This Earliest Steiff Cub On Wheels Is A Little Rough Around The Edges

Which comes first.... age or beauty? In this case, it's a tie for sure. Check out this very vintage, legacy Steiff bear on wheels. This old man has circled the sun in three separate centuries, and is hardly any worse for the wear. Come see what makes him so interesting from the materials and product development timeline perspectives.

This cheerful cub is standing, head jointed, and is 17 cm tall (measured vertically). He is made from brown short pile plush. His paw pads are made from tan felt. His face comes to life with black button eyes and a black hand embroidered nose and mouth. He also has black hand embroidered claws. He is mounted on two metal axles and rides upon four metal wheels - each is about 1 inch in diameter. You can see a close up of his "ride" at the end of this post. When he left the factory in Giengen, he would have been wearing a leather collar. This accessory has been lost to time. He was made in this brown short pile plush fabric in 10 sizes ranging from 10 to 100 cm from 1894-1926 overall. There is no indication on his ear that he ever had a button; as such, it is entirely possible that he was made in the prebutton era - c. 1894 through 1903/04. 

This bear's fabric represents a materially important time period in Steiff's history. He is made from a somewhat rough to the touch cloth consisting of thicker brown woolen threads woven with thinner tan cotton threads. The way they come together gives the bear a bit of texture and visual interest. Steiff used this material on some of their earliest bears as it was available, affordable, and was probably the best alternative at the time. Because parts of this fabric are woolen and other parts are not, it ages and manifests losses in an interesting way. When the brown woolen threads are lost to time or insect damage, only the tan thinner cotton threads remain. Unlike mohair, there is no backing to this short pile plush - so you can see the excelsior stuffing between the threaded areas of loss. 

Mohair was really a game changer for Steiff when it became available on a commercial scale in 1903. This "newfangled" fabric caught the eye of Richard Steiff, who brilliantly realized how well it would translate to the toy making world. And, just a few months later, he would unveil his 55PB bear at the 1904 Leipzig Spring Fair! This cub, which measured 55 cm tall, was made from long, reddish brown mohair, five ways string jointed, and detailed with black boot button eyes and a gutta percha nose. He was very heavy and solidly stuffed with excelsior and made to look like a real bear, not a playful toy. Although 55PB was not a commercial success - his mohair "grandson"... a cardboard disk jointed cub debuting around 1905... would go on to make Steiff one of the most recognized and beloved toy companies on the planet. 

It is interesting to note that the short pile plush bear under discussion today remained in production for more than two decades after the introduction of softer, more playful mohair items in the Steiff line.  This suggests that he sold well and was profitable enough to hold his place in the company's catalog. There's certainly no denying his charm and appeal - almost 130 years onward. 

Steiffgal hopes this discussion on this legacy bear on wheels has come full circle for you.

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

Feeling Bullish Over This Fantastic and Early Steiff Comic Strip Dog

It's no laughing matter when it comes to Steiff's early cartoon-based creations!  And this one is a canine comic legend.  After many years of searching, Steiffgal finally welcomed this blue-ribbon buddy into her collection.  And besides a few really senior Teddy bears, he is now amongst the oldest Steiff items in her hug. Please say hello to Tige the Bull Terrier!

Things couldn't be merrier when it comes to this Terrier. Tige measures 17 cm tall standing and 25 cm long from head to fanny, not including his long, skinny tail. He is five ways jointed and made from brown short pile plush. This material feels like an itchy old coat or blanket, with its fibers smooth to the surface instead of vertical to it, like mohair. His broad chest and front two paws are made from traditional white mohair. He has three black hand embroidered claws on each of his paws and floppy, brown felt lined ears. Tige's face comes to life with black shoe button eyes, a prominent black hand embroidered nose and mouth, dimensional jowls, and a white stitch to indicate a tooth at the intersection of his mouth lines. He also has black painted lines all over his face most likely to suggests folds and coloration, as well as a few spots and lines on his body and limbs. This Tige was produced in 17, 22, 28, 35, and 43 cm from 1906 through 1917 overall. Tige retains his long trailing "F" button and traces of his white ear tag as his IDs. He left the factory with a collar and leash which unfortunately in this case has been lost to time. He was also available with a muzzle in the place of the collar for a few years.

