This Sample Steiff Alien Is Truly Out of This World!

Well, it appears that Steiffgal has had a close encounter of the Steiff kind!  She has recently had the pleasure of welcoming a new Steiff rarity to her collection, one that sent her to the moon and back! But please don't think she's a space-case, but she's not really sure of too much concerning his background or origins. Focus your telescope on this out-of-this-world Steiff creation. Can you believe your eyes?

There's no need to phone home over this Steiff alien.  He stands 30 cm tall and is made from a high quality, brown faux leather.  Most of his visible, decorative stitching is done in orange thread. His head/body is basically round with three "horns" on its top edge.  The middle one is the largest and about twice the size of the ones to the left and right.  It is possible that the middle one is supposed to represent his "nose" while the other two are his eyes. His "face" is defined by a separate rectangular mask of faux leather which is detailed with a small orange patch of orange velour or velvet. This mask can be moved slightly up and down, and is attached to the alien through the his arm joints. 

Alien's body is also of interstellar proportions. His arms are jointed in the traditional Steiff way, with double round cardboard disks and metal wire connectors. His hands are made of two digits, sort of like two thumbs. His legs have thin thighs and thick calves and ankles - the opposite of a typical human form! They not jointed. Both his arms and legs are lined in some sort of metal wires or chains. They are posable and "creak" when moved about. Alien stands on flat circular feet that have magnets on the bottom. These probably help weight him, as well as add a playful touch to where he can stand and how he can be posed. His construction and detailing are really quite spectacular and it is clear that he was made with a most loving, and exacting, touch.  

Also of note is his Steiff ID.  It consists simply of the company's yellow, double sided ribbon tag and a gold, rivet style button. It is pictured here on the left. The back of the tag reads, "Not for Sale!" and "Property of Margarete Steiff GmbH" in both German and English.  It also has a field for a date and a number, but these are not filled in. It is Steiffgal's best guess, based on this ID, that this item was indeed a sample or prototype from the c. 2002 time frame. She has another item with this identical tag and ID arrangement; in that case, the date on the tag is 7.03.02 and the number is 7.  Steiffgal is not sure if "number" refers to the total number of samples produced, or the order of the samples produced; but it is not an EAN or product number.  

So now the questions as big as the universe. Why was he made, and how did he arrive in Steiffgal's collection? Well, only he knows the answers for certain, and he's not talking.  So here are a few down to earth possibilities.  

First, why was he made?  Steiff employs the finest doll and toy designers in the world, and great people do great work. Perhaps the Steiff designers were asked by management to come up with truly out of the box ideas, and this was one result of that challenge. Maybe this design was the result of an independent vision a designer had, or maybe they wanted to test out the faux leather fabric and/or creaking metal skeleton for its toy-making potential. It is a possibility that the company was exploring a collection theme or idea (in this case, space travel or extraterrestrials) but decided not to move forward with it. Or perhaps it was created in response to a customer special order or inquiry which did not make it beyond the prototype phase.  

Steiffgal suspects that the big reason this little guy did not make it into the Steiff line was cost.  After all design, materials, and manpower factors were analyzed, this alien's production expenses were probably astronomical.

And how did the alien make the interstellar journey from Giengen to Steiffgal's hug?  It is Steiffgal's best guess that this item might have been sold during one of Steiff's Sommer Festivals a decade or so ago.  It is at these wonderful annual gatherings where Steiff offers samples, overstocks, overproduction models, and other "oddities" under a giant circus style tent.  Sometimes fantastic finds like this make their way to this sale. This item was purchased from a collector in Europe who found him at a German toy show.  As such, at least geography wise, it is possible that this was his map from there to here.

Steiffgal hopes this story on this unusual Steiff creation was as exciting as a UFO sighting!

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Fun Finds And Unusual Rarities At The Upcoming March 2016 Teddy Dorado Auction!

Continuing on with our focus on upcoming Steiff sales events, Steiffgal is thrilled to present the Steiff community with highlights from the upcoming Teddy Dorado auction.  This can't miss event will be held on March 5th, 2016 in Germany.  One thing Steiffgal particularly loves about Teddy Dorado is the company's ability to find and sell the most interesting rarities and one of a kind Steiff finds.  Here are three great highlight items from this sale that really caught her eye.  

