Taking A Joyride With This Midcentury Steiff Car Display

So let's kick off 2022 in fifth gear! It's always so much fun to learn about unusual Steiff display pieces, and this one will make you want to hit the road for sure. What secrets do its design elements hold? Check out this note and photos from Susie in Ohio. She shares, 

"This is a wonderful Steiff display piece I own that I call "Distracted Driving!" It has a Lulac, a Cockie, and a Tulla Goose. When you push the car, the goose wings flap up and down and the cotton smoke stack in the front rotates. It is in pretty great condition although some of it is made from rubber and has become slightly brittle. This does not distract from its irresistible charm. I honestly think this display should be in a museum somewhere!"

A joy ride indeed! Steiff's tradition of creating still and animated displays goes back to the dawn of the 20th century. These first, early vignettes reflected things like life in a small town, farming, schoolrooms, or sports, among others. In some cases, these were photographed for advertising purposes, while in others, the scenes were actually sold as a package to stores as displays. It wouldn't be long before Steiff's creative team brought these scenes to the next level with movement; in about 1910 the company launched the large-scale, mechanized window display pieces that it would continue to produce throughout the 20th century. Albert Schlopsnies, a design and creative freelancer for the company, is responsible for many of Steiff's most breathtaking museum, retail, exhibit, and special event displays through the mid-1920s. 

Now let's take a closer look at Susie's display. Its passengers include two standard line items and one modified standard line item. Given its form, materials, and detailing, it is Steiffgal's best guess that this display was made sometime in the c. 1955-1965 timeframe. Steiff used the "old jalopy" car concept in its automaton production frequently throughout the third quarter of the 20th century. Here on the left you can see a similarly themed display from the late 1970s or so; the photo is from LiveAuctioneers/Morphy Auctions. 

Taking the wheel of this display is Steiff's legacy Lulac rabbit. This long legged lovely was produced in 43 cm from 1952-74 and 60 cm from 1964-66. Given the scale of display, it is Steiffgal's best guess that this is the smaller version. He is five ways jointed, features comically long arms, legs, and torso, and is made from made from caramel and light orange mohair. His paws are made from longer, shaggy mohair. His face comes to life with an open, peach felt mouth, a pink embroidered nose edged in black, and blue and black googly style eyes. It is possible that his name derives from a combination of the German words associated with laughter, smiling, and a "long and lanky" presentation. You can see Lulac here on the left, the photo is from Liveauctioneers/Ladenburger Spielzeugauktion GmbH.

Lulac's wingman is a standing Bazi dog. He is made from short tan colored mohair that is accentuated with darker airbrushed highlights on his back, chest, and head. Bazi's face is detailed with black and brown pupil eyes and a hand embroidered nose and mouth. Bazi left the factory in Giengen wearing a blue leather collar with a little brass bell. The standing mohair version of Bazi was produced in 10 and 14 cm from 1950 through 1975. Given the presentation of the display, it is Steiffgal's best guess that this is the 10 cm version. You can see standing Bazi here on the left, the photo is from Steiffgal's collection. 

At the tail end of all of this - and yes, pun intended - looks to be a little Tulla goose, sort of. Regular line Tullas are standing, unjointed, and made entirely from white mohair with grey airbrushed highlights, especially on their heads and necks. They feature playful, outstretched mohair wings, oversized orange felt feet, and a thin, happy orange felt beak which really looks like a smile! Their back tail feathers are made from a solid piece of single thick white felt, and their faces are detailed with tiny black button eyes. Tulla goose was made from 1952 through 1974 in 12, 17, and 28 cm. You can see Steiff's 12 cm standard line Tulla goose here on the left, the photo is from Steiffgal's collection.

If you look closely at the goose on this display, you will notice that she has a few small design details that are different than her standard line cousins. First, her tail is made from orange felt, not white felt. Second, her wings are made from white felt, not white mohair. And finally, her orange beak is much larger and more prominent than the standard line version's beak. It is entirely possible that these simple modifications were made so the goose would have the physical structure, critical mass, and flexibility to hold her position on the display, as well as flap her wings when activated.

Steiffgal hopes this discussion on Susie's animated Steiff automobile display has been the real-wheel-deal for you!

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

Care To Play Carpool Karaoke With This Mysterious Monkey Passenger?

This delightful inquiry puts Steiffgal right into 5th gear! Put the pedal to metal and check out this note from a new friend from the UK. Peter writes...

"I am hoping you can identify the toy primate in the back of this miniature car, please?  The photo was taken in December of 1912, in London.  For reference in size, the girl, in the driver's seat, is 4 years old, while her brother, the passenger, is 2 and seems the same size as the primate.  I'd appreciate your thoughts. Thank you."

Let's go into overdrive and check out this back seat driver. Based on the quality of the photo, it is impossible to tell with certainty about the details or the manufacturer of this marvelous monkey.  But the photo does hold a handful of  clues that could link the passenger to Steiff. 

Here's a road map to start this investigation. From what Steiffgal can tell, there are two circumstantial details of the photo and one known fact of the period that support the Steiff monkey hypothesis.  First, the image was taken in England in 1912, and we know that Steiff was actively supplying the British market with its high end toys at that time.  Second, Steiff did produce very large, dark brown monkeys during the first quarter of the 20th century.  And, thirdly, the Steiff nephews were very interested in automobiles (and all things mechanical.) The Steiff family was the first in their small town to own an automobile, purchasing it around 1912. Shortly after, the company started to produce all sorts of car related novelties, including radiator caps, headlight covers, and travel mascots. These things were advertised internationally, so the world beyond Giengen was probably starting to associate Steiff items with cars.  A picture of Steiff's monkey radiator cap from 1912/13 is pictured here on the left; the photo is from the Cieslik's Button in Ear, the History of the Teddy Bear and His Friends. 

