Cat Got Your Tongue Over These Fantastic Steiff Kittens?

These days, you just can't get enough of creature comforts. And nothing fits that bill better than Steiff's fantastic vintage cats. These purr-fect pets are always available to give - or get - a cuddle. Here are three tiny favorites from Steiffgal's collection. Come take a look to see what makes them so precious from the collectors' and historical perspectives.

Our first fine feline is an adorable example of Steiff's Fluffy cat. This example is 10 cm tall, sitting, and head jointed. She is made from white and blue-grey tipped mohair. Her little tail wraps sweetly around her body. Fluffy's face is detailed with oversized, deep turquoise green and black glass slit pupil eyes and a simple hand embroidered pink nose and mouth. She has managed to hold onto her her original clear monofilament whiskers over time; her blue bow and bell are replaced. Fluffy retains her metal rimmed, named chest tag as her Steiff ID. Pre-World War II, this pattern was produced in 7, 10, 14, 17, 22, 25, 30, 35, and 43 cm from 1926 through 1943 overall. After the war, she appeared briefly again in the line in 14, 17, and 22 cm through 1950. 

It's easy to see why this Fluffy has a paw up in Steiffgal's collection. Her adorable presentation matches the vibe of the mid-1920s when she was designed and debuted. She is quite fluffy, and very feminine, with soft coloring and a playful personality. Her oversized eyes are placed low upon her center-seamed face, further emphasizing her childlike innocence. Her size makes her so easy and fun to display... and her fantastic chest tag confirms that she was made in the mid-1920s, dating her at the very beginning of her production timeline.

Now let's get around to our second pretty kitty. Here we have a lovely 9 cm Steiff ball cat. Her body is a simple, round form about the size of a golf ball. Her head is about the size of a walnut and is detailed with a white inset mohair muzzle, black and green glass slit pupil eyes, and a simple, pink hand embroidered nose and mouth. Her sweet little tail wraps around her backside, much like Steiff's fully formed cats of her era. Cat's two front limbs are made from tan colored woolen pom-poms. Her clear monofilament whiskers have unfortunately been lost to time. This ball cat pattern was made from 1932 through 1943 in 9 and 15 cm. This excellent example retains her long trailing "F" button and bits of her red ear tag, dating her to the early 1930s. 

These neat novelties rolled out during a difficult period at Steiff. Starting around 1930, Steiff's product development strategy focused in part on creating a series of affordable, appealing, and small scaled products. This was a very challenging time geopolitically throughout Germany, and many consumers did not have a great deal - if any - disposable income for toys and other "non-essentials." Ball animals, given their size, simplicity, and low material and labor costs, seem to fit the bill pretty well. So the company made eight versions overall; all were based on Steiff's most popular designs of the time. These included rabbits, Teddy bears, elephants, ducks, cats, lions, a Chin-Chin dog, and a Molly the Puppy. It is interesting to note that the company's inexpensive, palm sized woolen miniature animals also debuted in the early 1930s.

And finally, you're gonna have to face the fact that this last kitten has the best facial expression - ever. Here we have an 11 cm Siamy the Siamese cat. She is sitting and head jointed. She is made from tan mohair which has been airbrushed with overall tan and chocolate brown highlights. Her ears are made from light brown felt, and her muzzle is made from brown velvet. Her sweet tail wraps around her little behind. Her face is detailed with striking blue and black glass pupil eyes, a tan hand embroidered nose, and an open, peach felt lined mouth. Siamy appeared in the Steiff catalog post war from 1953 through 1954 only. She was produced in 11, 15, and 23 cm during that time. This precious example retains her red imprinted chest tag, raised script button in ear, and legible yellow ear tag as her Steiff IDs.

Despite their relatively short midcentury appearance, Siamy cats have been noted with numerous subtle differences in their detailing. In all three sizes, some have open mouths while some have closed mouths. Some have pink noses; others have light or dark brown noses. And their coloring also varies dramatically; some are mostly medium to dark brown, while others have just a touch of color contrast. Given this variety, it is easy to see why this pattern is truly the cat's meow and how it has remained a collector's favorite more than a half-century after its production ended. 

Steiffgal hopes this discussion on some of her favorite Steiff kittens has added a little meow mix to your day.

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