There's No Need To Make A Long Story Short Over This Rare Steiff Rabbit!

Talk about a hare-raising find! A Steiff-loving friend from Europe has just added a super-sized rabbit to their hug, but wants to learn more about it. There's no tall tales when it comes to this distinctive and legacy Steiff design! Bojan from Serbia shares, 

"This time I got this long-legged rabbit, which I got by exchanging for one little Steiff pig. Unfortunately, his left foot is damaged, so if you can give me some advice, what should I do, fix it if possible, or leave him like this? He is filled with some solid material, he is fully jointed and the dimensions (standing) from the top of the head to toe are 50 cm (with raised ears 60 cm). I would say that the button is made of nickel and has a diameter of 8mm. His fur is made of mohair. His eye color is a combination of blue and black and he has an open mouth."

This long and lanky fellow is Steiff's fun and hard to find dangling lulac rabbit in the largest standard size made. This model technically is cataloged at 60 cm tall, is five ways jointed, and is made from caramel and light orange mohair. His hands and feet are made from shaggy mohair. His mouth is open and lined in peach colored felt; his pink nose is hand embroidered. He has blue and black google eyes. These can be twisted and turned about to give the rabbit's face comical expressions. This large sized lulac hare was in the line from 1964-66. Although lulac rabbits are of interest to collectors, this big guy is highly sought after due to his short time in the line. Also charming, but more common, is the smaller version of this fun bun who was made in 43 cm from 1952-74.

Most collectors are familiar with Steiff’s cartoonish “lulac” creatures. These are animals like Bojan's rabbit with exaggeratedly long limbs and torsos. The name "lulac" probably came about through the combination of the German words for laughter, smiling, and lanky - suggesting that this unconventional design was designed to have a goofy appearance and to bring a smile to the face of the owner. You can see one of the rarest midcentury lulac style animals in the form of a zebra here on the left. He is 30 cm tall, made from mohair, and is unjointed. Although the history of this particular black and white beauty is not entirely known, it has been suggested that he was produced as an exclusive for the upscale toy retailer F.A.O. Schwarz in the mid-1950s. The photo is from Steiffgal's personal collection. 

Now let's talk about the big bunny's foot issue; he seems to have lost most of his felt pad over time. Given the rarity of this item, and how much Bojan clearly likes it, it would be Steiffgal's recommendation to have the pad repaired. For the most part, this fix is pretty simple and not terribly expensive in the hands of a skilled restorer. Sometimes it is challenging to find felt that closely matches the original fabric for the patch given how natural and organic materials age and fade over time. It is just really important that all restoration work is documented, and communicated to potential future buyers, as "all original condition" is important to some collectors. 

Steiffgal hopes this discussion on Bojan's big bunny has been a good learning "hop"-portunity for you!

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

Taking A Stand On Restoring This Century-Old Steiff Heirloom

It's a family affair when it comes to the cub under discussion here today. Steiff's wonderful dolls, Teds, and animals are truly friends for life, but sometimes need a little help to preserve them for future generations to come. Check out this note from David who asks about a beloved button-in-ear bear that's been part of his family history for at least a century. He writes:

"I have read your discussion of "To Restore Or Not To Restore" and I have a Steiff Bear with similar wear issues. Photos are attached. It has several bald spots, wear on the paws and one ear is held on with a pin. I believe that it either belonged to my grandmother who was born in 1900 or to my father who was born in 1923. I would like to have it restored but don't know where to look for a professional restorer. Any recommendations or advice that you can give me will be greatly appreciated. Thank you, David."

Can you bear it? What a charming heirloom - and how nice that it is still beloved in the same family over all these years. This cub on all fours is a popular and prolific pattern that was a mainstay in Steiff's prewar catalog. Given his presentation, larger long trailing "f" button, and glass pupil eyes, it is Steiffgal's best guess that he was made broadly in the c. 1915-1935 time frame. This time frame aligns both with David's grandmother and father's birthday so it is not really possible with only this one datapoint to determine his original owner. His grandmother could have gotten it as a young woman, or his father could have gotten it as a baby. Either way, the bear is a fabulous, intergenerational treasure.

Everyone has a different take on restoration, and it is a really personal choice. Steiffgal believes in doing no harm, being authentic and transparent about "fixes," and using repair work to stabilize issues and insure the longevity of an item. And what can be restored - or not - is very dependent on the condition of the item. For example, is usually extremely difficult, if not impossible, to fix issues with dry mohair, as material in this state tends to simply crumble if it is handled or gets wet.

That being said (with the full disclosure that Steiffgal has not seen this bear firsthand to evaluate his condition and is NOT a professional restoration expert) there are several POSSIBLE restorative ideas that David may consider in regards to his heirloom.

1. Cleaning. After nearly a century, this bear could certainly benefit from a light and careful professional cleaning. With cleaning, it is really important to be extremely careful around bare, balding, or delicate areas of the mohair. Depending on the state of his mohair, which does need evaluation, this could be done in a number of ways. Among others, these may include using moisture based solution, or a gentle brushing with a soft bristled brush - much like a shaving brush - to lift and remove dirt and dust from him. The cleaning will fluff him up a bit as well.

2. Ears. It is great that the family retained his original ear with the bear via a safety pin. You can see that "home repair" pictured here on the left. As such, it is probably very possible that this could be restitched to his head with stitches and spacing mirroring the one still in place.

3. Pads. Depending on the condition of his felt pads, the damage on them could either be "plugged" with felting, or recovered with felt of a matching color. Color matching tends to be challenging, but professional restorers have a number of techniques to make this possible. 

4. Stitching. Depending on the condition of the mohair on his face, it is possible that his nose could be restitched to its original design. And although it is hard to tell from the photos, perhaps a few of his original black stitched claws need to be replaced as well.

5. Stuffing. Because this design is somewhat "stocky" and does not have any significant "slender" areas (like long, thin limbs or a tail) it is less likely that his stuffing has broken down or shifted significantly to cause stress on his mohair. However, this is still possible and not captured in pictures. A professional restorer would assess the need for this in person. 

There are several options for finding a good restorer. There is a group on Facebook called Teddy Bear Restoration Group which represents lay and professional restoration folks from all over the world. Joining this group, posting photos of your item, and asking for help or recommendations is a good place to start. This would also be a good way to find a somewhat "local" professional, if that is a priority. A quick google search for "Teddy bear restorers" resulted in a number of options. If you go this route, be sure to check out "before" and "after" photos of their work, ask about similar projects, and request references if you want. Steiffgal has personally worked with Martha Anderson here in the USA and Dot Bird in the UK; both have long histories as wonderful "Teddy Magicians." 

Steiffgal hopes you found this discussion on restoration sew far, sew good.

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