You'll Be All Ears Over This Happy Hoppy Hybrid Hare!

Talk about a rare hare... combined with LOVE AT FIRST SIGHT! That's was exactly Steiffgal's reaction when it came to an absolute rarity she spotted on eBay recently. Take a look at this remarkable little Steiff prewar rabbit... and just try not to fall in love with it as well!

This tiny guy is a super cool bunny made as a woolen miniature, but with mohair detailing. He is pictured here on the left and the photo is from ebay. According to the eBay listing, he is a..."Rare Steiff Wool Rabbit is approximately 5 inches high. Has mohair ears with underscored FF button. Glass eyes. 1935-1939." Additionally, he is lined in wires and is poseable, probably head jointed, and detailed with glass pupil eyes and a small painted mouth. Steiffgal suspects he left the factory in Giengen with clear monofilament whiskers. This happy handful was made in 7 and 10 cm (measured without ears) in light brown and white or all white from 1935-1939 overall.

Steiff's woolen miniatures debuted in the very early 1930s. They were introduced as a low cost, entry level priced line for the company at a challenging economic period. The first woolies were birds and bunnies; their natural forms and shapes were easily interpreted in Nomotta wool pom-poms of different sizes and color combinations. As time went on, Steiff produced more and more elaborate woolen miniatures with greater detailing. These included other materials - like lace and ribbons - and accessories - like perches, voice boxes, and aviaries - in their designs in addition to Nomotta pom-poms.

In the mid 1930s, Steiff made a number of woolen miniatures that included relatively expensive woolen mohair fabric. This material was used to create the ears of several different dogs (including a St. Bernhard, Chin-Chin, and King Charles Spaniel), a few rabbits (including one on skis), and even a really unusual Teddy bear made from long white yarns. Given their elaborate construction, like the rabbit under discussion here today, Steiffgal suspects that the introduction of these "hybrid" mohair/woolen miniatures was Steiff's way of "upscaling" the woolen miniature line a bit. The mohair ears were "stitched into" the core of woolen threads to keep them in place... or at least that is how the mohair ears on the woolen miniature Teddy bear are engineered. You can see this terrific Ted pictured here on the left; he was made in 22 cm from 1936-1938.

Today, it is extremely rare to find Steiff's highly sought after woolen miniatures with mohair features on the secondary market. That is one reason Steiffgal was tickled pink to see this one on eBay. Given their appeal and petite scale, it is very possible that many were "loved to death" and simply lost to time over the years. Steiffgal also suspects that in reality, very few were actually made. The mid- to late 1930s were really tough years in Germany and it is quite probable that supply chain and labor issues really limited the number actually manufactured and sold during that time. And, of course, any enthusiast lucky enough to have one of these absolute rarities in their collection already is probably not in any rush to move it along! It's just supply vs. demand at its finest. 

Steiffgal hopes this discussion on woolen miniatures with mohair features has been a cheerful earful for you. 

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

Bird's This Word With This Fantastic Wooden Steiff Cuckoo Novelty

Wooden it be nice to come across a really rare Steiff novelty? Of course it would! And here's your chance, thanks to a new friend from far away who is interested in learning more about her unusual Steiff treasure. Take a look at this singing sweetie... Steiffgal is certain you will go cuckoo over it as well.

What we have here is Steiff's whistling wooden bird on a seesaw toy. He is standing, 12 cm, and gloriously painted as a cuckoo. His legs are made from metal. He stands on a platform, that when pinched back and forth, makes a chirping sound. This fantastic find was produced from 1926-1935. In addition to the cuckoo model, Steiff also produced this same product concept as a wooden duck and swallow; both were made in 12 cm from 1926-1931.

Although most people associate soft toys and collectibles with the Steiff name, the company also has a long tradition of manufacturing wooden playthings, too. In the late 19-teens and early 1920's, Steiff began producing large numbers of wooden items - in part because mohair and other softer materials were in short supply post World War l. These treasures included block sets; wooden characters on rocking bases and wooden wheels; building sets; trains; pull wagons; and animal-themed wagons. Birds on wheels were exceptionally popular; ducks, finches, tits, geese, hens, chicks, and swallows were produced in the c. 1919-1941 time frame. The catalog describes these pre-war models as "Top quality wood, rounded edges and smooth surface, detailed painting." Post war, wooden toys became much less prominent in the line; animal pull toys were manufactured through the 1970's but their designs were far less detailed than their pre-war cousins. Here on the left you can see this cuckoo whistling toy as pictured in Pfeiffer's 1892-1943 Sortiment book.

The timing and design of this cuckoo toy whistle also are noteworthy. Starting in the mid-1920s, Steiff began really emphasizing novelties in their product development priorities. This was most likely in response to pressures in the marketplace, competition amongst other toymakers, and the desire to be seen as a really innovative, responsive company - especially in the United States. As a result, items like novelty bears (Teddy Clown, Teddy Rose, Petsy, etc.) and playful pull toys (roly-dolys, gallops, and wi-wags) took center stage in the Steiff catalog. The company's whistling wooden birds, which were small, interactive, attractive, and unique, were also a perfect fit for Steiff's novelty focus. 

