Giving Thanks For Steiff's Century-Plus Long Tradition of Turkey Production

It's feast or famine when it comes to Steiff's terrific turkeys! Steiffgal happens to love turkeys, and not just because they are one of the state birds of Massachusetts (where she lives) or that a flock of wild ones live in the park across the street from her home. Given Thanksgiving is right on the horizon, and these big birds play a starring role in this beloved holiday, it's the perfect time to take a look at the history of turkeys in the Steiff line. 

Steiff's debut turkey was hot stuff indeed. He was a 43 cm turkey coffee cozy, which was manufactured from 1912 through 1920. He is standing and made from various shades of brown and tan felt, with glorious hand painted detailing on his body, wings, and tail feathers. The catalogs describe him as having "very magnificent colors." You can see this early bird here on the left; the photo is from Pfeiffer's 1892-1943 Sortiment. At the turn of last century, Steiff produced a significant number of  functional and decorative household items. These included egg and tea cozies and potholders for the kitchen. Most were made from colorful felt - Steiff earliest, and legacy material. It is not surprising that Steiff would use felt for as many products as possible... and, when you think about it, felt is a perfect fabric for rendering a turkey's details like their feathers and their snood, the red dangling portion of their face. 

It's easy to feel lucky about Steiff's next turkey named Tucky. This fine feathered friend was introduced in 1952 and is pictured here on the left. He is standing and made from long brown tipped mohair that is highlighted with a touch of green airbrushing. He has a very large felt tail and wings; both are detailed with brown and tan stenciling resembling feathers. His eyes are black buttons and he has brown painted metal oversized bird feet. His head, neck, and snood are made from velvet airbrushed with red, blue, black, and green. It is fair to say he has a face that only a mother - or a Steiff collector - could love. Tucky was produced in 10 and 14 cm through 1961. For a relatively small, sort of strange animal, he has amazing detail and the work on him is quite remarkable. 

Following in Tucky's funny metal footsteps is Putty, a 14 cm bird manufactured from 1979 through 1983. He is pictured here on the left. Putty is made from various brightly colored plush materials, has nicely stenciled thick brown felt tail and wings, and big yellow plastic bird feet. His head and neck are made from trivera velvet, complemented with a red felt waddle and a tan felt beak. Like Tucky, Putty's manufacturing was quite extraordinary given his size and relative importance in the Steiff line. Putty's design evolution from Tucky is quite typical for the company, and also reflects the style preferences of the time. Given its interest in controlling costs and adding efficiencies in material selection, the company chose a simpler pattern for Putty than Tucky, as well as less expensive materials overall. For example, Putty is plush while Tucky is mohair; Putty has plastic molded feet while Tucky has painted hand formed metal feet; and Putty's head and neck are made from trivera velvet, while Tucky's are made from old fashioned velvet. 

A really unusual and amazingly rare Steiff turkey is the company's studio, or life-sized turkey. These are so rare that Steiffgal has only seen or handled one - an example that sold in 2016 at auction for over $5,000! This model is 80 cm, standing, unjointed, and made from tan and black mohair, longer decorative hair, and felt. His legs and feet are made from metal and covered in grey felt. His authentic wings, tail feathers, and body are made from mohair that has been airbrushed in shades of brown, green, and pink - giving the appearance of feathers and feathering. His head and tail feathers are detachable for storage and shipping. His head and neck are made from a solid piece of molded rubber with large shiny black eyes. This whole area is quite authentic looking, and is finished in shades of pink, grey, and tan. You can see this rarity here on the left, the photo is from Morphy Auctions.

And finally, Steiff's most recent turkey - as far as Steiffgal can tell - is a turkey named Tommy who appeared as a North American limited edition in 2005 in an edition size of 1,500. Tommy is 18 cm tall, standing, and made from brown mohair and felt. He has a very large felt tail and wings; both are detailed with painting resembling feathers. His eyes are black buttons backed in orange. His oversized feet and legs are made from felt and are posable. His head and neck are made from carefully painted felt. This guy would be an AWESOME holiday centerpiece or table focal point - he's such a hoot. A little known fact about Tommy is that he was named after a beloved and longtime Steiff salesman from the Midwest in the United States. 

Steiffgal hopes this discussion on Steiff's terrific turkeys has put you in a thankful frame of mind.

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