So what's on this monkey's driver's license? Now, if, and that's a BIG IF, the monkey was made by Steiff, which model could he be? According to Peter, the little boy sitting in the car, who is about the same size as the monkey, is 2 years old. The average height of a 2 year old boy is about 36 inches, or about 90 cm. The monkey is most likely fully jointed (as it is sitting), has a prominent flat facial mask, and long bent arms. Given all that, it is Steiffgal's best detective work that the monkey may be Steiff's early, but not earliest, Affe, or Monkey. This five ways jointed model was produced in brown mohair from 1904 through 1928, in sizes including 28, 35, 43, 50, 60, 70, 80, 90, and 120 cm. His ears, face, and hands were made from felt. His simple but charming face was detailed with black shoebutton eyes and a stitched nose and mouth. He also had a tail. When he left the factory, he would have had a small Steiff trailing "f" button and a white paper ear tag with the numbers "5390" on it as his identification. This translates to 5=jointed, 3=mohair, and 90=90 cm. A photo of a cousin of Affe 5390 is pictured here on the left; the photo is from Christie's. 

Steiffgal hopes you enjoyed this turn of last century joyride!

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

Behind The Scenes Of The October, 2014 Teddy Dorado Steiff Auction Event

It's fun to talk Steiff - especially with professionals who have the distinct pleasure of working with the brand we all know and love for a living!  Steiffgal recently had the wonderful experience of chatting with auctioneer Carsten Esser from Teddy Dorado about his upcoming Steiff sales event on October 25, 2014 in Germany.  This is the company's lucky 13th Steiff auction, and there are so many interesting items available at this sale, both for new and vintage Steiff enthusiasts... and the catalog in its entirety can be viewed here.  But for right now, lets go behind the scenes and learn a little more about this auction and the stories behind some of its highlights!

Steiffgal: Of all the delightful items coming up for auction, which ones would you most like to add to your own collection?

Carsten Esser: I have collected Steiff since I was a young boy, and have forever loved the company's very small dogs. They have always seemed to have such fantastic craftsmanship, and even today I wonder how it is possible to bring excelsior and plush to life in such a magical way. The upcoming Teddy Dorado Auction features some minty mint doggies from the 1950s; this of course brings me great pleasure - and hopefully the same to Steiff dog collectors from all over the world. A wonderful example is lot 13-1204, a 10 cm St. Bernard dog from 1953-1955 in pristine condition; he is pictured here on the left. 

However, when I founded Teddy Dorado four years ago, I made the very difficult decision not to actively collect Steiff anymore. I did so because I felt that if I continued to build my collection, I could not be a fair agent between those who would like to buy and/or sell fine Steiff treasures. So this fabulous example will have to find a new home that is not with me and my family.  But I am certain that this will not be a problem!

Steiffgal: Although you have handled Steiff for many years, and are very familiar with the company's products from the very beginning, are there any items in the upcoming auction that were new to you? 

Carsten Esser: Whenever an item appears that I have not seen in the past, well, this is always a very exciting experience indeed! And yes, this did occur with an item in this auction. We ran a Steiff valuation clinic during a Steiff Club event in a very large shopping center in southern Germany some months ago. Here, someone brought us a Steiff pedal car, which is lot TD 13-2601. The owner told us that it was his favorite toy when he was a kid, that the car still works very well, and that he hoped that now this vehicle could find a good new home. This was the first time I had seen one of these in person, and all I could think about was how exciting it will be to share this great and unusual find with the rest of the Steiff collecting world!  (This pedal car is pictured here on the left.)

But then the story gets even more interesting! The same man with the Steiff pedal car then took a tiny woolen miniature Pomeranian dog (now lot TD 13-7009) out of this pocket. He told me that he suspected that the dog was made by Steiff due to its white paper ear tag, but that it felt it was probably not terribly valuable and not worth enough to be auctioned off. Much to his surprise, I told him that the small dog would also do quite well at auction, and that his car and dog would be important lots in the upcoming October overall sale.  (This dog is pictured here on the left.)

I sometimes do see very rare or uncataloged items, and that is due in part to our business location, which is relatively close to Giengen.  My company very often receives consignments from people who live nearby the Steiff factory who have - or had - relatives who were employed by Steiff. And that is true in this auction as well, where we are listing a large and most likely one of a kind rabbit, lot TD 13-1503, from the estate of a former long term Steiff employee.  He is brown and white dralon and was most likely a prototype that was never put into production.  I particularly like his eyes, which are backed in felt. (This rabbit is pictured here on the left.)

Steiffgal: Your printed catalogs are so professionally done, well illustrated, and most informative. But how do you decide what appears on the cover? Is it the age of the items, or the lot numbers, or values, or something else?

Carsten Esser: We try to have the items on our catalog covers to be representative of the entire auction, as well as highlight some very special pieces, too. We choose items which are the "celebrities" of an auction (like Black Jack, the 1912 black bear who appeared on our summer, 2014 catalog cover and hammered for 15,000 €), items in extremely good or like new condition, very unusual treasures (like the White Teddy Girl on a mohair cushion who also appeared on our summer, 2014 catalog cover and hammered for 8,000 €), highly valued items, and things that go together nicely, like "couples." Our current cover features two such pairs: two small Teddy bears (lots 13-7001 and 13-7002) and a Fluffy cat and Rattler dog who have been together for many, many decades. They all came to us from the same private estate. If you check out our fall, 2014 catalog cover, you'd have to agree that they look great together! (Cover pets Fluffy and Rattler are pictured here on the left.)

Steiffgal: Carsten, as always, thank you so much for your time, and sharing some of your behind the scenes auction secrets with the Steifflife readers today!  

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