It's Time For A Little Horseplay With This Sweet Steiff Filly On Wheels

Let's saddle up and take a look at this week's delightful vintage Steiff find. Here we have a barnyard friend who's really on the move, and excited to share her story with you. Check out this happy handful and see what makes her so much more than just a dog and pony show!

This pretty pony is the mane event indeed. She's 12 cm, standing, unjointed, and made from tan mohair which has been airbrushed with brown spots. Her tail and mane are made from longer, stiff mohair, and her ears are made from felt. Her face is detailed with brown and black pupil eyes and black airbrushing to indicate her nose, mouth, and other facial contours. She is ready to hit the trail with her red faux leather saddle, red plastic reins, and red string headwear detailed with yellow felt circle decorations. She is mounted on two metal axels which are connected to four blue wooden eccentric wheels. She bobs to and fro, much like a real filly, when she is pulled along. Pony on wheels was made in this size only from 1954-1957 and then again in 1960. 

Hold your horses! It's no coincidence that the information printed on filly's yellow cloth ear tag pretty much describe her to a "T." The code reads, "1312 ex." This stands for 1=standing, 3=mohair, 12= 12 cm, and ex= riding upon four wooden eccentric wheels. And her thin lettered, raised script button, which debuted in 1952, is perfectly period to her as well.

This delightful pull toy is a natural product line extension of a beloved, standard line item introduced in the early 1950s. This of course was the company's pony, which was made in 12 and 17 cm from 1951-1976 overall. The larger and smaller sizes were quite similar in design, with two details setting them apart. The first is that the smaller version had a dark tan mane, and the larger version had a white mane. The second is that the smaller version had a saddle and headwear made from thin red string and decorated with felt, while the larger one did not have a saddle and had headwear made from faux red leather and metal studs. 

Creating petite pull toys on wooden wheels from the smallest, or smaller versions of popular Steiff designs was an efficient way for the company to grow its product range in the c. 1950-1960 time frame. Versions on wheels were usually produced a few years after the animal design was initially introduced - much like in the case of the pony. For example, Cockie the cocker spaniel was introduced in 1952 in 10, 17, and 25 cm. The 10 cm Cockie was made as a pull toy from 1954-1957 and 1960. Bully the bulldog was introduced in 1951 in 10, 17, and 22 cm. The 10 cm version was made as a pull toy from 1954-1957 and 1960. And the company's postwar mohair donkey - made in 14, 22, and 28 cm from 1950 onward, was made as a 14 cm pull toy from 1954-57 and 1961. You can see Bully and Cockie on wheels here on the left.

These pint-sized, mid-century pull toys remain extremely popular with toy collectors worldwide, and for good reason! They are adorable, don't take up too much room, and look precious posed in groups or accompanying vintage dolls from any era. 

Steiffgal hopes this discussion on this pony on wheels made horse-sense to you.

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

Rolling Along With This Marvelous Miniature Steiff Donkey On Wheels

It's easy to be young at heart, even if you are not technically "young." And Steiff collectors have a knack for being youthful, as these beautiful toys make everyone feel like a kid again! This week we are taking a look at a lovely baby donkey who just happens to be over a century old. Check out this fantastic foal and see what makes her - and her ride - so lovely from the design and historical perspectives.

This happy handful packs alot of detail into a small space. She is about 13 cm tall and 15 cm wide, standing, unjointed, and made from grey mohair. Her mane and the tip of her tail are made from black mohair. Her all-mohair ears are pert and cheerful, and her face comes to life with black button eyes and a touch of airbrushing. She retains her original leather saddle, which is connected to her via two strips of linen ribbon. The saddle is detailed with three buttons, which probably helped to keep additional reins - which have been lost to time - in place. She glides along on four blue wooden wheels that are connected by metal axles.

Buttoning things up here, donkey retains her long trailing “f” knopf im ohr as her Steiff ID. This mohair donkey on wheels pattern was made in 14, 17, 22, 28, 35, 43, 50, 60, 80, and 150 cm from 1914 through 1943 overall and is one of Steiff's most beloved and endearing prewar patterns. It is Steiffgal's best guess that she is a petite version of the 14 cm edition. Given her configuration and detailing, it is suspected she is from the 1920s.

Wooden it be good to know a little more about her great blue wheels? Steiff's earliest wheeled toys were made with metal wheels. But starting in the 19-teens, the company began producing items on wooden wheels, like this darling donkey. Why is that? Steiffgal can come up with three possible business reasons for this significant and material change.

The first was to enable design flexibility. Wooden wheels, unlike metal wheels, could be painted in fun colors, adding to an items appeal, appearance, and perceived value. They also could be drilled slightly off center, becoming the company's beloved "eccentric" wheels. When an eccentric wheeled toy was pulled along, it waddled or shimmied in motion, just like the real animal would. To grow and stay competitive, Steiff needed to constantly come up with new and interesting products for the marketplace. Early wooden wheeled items lead to other rolling toys, including "Record" style, gallop, roly-poly, and wi-wag novelties.

The second was to create distribution efficiencies. Wood is lighter than metal, and that needs to be taken into consideration in terms of transportation. By the 19-teens, Steiff was indeed sending its toys and playthings all over the world. The lighter they could be made, the cheaper it would be to get them from here to there.

The third was to take advantage of available resources. The Steiff factory is located in an area with many trees and forests. Towards the end of WWI, and through the 1930s, Steiff significantly increased the number of exclusively wooden toys, and toys with wooden features, in their catalogs. It is a little known fact that Steiff produced a small line of painted, wooden furniture for children in the early 1920s. Steiff also figured out a way to create stuffed toys made from wood-plush when traditional woolen fabrics were not readily available around 1919. There is no question that the use of wood simplified the supply chain, created efficiencies, and provided factory jobs at a critical time in the company's history.

