The Tail Of Two Marvelous Steiff Midcentury Weasels

Not every toy design Steiff has made has been as precious and endearing as the company's beloved Teddy bears, family pets, and farm friends. In the late 1950's and early 1960's, Steiff launched a whole series of innovative but unconventional designs that can best be described as "creepy crawlers." Most were from the field and forest product categories, and many were produced from unexpected materials. It's pretty safe to say that these items - in real life - would be the last animals most people would want to keep and cuddle as "friends for life!" 

Two of the more unusual editions from this unofficial series have to be a pair of weasels. The first, Wiggy, was made from all white dralon. She had a white pipe cleaner style tail that was detailed with a black tip. She is shown here on the left, you can click on the image to enlarge it. The second was Waggy, who was made from white dralon that was airbrushed brown, and had a brown pipe cleaner tail. She is shown just below; please click on her picture for a more detailed view. 

These marvelous mammals both were cataloged at 12 cm; they physically measured about 3 inches tall and 6 inches long. Both were standing on all fours and unjointed, with felt ears and feet. They came to life with black button eyes, a pink hand embroidered mouth and nose, and clear monofilament whiskers. Both were produced in this size only and for one year in 1962. Today, it is extremely rare to see a Wiggy or Waggy in very good or better condition on the secondary market; their dralon material tends to get dirty and ratty looking, and often times their pipe cleaner tails simply snap off with age and wear.

It is possible that both Wiggy and Waggy are Ermines, which is a woodland animal that lives across North America and Eurasia. Ermines have different coloration over the course of the year. In the warm weather, their coat is brown, with a whitish throat, chest, and belly. In climates with a very cold winter, the fur turns white, except for the black tail tip. In locations with moderately cold weather, their the fur becomes only partly white. So this pair may represent Steiff's take on a winter Ermine (Wiggy) and a summer Ermine (Waggy.)

It's interesting to note that Wiggy and Waggy may have "royal connections" as well. White Ermine fur was traditionally used to decorate the robes of kings and queens in Europe and was seen as a status symbol for the wealthy. Fast forward to today... these 60 years old oddities often play the aristocratic role as the crown jewels in the collections of vintage Steiff enthusiasts around the world.

Steifgal hopes you've enjoyed this tail of two midcentury Steiff rarities!

Have a question about one of your Steiff treasures? Let's talk! Click here to learn more.

Hat's Off To Steiff's Ever Cheerful Clown Puppets and Dolls!

Steiff continues to bring joy and engagement to collectors all over the world during this ongoing period of social distancing and bad news. Our button-in-ear friends just seem to have a magical way of lifting spirits in a most universal way. In order to keep up this positive energy, Steiffgal wanted to share another happy Steiff treasure with you - the company's delightful Clownie clown as a hand puppet. This cute commedian has been joking around with collectors since his introduction over a half century ago. Take a look at him and just try not to smile!

First a little background on Steiff's playful pranksters, to give you some context for today's "clown chat." Steiff has incorporated clown themes in just about every doll and novelty you can imagine... including ball-dolls (figures with a goofy ball shaped bodies and "normal" limbs), musical figures, pom-pom characters, skittles (perched on wooden pins for a bowling style game), and roly-polys (on half-spheres that wobble about.) From what Steiffgal can tell, the first clown to appear in the Steiff range might have been a 28 cm version with a felt body and colorful felt clothing in 1894. Perhaps the most famous - or perhaps most coveted - antique Steiff clowns are the ones designed by Albert Schlopsnies in the 19-teens as part of his Schlopsnies Circus window displays. 

Now let's send in the clowns regarding today's special guest. Clownie puppet is based on a beloved Steiff doll named Clownie that was produced from 1956 through 1975 in 14, 19, and 43 cm. He was also available as a 120 cm display piece by special order in the mid-1960s. Clownie dolls sported blue pants with red and yellow felt patches, a white or calico shirt, white gloved hands, a black rimmed hat, and oversized black shoes. Here on the left, you can see the 1967 catalog page advertising the nearly lifesized (120 cm = c. 4 feet tall) Clownie studio doll. 

Steiff has a long tradition of producing hand puppets based on its most popular patterns. So it’s no surprise that Clownie doll would be produced as a puppet as well. Clownie puppet is 17 cm, with a molded head and felt body. He is detailed with red mohair hair, a black felt hat, white felt gloves, and a blue felt top with red and yellow patches. This puppet was produced from 1967 through 1976; earlier versions had plastic heads while those from 1974 had PVC heads. The Clownie under discussion here today has a PVC head.

Steiff also produced another clown puppet - but this one is far rarer and lesser known than Steiff's standard line Clownie puppet. In 1962, in order to celebrate F.A.O. Schwarz's 100 year anniversary, Steiff produced a 30 cm otherwise undocumented “Clownie” puppet. This one, pictured here on the left, had a distinctly feminine appearance, but shared many of the same design elements and outfit details as Clownie. Her head was oversized and elaborately painted, and she had wild, long, red mohair hair. Her Steiff chest tag simply said "Clownie." Girl Clownie puppet appeared in the centennial F.A.O. Schwarz catalog in a section titled “Presenting For Our 100th Anniversary One Hundred Unusual Toys Available Only From F.A.O. Schwarz.”

Steiffgal hopes you've enjoyed clowning around today, at least for a little bit!

Have a question about one of your Steiff treasures? Let's talk! Click here to learn more!