Please take a leap of faith with Steiffgal on this first Teddy Dorado auction highlight. Here we have lot 17-1705, a 60 cm "Schlenker frog" or dangling frog. He is cataloged as...

"From about 1981, with all IDs and article number 2380/60. Made from green and orange trevira velvet. Large, yellow and black eyes, open mouth. Posable with wire reinforced limbs. Firmly stuffed with poly fiberfill, no voice. With yellow Steiff flag in the left foot and chest tag. Not seen in any catalog or publication. Clean, non-faded, no odors, top condition. Standing about 83 cm tall and sitting about 42 cm tall."

It's easy being green when it comes to this giant uncataloged frog! His size and presentation are truly impressive. His wonderful long arms and legs are perfect proportions for a "lulac" style animal. And who wouldn't want a "one of a kind" Steiff treasure such as this one? It is Steiffgal's best guess that this happy hopper may have been made as a special feature for a customized window display, or that he was a sample of an idea that never made it into full production. It is also possible that his design was based on an "uber" vision of the company's 32 cm standard line Cappy Dangling Frog. Cappy is also lulac styled with long arms and legs which are lined in wire so he can be posed. Cappy was in the Steiff line from 1979 through 1984. He is pictured here on the left for comparison. 

This second auction highlight will bug some readers, but there is a good reason for his selection.  Please check out lot 17-1608,  a cosy fly.  Yes, a fly.  He is cataloged as...

"A 20 cm Cosy Flappy fly made in 1994 with all IDs and additional hang tags.  The article number is 099588. He is unjointed and in top condition.  He is made from russet fleece, black woven fur, white fur, and blue trevira velvet that has a honeycomb print on it.  Detailed with black cord on the face.  Softly stuffed with poly fiberfill.  About 10 cm tall and 20 cm long."

No need to wing it here... this little guy is one big Steiff deal!  Believe it or not, this funky fly, despite his relative newness, is on the wish list of many collectors due to his rarity and strangeness.  Back in 2009, Steiffgal awarded this pattern the grand prize winner of a Steiff "What Were They Thinking" contest - a countdown of Steiffgal's top choices for the oddest Steiff designs.  Flappy was only produced in 1994 and came in five colors: red, yellow, green, blue, and brown. This model is the brown model. Steiffgal has the green version, he is pictured here on the left.  Steiffgal once gave a red Flappy to a friend as a birthday gift; in disbelief he exclaimed that the fly would forever be his favorite Steiff collectible of all time.

Size defies with today's third auction highlight.  Here we have lot 17-5003, a little hedgehog clip.  He is cataloged as...

"A 6 cm tip clip premium hedgehog made in 1979-1985.  The article number is 1671/06. Made as a brooch or decoration.  The face, ears, ears, and underside are made of brown trevira velvet.  He has black plastic eyes and a black glass bead nose.  The clip is on his back. He has a special yellow and green Steiff linen tag imprinted with his article number and "FFSPN - Fédération Française of the Societes de protection de la nature."  It is very clean and in top condition.  He measures approximately 6 cm long and 4.5 cm wide."

There's no need to hedge any bets here that this baby hedgehog is a "customer special" for The National Society of Nature Protection, a French nonprofit which "aims to implement educational activities and nature protection in France but also in the world." This sweet treat is based on Steiff's standard line 6 cm Joggi Igel or Joggi Hedgehog. Joggi was manufactured in 6, 10, and 17 cm from 1966 through 2002. The original 6 cm Joggi is pictured here on the left. 

A customer special is an item that is embellished with an unusual custom ribbon, a felt accessory, a unique tag, or other small differentiators. In the case of this hedgehog, the standard yellow and black tag was replaced with a green and white tag, and a clip was added. In the past, Steiff did not necessarily separately catalog customer specials. These finds are exciting, as well as frustrating, to collectors, who always want to know the full story behind unusual Steiff items. It is Steiffgal's best guess that this item was produced for NSNP as a gift for the organization's staff, donors, or volunteers; made as a give-away for a trade show or conference; or was available for purchase directly from NSNP to help support the organization.  NSNP's current logo is here on the left.  It is interesting to note it now features a ladybug... which would also make for a great Steiff customer special pin!

Steiffgal hopes this review of some of these hot lots available at the upcoming Teddy Dorado sale has given you auction fever!  You can view the entire auction catalog by clicking here. 

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