Giving Thanks For Steiff's Century-Plus Long Tradition of Turkey Production

It's feast or famine when it comes to Steiff's terrific turkeys! Steiffgal happens to love turkeys, and not just because they are one of the state birds of Massachusetts (where she lives) or that a flock of wild ones live in the park across the street from her home. Given Thanksgiving is right on the horizon, and these big birds play a starring role in this beloved holiday, it's the perfect time to take a look at the history of turkeys in the Steiff line. 

Steiff's debut turkey was hot stuff indeed. He was a 43 cm turkey coffee cozy, which was manufactured from 1912 through 1920. He is standing and made from various shades of brown and tan felt, with glorious hand painted detailing on his body, wings, and tail feathers. The catalogs describe him as having "very magnificent colors." You can see this early bird here on the left; the photo is from Pfeiffer's 1892-1943 Sortiment. At the turn of last century, Steiff produced a significant number of  functional and decorative household items. These included egg and tea cozies and potholders for the kitchen. Most were made from colorful felt - Steiff earliest, and legacy material. It is not surprising that Steiff would use felt for as many products as possible... and, when you think about it, felt is a perfect fabric for rendering a turkey's details like their feathers and their snood, the red dangling portion of their face. 

It's easy to feel lucky about Steiff's next turkey named Tucky. This fine feathered friend was introduced in 1952 and is pictured here on the left. He is standing and made from long brown tipped mohair that is highlighted with a touch of green airbrushing. He has a very large felt tail and wings; both are detailed with brown and tan stenciling resembling feathers. His eyes are black buttons and he has brown painted metal oversized bird feet. His head, neck, and snood are made from velvet airbrushed with red, blue, black, and green. It is fair to say he has a face that only a mother - or a Steiff collector - could love. Tucky was produced in 10 and 14 cm through 1961. For a relatively small, sort of strange animal, he has amazing detail and the work on him is quite remarkable. 

Following in Tucky's funny metal footsteps is Putty, a 14 cm bird manufactured from 1979 through 1983. He is pictured here on the left. Putty is made from various brightly colored plush materials, has nicely stenciled thick brown felt tail and wings, and big yellow plastic bird feet. His head and neck are made from trivera velvet, complemented with a red felt waddle and a tan felt beak. Like Tucky, Putty's manufacturing was quite extraordinary given his size and relative importance in the Steiff line. Putty's design evolution from Tucky is quite typical for the company, and also reflects the style preferences of the time. Given its interest in controlling costs and adding efficiencies in material selection, the company chose a simpler pattern for Putty than Tucky, as well as less expensive materials overall. For example, Putty is plush while Tucky is mohair; Putty has plastic molded feet while Tucky has painted hand formed metal feet; and Putty's head and neck are made from trivera velvet, while Tucky's are made from old fashioned velvet. 

A really unusual and amazingly rare Steiff turkey is the company's studio, or life-sized turkey. These are so rare that Steiffgal has only seen or handled one - an example that sold in 2016 at auction for over $5,000! This model is 80 cm, standing, unjointed, and made from tan and black mohair, longer decorative hair, and felt. His legs and feet are made from metal and covered in grey felt. His authentic wings, tail feathers, and body are made from mohair that has been airbrushed in shades of brown, green, and pink - giving the appearance of feathers and feathering. His head and tail feathers are detachable for storage and shipping. His head and neck are made from a solid piece of molded rubber with large shiny black eyes. This whole area is quite authentic looking, and is finished in shades of pink, grey, and tan. You can see this rarity here on the left, the photo is from Morphy Auctions.

And finally, Steiff's most recent turkey - as far as Steiffgal can tell - is a turkey named Tommy who appeared as a North American limited edition in 2005 in an edition size of 1,500. Tommy is 18 cm tall, standing, and made from brown mohair and felt. He has a very large felt tail and wings; both are detailed with painting resembling feathers. His eyes are black buttons backed in orange. His oversized feet and legs are made from felt and are posable. His head and neck are made from carefully painted felt. This guy would be an AWESOME holiday centerpiece or table focal point - he's such a hoot. A little known fact about Tommy is that he was named after a beloved and longtime Steiff salesman from the Midwest in the United States. 

Steiffgal hopes this discussion on Steiff's terrific turkeys has put you in a thankful frame of mind.

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

This Steiff Honey Bear Is Certain To Sweeten Your Day!