Steiff went a little bull-istic on this wonderful Bull Terrier design.  In addition to the short pile plush version, he was also produced in the same pattern in brown mohair with a white mohair chest and white front feet.  Like his short pile plush cousin, the mohair Tige was made in 17, 22, 28, 35, and 43 cm but appeared in the line from 1907 through 1918.  Both the short pile plush and the mohair versions were also available with tri-colored (white, brown, and black), round, movable glass "eccentric eyes." These eccentric eyes were available only for a handful of years and are rarer than the shoe button eyes, especially on the short pile plush versions.  

Tige of course is modeled on the forever friend of the comic hero Buster Brown.  This American comic strip debuted in 1902 and was penned by Richard F. Outcault.  It starred the earnest prankster Buster Brown, his gal pal Mary Jane, and a host of well meaning society adults. The cartoon proved so popular and was such a commercial success that the characters were soon used to sell shoes, as well as clothing, books, baked goods, and a huge range of other novelties for children. Did you know that girl's "Mary Jane" style shoes with straps are named after the female lead from this beloved comic strip?

For a wonderful overview of early and original Buster Brown comic strips, please click here to view a great document provided by The Smithsonian Libraries. It takes awhile to load, and the cartoons start around page 7, but all of this is totally worth it!

Seeing how popular Bull Terriers were in America - perhaps because of the "Buster Brown effect" - Steiff began producing their own version of this dog breed for national and international distribution.  However, the company did not secure a licence to produce a Buster Brown or Mary Jane felt doll.  Over time, Steiff produced a few special order dolls in the likeness of Buster Brown for customers in London and New York.  It wasn't until 1913 that the company added their versions of Buster Brown and Mary Jane to their standard catalog offering.  Named Willy and Lilly, both were 43 cm and fully 
jointed. They were designed as elegant playthings and as such, each was detailed with elegantly tailored velvet clothing and long, hand-rooted hair. Lilly is pictured here on the left, the photo is from Ladenburger Spielzeugauktion GmbH. However, according to company records, in 1913 Steiff only sold 27 Willy dolls and 26 Lilly dolls, so their time in the line was extremely short.

Steiffgal hopes this discussion on Steiff's early Tige Bull Terriers has left you feeling bullish.

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

Fawning All Over This Delightful and Very Early Steiff Deer On Wheels

Steiffgal loves to "field" questions from all over the world. So this wonderful inquiry from Canada about a very vintage field and forest friend really caught her eye. Check out this note from Kendra, who shares through a series of correspondences...
 

"Hi Steiffgal,

I have a Steiff deer that stands approximately 18-½ high at the head and is 18-½” long from the nose to the tail. The closest I can come to describing the material would be a felt-like texture. The eyes are solid black. It appears to have had a red mouth at one time. The diameter of the button in ear is 5mm. This item was purchased at an estate auction several years ago.  Is there anything that you can tell me about this piece?

Thank you, Kendra"

Oh deer, where to start with this lovely creation?  What we have here is Steiff's early deer on wheels.  He is standing, unjointed, and riding upon a metal carriage with four metal wheels.  His handsome head and face are detailed with felt lined ears, great felt horns, and black button eyes.  Based on a close up study of his actual material, Steiffgal believes he might be made from what's called "simple plush," a very early material Steiff used on "furry" animals at the turn of last century.  It is possible that he left the factory in Giengen wearing a simple collar with a bell.  This pattern was produced in 22, 28, 35, 43, 50, and 60 cm from 1899 through 1919 overall.  

Given that models with horns were only produced through 1908, and that the deer has a tiny trailing "f" button, it can be determined that Kendra's deer on wheels - which is either the 43 or 50 cm version -  was most likely manufactured in the 1906 to 1908 time frame.

It's easy to get the warm fuzzies looking at this wonderful deer!  And his materials are truly reflective of the transitional era of his manufacture.  Mohair became viable on a commercial scale in Germany around 1903.  It turned out to be a great material for Steiff's newly introduced Teddy bears, as well as other naturally "furry" animals in the line.  However, before 1903, Steiff was producing fuzzy products including dogs, cats, bears, and field and forest animals like deer.  In order to give these earliest turn of last century items as much of a realistic touch as possible, they were made from period toy making fabrics, including early textured plush materials like this "simple plush" and short pile plush. As time went on, Steiff started transitioning their designs from these early fabrics to mohair, which could be produced in almost infinite options in terms of color and texture.  It also offered a soft, lush, authentic appearance, which perfectly aligned with Steiff's position as a growing worldwide leader in the international toy marketplace.  

Steiffgal hopes you have fawned all over this discussion on Kendra's vintage deer!

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