It goes without saying that many vintage Steiff treasures are truly gorgeous! But Steiffgal would like to share one with you today that is literally a "head turner!" This week by post she received this marvelous black bearded beauty from Germany. Take a look at this pup with a secret... and be prepared to shake your head in amazement!
Great Scott! Here we have Steiff's standing Scotty. He measures 15 cm head to toe, and 23 cm nose to rear end, not including his tail. He is made from lovely black backed mohair that has silver threads throughout the material, giving him a very dignified appearance. Scotty has a long, jet black beard and eyebrows. He has a brown hand embroidered nose, mouth, and claws, and delightful, tri-colored almond shaped glass eyes in white, brown, and black. The insides of his ears are lined in tan felt. His bow and bell are not original to him; when he left the factory in Giengen over eight decades ago he most likely wore a little black and white leather collar with a few Steiff buttons on it. This particular Scotty model was produced in 9, 11, 15, 18, 23, and 26 cm from 1931 through 1934.
Let's move right on to what makes this Scotty so spectacular. Like several popular Steiff items of the early 1930's, this pattern has what is known as a "tail moves head" mechanism. This means by gently twisting the tail back and forth, his head moves in unison - giving the animal a most charming sense of realistic movement. Take a look at the video to see for yourself!
Steiff's early "action super heroes" of the 1930's include cats, dogs, rabbits, and lambs, among others. For the most part, each was based on standard line popular designs of the time, and came with a round cardboard tag on its tail that read "turn here and I will move my head." You can see this tag here on the left, the photo is from Teddy Dorado. Tail turns head items were considered higher end, luxury toys, and most were produced through the late 1930's. Perhaps the best known tail moves head design was Rattler Terrier, who appeared through the early 1940's.
Steiffgal hopes this discussion on this Scotty has you bobbing your head in agreement that he is one dynamic dog!
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