How sweet it is to find a really unusual Steiff treasure? Especially one you've only viewed in photos or read about. So check out this amazing Honey Bear Steiffgal recently had the pleasure of handling. There's no sugar coating it - this rarity truly is the bee's knees!

Have you ever seen anything like this merry mashup before? If an anteater, raccoon, and a Teddy bear all had a love child together, Steiffgal suspects this is what the baby would probably look like. Honey Bear is 40 cm tall, unjointed, and probably designed to sit. His body is made from brown soft knitted plush. His belly is orange soft knitted plush, and his facial mask and nose area are light tan soft knitted plush. His paw pads are brown trevira velvet. His face, which only a mother could love, comes alive with a long pointed snout, brown and black pupil eyes, a peach colored trevira lined open mouth, and light brown airbrushing. He has a long, floppy, raccoon-ish tail. This item was made from 1976 to 1977 and is quite rare, despite its "relative" newness. 

Steiff's Honey Bear is based on a type of real-life animal called a "kinkajou." These mammals live in the Central and South American rain forests and are extremely nocturnal. They range in size from about 3 to 10 pounds. They really enjoy sweet fruit (that's why they are called "Honey Bears") which they eat with the help of their extra long tongues. Like Steiff's version, living kinkajous have an incredibly long tail and a prominent snout. They use their tails to hang from tree branches and as a "fifth hand." They are sometimes kept as pets, but are a bit challenging to domesticate as they dislike sun and daylight and only really go about their business at night. (The real-life one pictured here on the left is clearly only mugging for the camera in daylight conditions in the hopes of scoring a grand treat.)

So the sticky issue here is, why would Steiff ever make a Honey Bear as part of its product line? Well, that's a trick question because the company has actually made two - in 1995 they also produced a 45 cm standing, unjointed version made from woven fur. It does seem that over the years, Steiff has manufactured practically every animal on the planet. With this Honey Bear, things may have more to do with timing than anything else. Looking back, the mid-1970's seemed to be a period of great experimentation in terms of "unconventional" animal production. Other plush "uglies" of that era included the company's 25 or 35 cm "Wizzi" ferret made from imitation fur, a 14 cm "Putty" Turkey made from knitted fur, a 30 cm "Cosy Orangutan" with a plastic face and a very long crylor body, a 28 cm trevira velvet kudu, a 20 cm trevira velvet gnu, and many others. It is interesting to note that like the Honey Bear design, none of these "oddities" lasted for more than a handful of years in the line, either!

Steiffgal hopes this discussion on the company's Honey Bear has helped to sweeten your day.

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

Steiff Studio Birds of a Feather Flock Together At Morphy Auctions' June Sales Event!

Care to feather your nest with Steiff's fantastic birds? Then Steiffgal's got a hot tip for you! There is a totally amazing selection of Steiff birds - including incredibly rare Studio examples - coming up for sale at the upcoming Morphy Auctions' premier toy sale at the end of June. Here are three larger-than-life rarities that really took flight with her!

Isn't she pretty in pink? There's no denying that this first pick, a Steiff Studio flamingo, is truly in a class by itself. This item, lot #819 in the sale, is cataloged as...

"This fantastic Steiff flamingo would light up any room with a tropical ray of sunshine! This big bird measures 65 inches tall. He is standing, unjointed, and made from a variety of materials, including short mohair, longer decorative hair, dralon, and synthetic leather. His very long legs are made from metal and detailed with realistic knees and feet. His wings are made from mohair that has been airbrushed in shades of pink and black. His tail and tail feathers are made from black and white felt. His head and neck are detachable and fit via two prongs into his chest area. Flamingo's face comes alive with gold, green and black eyes and a rubber beak and facial mask. This rubber is drying and has minor losses around the eye areas but is otherwise fine. Flamingo has his button and hand written yellow tag as his Steiff IDs. This is the first Studio flamingo this cataloger has handled. Flamingo was produced in the 1960's and came in this size only. Condition: As noted. With light surface dust and light fading; overall in very good condition. Provenance: From a fine New England collection. Estimate: $1,000-2,000."

Bird's certainly the word with this absolute rarity. Her height, presentation, personality, and coloring are incredibly distinctive. And although she has a huge presence, she takes up very little footprint in any room so she's really easy to display. Flamingos, despite their beauty and cultural appeal, have only been produced a handful of times by Steiff in the past. Steiffgal's favorite by far was a 2004 limited edition made in mohair in an edition size of 1,500 pieces for North America. This beautiful pink bird was named "Gloria" as a nod to musician Gloria Estefan of the group "Miami Sound Machine." Steiffgal's Gloria is pictured here on the left. 