Steiffgal hopes this discussion of donkeys and wheels has been a real go-getter for you.

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

Horsing Around With This Charming Mare Pair

Are you ready for another Steiff mane event? Well, this one's twice as nice, as it features a pair of ponies! Check out this note from Steiff superfan Tom about his wife's childhood friends. He shares...

"Hi! I am hoping to find out about these two 7" horses. They were my wife's when she was a child, and if they are worth insuring, we would like to know. Also, when they were made, if they have an "item #" and description. Thank you!"

Well, its off to the races with these fine fillies. These both are Steiff ponies made exclusively for the high end North American toy retailer F.A.O. Schwarz. They are standing, unjointed, and made from tan mohair that is airbrushed with lovely chestnut highlights. Their manes and tails are made from very long greyish white mohair. Their faces are detailed with black button eyes and a little hand stitched and airbrushed mouth. Overall, this design is extremely realistic, appealing, and playful - all at the same time! 

In terms of history, this pony pattern was produced from 1963 through 1972 in this size only. Its article number is 3759/02. According to the original F.A.O. Schwarz catalog, this horse was described as “… a handsome 8.5 inch steed covered in tan and white mohair plush with flowing white mane and tail. Complete with brindle, saddle, and saddle blanket. An F.A.O. Schwarz exclusive. A toy to excite your child’s imagination, to give fun-filled hours, and provide fond memories that happily can last a lifetime.” As noted in the cataloging, these horses all left the factory in Giengen with lovely, to-scale fittings; from the photo Tom provided it appears that several of these items have been lost to time. The picture on the left, from Steiffgal's collection, shows this pony with all of her original accessories, including tiny stirrups.

Tom is also chomping at the bit to learn the value of these horses. As always, something is worth what someone will pay for it, and Steiffgal has not seen these horses firsthand to check for condition. They are lovely, but have some key issues - including missing accessories and IDs and light playwear. In the past two years, complete F.A.O Schwarz horses in very good to excellent condition with all IDs have sold in the c. $118-$495 range on eBay. It would be Steiffgal's best guessimate that "Tom's twins" might trade hands on a similar online channel in the c. $75-$120 range each. This assumes that they are as presented without any significant structural or aesthetic issues not captured on camera.

Steiffgal hopes you've enjoyed today's equine stable fable!

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

Saddling Up To A Mysterious Steiff Pony On Wheels

Hold your horses... and take a look at this terrific Steiff wheeled wonder! A reader is curious to learn more about a significant addition to her Steiff hug. Melissa writes:
 

Melissa's pony, side view

"Dear Steiffgal:

I have a very large Steiff horse on wheels that is tagged in the ear with a yellow tag with the number 1356 C or it could be 1358 C. The last number is hard to read. On his leg is a tag that says U.S. Zone.

He is very big, about 27" to the shoulder or about 34" to the top of his head. He is made of gold mohair with a blond mane and tail. The wheels are blue. He wears an elaborate wooden saddle.

The lady I purchased him from had lots of gorgeous dolls and animals that were purchased for her and her sister in the 1950's. I have not been able to track down such a large horse. Any information would be greatly appreciated.

Best,
Melissa"

Original Steiff Reit Pony, photo from Gunter Pfeiffer

This inquiry is quite the barn burner!  What Melissa clearly has here is a Reit Pony or Riding Pony from the very early 1950's.  Reit Pony is hard stuffed with excelsior and is mounted on metal disc wheels with rubber tires.  He has an interior metal frame for security and stability.  Pony is detailed with a long mane and tail; authentic saddle, reins, and stirrups; and a happy, open, felt lined mouth.  He really is an adorable barnyard buddy!  According to reference books, this design was produced overall in 42, 43, 49, 50, 60, 80, and 100 cm from 1949 through 1970 in white mohair with brown spots (pictured here on the left) and brown mohair.  But wait, Melissa says hers is blond.  What's going on here?  

Melissa's pony, front view

Don't worry, this is not a case of "pony baloney."  Timing is everything, and the timeline for this item probably holds the answer to this mystery.  Let's first take a look at the yellow tag number, which is 1356 C or 1358 C.  This is a bit unusual, as it doesn't really fall into any convention.   However, it is important to note that the article numbers for Steiff's early Reit Ponies all start with 13.  And that the series number for early post war horses was 56.  Now, what's most interesting here is the letter "c."  According to company information, from 1947 through 1958, the use of the letter "c" on a yellow ear tag would indicate that the item was originally caramel in color.  Given how close some shades of caramel and blond are, and how colors fade and change over time, it is very possible that this pony was more caramel then blond when he left the factory in Giengen almost 60 years ago.  

So, care to bet on the results of this horse race?  It is Steiffgal's best educated guess that Melissa's pony is a caramel version of Steiff's standard line Reit Pony from around 1950. It is quite clear that this example was made in the 1950 through 1953 time zone, if you line up his IDs and possible dates of manufacture.  During this time, Steiff experimented with many themes and variations of successful products, so it would not be out of the question that they tried a caramel version of their usually brown and white, or all brown, riding pony.  And what about his size, which is usually reflected in the ear tag - but not in this case?  Steiff usually measures these sorts of items height-wise.  So, if he truly measures 34" head to toe (wheels not included), this pretty pony is most likely the 80 cm version.  It is also Steiffgal's opinion that his reins and possibly his saddle are original; but his blue stirrups, red handle, and wooden seat were not made by Steiff.

Steiffgal hopes that you have enjoyed saddling up to this great Steiff horse mystery. 

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