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"Hello,
I am from Luxembourg, but living in Germany. I own a big collection of Steiff animals, about 1,500 pieces. About one of them I don´t know really anything. So I hope, you, as an expert, can perhaps help me. It is the bunny, which you can see in the photos. He does not have tags and is 40 cm to the tips of his ears. I bought it from a Steiff-Seller 10 years ago! Even if Easter has not yet come, I hope you can tell me something about this beautiful bunny bringing his carrots (one in his paws and one in a pocket on his back) with.
Sincerely yours,
Patrick"
Talk about a cheerful earful! What Patrick has here is is known as the "Carrot Rabbit" or "Sunny the Bunny." This rarity was produced as a special edition for the department store Macy's here in the United States. This item was made in 9, 12, 17, and 30 cm in the 1950-1956 time frame. The 30 cm version was also made with a music box in 1954-1955. Although this particular rabbit has lost his IDs to time, it is interesting to note that he retains his cloth "Made in the US Zone" tag, suggesting that he was made at the very beginning of his production timeline. Since for the most part Steiff rabbits are measured without their ears (just vertically from the top of the head to the feet) Steiffgal suspects that Patrick's Sunny is the largest size at 30 cm. Steiffgal can't think of any other Steiff special editions made for Macy's, so his distribution channel and origins are quite unique! After World War II, Steiff worked with two rep firms here in the United State, the Loucap Company and Reeves International. It is most probable that Macy's worked with one of these New York based companies to bring this Carrot Rabbit to market.
There are several delightful features about this Carrot Rabbit. First, of course, is the fact that he comes with two felt carrots, one in his "back pocket" and one in his hands. They are detailed with felt greens and airbrushing. Steiff has a long tradition of creating toys in felt, so this is a delightful nod to the company's legacy. Rabbit's fantastic, tri-colored glass eyes give him such personality and a "high end product" look. And his well defined, oversized legs and feet keep him well balanced in an upright, sitting position. Although he shares a few similar characteristics with the company's fully jointed Niki rabbit pattern of the same era (produced in 14, 17, 22, 28, and 35 cm from 1951-1964 overall), his construction, scale, and and facial detailing put him on a close, but not identical, branch on the Steiff product development tree. Steiffgal hopes that this discussion on Patrick's Carrot Rabbit has brought a spring to your step today.
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