The next big bird highlight is certain to whet your appetite. Here we have, of all things, a Steiff Studio turkey. This Thanksgiving favorite, lot #831 in the sale, is cataloged as...

"Any Steiff collector would be more than thankful to have this big bird in their collection. Turkey measures approximately 30' tall and 30' wide. He is standing, unjointed, and made from tan and black mohair, longer decorative hair, and felt. His legs and feet are made from metal and covered in grey felt. His elaborate wings, tail feathers, and body are made from mohair that has been vibrantly and realistically airbrushed in shades of brown, green, and pink - giving the appearance of feathers and feathering. His head and tail feathers are detachable for storage and shipping. His head and neck are made from a solid piece of molded rubber with large shiny black eyes. This whole area is quite authentic looking, and is finished in shades of pink, grey, and tan. The underside of his head is signed by Hans Otto and Steiff and his wife, most likely during the 1980's when this couple visited the United States on Steiff goodwill tours. Turkey has his button and traces of his yellow tag as his Steiff IDs. This is the first Studio turkey this cataloger has handled. Turkey was produced in 1967 and came in this size only. Condition: As noted. Very small holes in felt feet. With light surface dust and light fading; overall in very good condition. Provenance: From a fine New England collection. Estimate: $1,000-2,000."

It's time to talk turkey about this amazing piece!  Steiffgal has seen this example in the flesh (or in the feathers, in this case) so she can say with all honesty that he is extraordinarily impressive.  His coloring, materials, and construction are simply marvelous.  But, if you are considering adding him to your flock, please take into consideration his size - he requires a very large space to display, given his dimensions and attitude!  Like his cousin the flamingo mentioned above, Steiff also hasn't produced very many turkeys over the years.  The best known ones include silly mohair Tucky and dralon Putty.  Steiffgal happens to love turkeys, and not just because they are one of the state birds of Massachusetts (where she lives) or that a flock of wild ones live in the park across the street from her home. Her favorite Steiff turkey is Tommy, who was produced in a limited edition size of 1,500 for the US market in 2005, and is named after one of Steiff's longest serving mid-west sales reps. Tommy is pictured here on the left. 

Three's a charm when it comes to this last fantastic Steiff Studio bird up for sale at Morphy's.  Here we have a life sized vulture - yup, a vulture.  This super scavenger, lot #836, is cataloged as...

"This seldom if ever seen Steiff Studio vulture does not appear in Pfeiffer's Steiff Sortiment, collector's go-to Steiff reference book. He measures 22 inches tall with a wingspan of at least 24 inches. He is standing, unjointed, and made from a variety of materials, including mohair, woven plush, and dralon. A few of his breathtaking details include huge mohair feet with rubber claws; impressive, dimensional outstretched wings and tail feathers that are die cut, airbrushed, and trimmed in white fur; and a "collar" of white fur around his neck. His face is detailed with brown and black pupil eyes, copious airbrushing, and a rubber beak. This beak is loose and has dried out. The bottom section has crumbled and fallen off, but is included in the lot. Vulture retains his button and oversized, hand written yellow tag as his Steiff IDs. This is the first Studio vulture this cataloger has handled. Vulture was most likely produced in the mid-1960's, based on his materials and design details. Condition: As noted. With light surface dust and light fading; overall in very good condition. Provenance: From a fine New England collection. Estimate: $1,000-2,000."

Perhaps you are thinking to yourself, "What an odd bird?" And Steiffgal would have to agree.  But, one thing that makes Steiff so incredibly fun to study, and collect over time, are kooky, undocumented rarities such as this one from the 1960's.  And, believe it or not, that was not the only Studio vulture the company produced over the years.  From 1995-2003, Steiff manufactured a 45 cm Studio vulture on a commercial scale. An example of this more modern version is pictured here on the left.  He was made from woven fur and like a real vulture, has a bald head - which plays a key role in helping the bird cool off in the summer and warm up in the winter.   

Steiffgal hopes you have enjoyed this bird's eye view of some of the fine feathered friends coming up for sale at Morphy Auctions three day Premier Toy Sale Event on June 24th-26th, 2016.  All Steiff lots will go under the hammer on June 25th starting at 9am. For more information on the sale, and the entire online catalog, please click here!

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