger Spielzeugauktion's 415 lot Steiff Archive Auction on November 23rd, 2024, please click here.

Have a question about one of your Steiff treasures? Let's talk! Click here to learn more.

This Prewar Steiff Hobby Horse Takes The Pole Position

And we are off to the races with our next Steiff mystery. Steiffgal is certain Steiff enthusiasts of all things equestrian will love this mane event! A new friend in the U.K. shares in part:

"I buy and sell interesting items as a hobby, around 6 years ago we stumbled across our hobby horse at a vintage show in the U.K. priced up at only a few pounds. Looking closer we were surprised to see the steiff rivet in his ear so we brought him home and he got lost in our detritus in the garage. 

I came across him again this week and I’ve had a look online and the only info I can is from your blog from 2015 where you look at a similar horse for someone else, although ours does have similarities to this it is different in it only having a single wheel and the rains being completely different (as I know these could have been added later.)

I just wanted to ask if he is rare or if you know anything about him, he’s been well played with so I know he isn’t mint but we do love him anyway. Thank you in advance for your help."

 

This fine antique Steiff hobby horse holds the pole position here. He was produced in 80 and 100 cm from 1924-1941 overall. Pfeiffer's 1892-1942 Sortiment describes this prewar rarity as, "hardwood, transparently lacquered, stick with two wheels, leather reins, head painted in colors." Given this example has the long trailing '"f" ear button as its ID, that likely means it was produced in the c. 1924-1935 time frame. It is also interesting to note that this example under discussion today appears to have only one wheel, not two, as described in the literature.  

 

This design could be considered a legacy one for Steiff - given the number of years it appeared in the line overall. Postwar, a very similar example was made in 100 cm only from 1949-1973. Minor design differences between the pre- and postwar models include the color of the blaze (white on the postwar ones, natural on the prewar one); facial painting (simpler and less colorful on the prewar version and more dramatic and vivid on the postwar version) and possibly the number of wheels (two on the postwar version, one on the prewar version.) A picture of the postwar version from Pfeiffer's 1947-2003 Sortiment is pictured here on the left for reference. 

 

The collector also asks about his horse's reins. It is Steiffgal's best guess that the ones currently on the hobby horse are not factory original to it. She suspects that the original ones were most likely red leather, to match the painted accessories on the horse. Steiff tends to coordinate an item's detailing, and it seems likely (although ANYTHING is possible!) that these reins are replaced. When you think about it, the reins would be one of the areas of most wear on this sort of toy. It is not out of the question they simply wore out over time. And, this item cannot be used without reins, so it is probable that a clever Mom or Dad simply replaced them with something sturdy. 

Now for the question that will set the barnyard a-buzz... how much is he "worth?" As always, something is worth what someone will pay for it, and Steiffgal has not seen the item firsthand to check for condition issues and other factors that are hard to capture in pictures. That all being said, given the item is as presented and described, it is Steiffgal's best guess that something like this may trade hands today in the $125-250 range. 

Steiffgal knocks on wood that this discussion on this prewar hobby horse has been a lot of fun for you!

Have a question about one of your Steiff treasures? Let's talk! Click here to learn more.

Strike Up The Brass Band Over This Mysterious Steiff Fawn

Oh deer! What do we have here? This charming field and forest friend is not only just lovely and elegant in design, but she also has a less obvious but totally WAH-HOO good surprise element to her as well. Get ready to fawn over this precious prewar rarity!

Here we have Steiff's 22 cm mohair fawn. She is standing, unjointed, and made from tan mohair. The lining of her ears and her tail are made from white mohair. Her face is detailed with black button eyes and a black hand embroidered nose and mouth. Her legs are particularly thin, shapely, and elegant and are made from velvet. She has a gentle, distinctly old fashioned look to her. This pattern was produced in 17 and 22 cm from 1934-1943.

Now for her little secret. Given her era of production, she would have left the factory with either a long or short trailing "f" style knopf, depending on her specific year of manufacture - with earlier versions having the long trailing "f" version and the later versions having the short trailing "f" version. However, this gal proudly wears an unusual BRASS colored short trailing "f" Steiff button and has traces of her yellow ear tag. The button measures 6 mm in diameter. This seldom seen branding appeared on a few Steiff items from 1933/34 through 1943. You can see that brass button in the photo below.  

So just how rare is this brass prewar button? It is really hard to quantify, as Steiffgal has only handled - literally - a handful of items with this distinctive ID in memory. In her personal collection, she has one prewar treasure with this distinction. This is a small standing Waldi dog. He 10 cm, unjointed, and made from copper colored mohair. He has long, floppy ears. His face is detailed with shiny black glass eyes and a black hand embroidered nose. His mouth is indicated by a little black airbrushing. Waldi wears his original green leather collar and has his "watermelon" shaped bare faced tag, with his name imprinted in crimson. This guy was made in 10, 14, 17, 22, and 28 cm from 1933 - 1943... the identical time frame as the fawn under discussion today. This prewar Waldi is pictured below on the left. 

It remains a mystery why Steiff used a brass button for branding some of their items during this turbulent geopolitical period. It might have to do with availability of materials, or shortages, or other rationing reasons. It is also not clear why some items would have a brass button, and others would not - as Steiffgal has seen examples of both the prewar Waldi and this fawn with Steiff's standard silver colored prewar IDs. Only these precious treasures know for sure... and they aren't talking!

Steiffgal hopes this discussion on Steiff's lovely prewar fawn with her unusual button has put the pedal to the metal for you.

Have a question about one of your Steiff treasures? Let's talk! Click here to learn more.