Steiff's White Zotty bear, in the line for only two years, remains a collector's favorite more than six decades post his introduction. Here's a little more about this pattern, within the context of his legacy Zotty bear design.
“Zotty” is from the German word “zottel,” which means “shaggy," and as such, is the perfect name for this signature Steiff bear. He was designed as a breath of fresh air after the factory reopened for toymaking business post WWII as his elements truly reflected the optimism and aesthetics of the 1950s. He was instantly popular, and many other toy companies introduced copycat Zotty bears as a result of his success. These companies would vary the pattern just enough not to infringe on the Steiff version.
Zotty’s legacy (and perhaps namesake) goes back over a century. In 1914, Steiff debuted their first “Zottlebaer” or “Shaggy Bear. ” He was in the line through 1927 and was known for his shaggy coat, sweet face, and soft texture.
Steiff's debut, midcentury Zotty bear was produced in 9 sizes ranging from 17 - 100 cm from 1951 through 1978. He was fully jointed and made from long shaggy caramel tipped mohair with an orange bib and a shorter mohair muzzle. His paw pads were made from felt. Earlier versions had glass pupil eyes, while later versions had plastic pupil eyes, for safety reason. Depending on size and era, Steiff sometimes backed the eyes in felt. Zotty featured an open, felt lined mouth, an embroidered nose, and distinctly toddler-like proportions. Zotty was created by Steiff designer Mr. Siegfried Zeller (1915-2000) around 1949-1950. His son, Rolland Zeller (1944-2008) also worked for Steiff and designed over 2,000 items over the course of his career there. You can see this great Steiff duo, along with an original caramel Zotty bear, in this photo on the left.
Given his supersonic rise in popularity, Steiff debuted a white version of Zotty in 1960. He was made in 28 or 35 cm. He had almost identical design details as his caramel tipped cousin, but was made from very shaggy white mohair. In Steiff's 1960 new releases catalog, he is pictured along with a Disney Perri squirrel and a mohair Nagy beaver who were also relatively new products in the line at that time. Both Perri and Nagy which would go on to appear in the catalog for decades. You can see this catalog page here in the photo on the left.
It is not clear why White Zotty was produced in so few sizes, relative to the standard line Zotty, or why he was discontinued just a year later in 1961. Traditionally, white mohair Steiff bears are quite popular and sell really well. It is possible that he just did not take off with customers, and/or the finances did not make sense. It is also possible that his white mohair was not available, or really expensive, or simply was challenging to work with. Whatever the reason - only he knows for sure!
Steiffgal hopes this discussion on the history of Steiff's white mohair Zotty bear has been a hair raising experience for you!
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