The basic concept behind cuckoo's chirping mechanism was repurposed for another charming novelty that appeared in the line from 1932-1943. This was Steiff's "Chirp Couple." This ephemeral item consisted of two Steiff woolen miniature birds on a green "seesaw" type of movable platform. When the platform was moved up and down, the birds appeared to sing and bow to each other. In July, 2020, an example of a Chirp Couple realized almost $450 at auction. It is pictured here on the left; the photo is from LiveAuctioneers.com. The Chirp Couple was also featured in the 1932 F.A.O. Schwarz catalog under the category of "Unusual Stocking Toys." The listing read: "Pair of Wooly Birds on 4-1/2" voice bellow platform. $0.75." $0.75 in 1932 has the buying power of $14.11 today in 2020.

Steiffgal hopes this discussion on the company's fantastic and rare chirping cuckoo has been music to your ears.

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

This Steiff Woolen Miniature Bunny Is A Shoe-In!

There is no question that size defies when it comes to Steiff's wonderful woolen miniature animals, especially those produced before World War II. It is absolutely amazing how much personality and detailing the company was able to include in the design of these tiny treasures - some no more than a few centimeters tall or wide! A few of these charming, larger scaled pets also featured internal wire skeletons, so they were practically as posable as the company's standard line Teddy bears and animals. Steiffgal recently added one very special palm-sized example to her collection, and she's sure you'll be all ears to learn more about him. Check out this handsome hare and see what makes him so special!

This petite treat deserves a standing ovation! He is 9 cm tall, begging, and made from Nomotta wool. His head, upper body, and tail are made from tan colored threads, while his lower body is made from red colored threads. His ears are made from tan felt and his arms, which have been lot to time, would have been made from the same material. He is fully string jointed, meaning that he can move his head and body side to side. His face come to life with brown and black glass pupil eyes and traces of a pink airbrushed nose and mouth. He had clear monofilament whiskers when he left the factory in Giengen, Germany eight decades ago. Rabbit's legs are made from metal and he retains his adorable, all original tan felt slippers, which you can see here on the photo to the left. He retains his tiny, long trailing "f" style button-in-ear. This happy hopper was made in this size only from 1936 through 1941.

This boy bunny was actually produced as a hare pair - really! Steiff launched this little Romeo as half of a "his and her" rabbit couple. The girl, who was the same size and had the same construction as the boy, differed in her coloration. Her upper body was made from red colored thread and her lower body was made from tan colored threads - just the opposite of the boy. And her slippers were red instead of tan, like the boy's footwear. You can see this cute couple on the photo here on the left, it is taken from Pfeiffer's 1892-1943 Sortiment.

Given their popularity, the number of woolen miniature bunnies in Steiff's pre-war line multiplied like, well, jackrabbits. They were produced in all sorts of sizes and configurations, including lying and hopping versions. A great rarity is the company's "ski rabbit," a 17 cm woolen miniature bunny wearing a scarf and accessorized with wooden skis and ski poles. Others were made into "congratulators" which were designed as gifts to be personalized with messages from the giver to the recipient. A tumbler featuring a 10 cm white or brown woolen miniature begging rabbit was also produced from 1936 through 1941. You can see a few of these variations, along with the rabbit under discussion today, in this page from Steiff's 1938 catalog. You can click on the image to make it bigger and easier to read. 

Steiffgal hopes this discussion on this woolen miniature rabbit in slippers has made you smile from head to toe. 

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

The Perfect Stocking Stuffers... Early Steiff Woolen Miniatures!

One of Steiffgal's favorite things about this time of year is what her nephews call the "big socks," or Christmas stockings. After all, what's more fun that an oversized piece of faux hosiery filled to the brim with sweets and gifts?  So this got Steiffgal thinking - what would be perfect Steiff stocking stuffers?  Maybe the company's early woolen miniatures or "woolies?"  After all, they don't take up too much room, wrap easily, have a fantastic legacy, and truly capture the precious nature of the season! So let's check out these three very vintage "tiny treasures" to really get into the spirit of the holidays!

Bird's the word with this first pre-war Steiff woolie stocking stuffer.  This mellow yellow fellow is Steiff's Golden Bunting bird.  He is 8 cm, head jointed, and made from yellow, tan, brown, and olive green woolen yarns.  He stands upon metal legs that have been painted brown.  His tail feathers are made from brown felt, and his beak is made from orange felt.  He has tiny black button eyes.  Yellow Bunting wears his Steiff button and tag like a bracelet around his leg.  He never had a chest tag.

This golden oldie was produced in 4 and 8 cm from 1934 through 1943.  Around the same time period, Steiff also made woolie Robins, Green Woodpeckers, Finches, Blue Tits, and Sparrows.  Like the Golden Bunting, all were made in 4 and 8 cm and had very similar construction.  Only their yarn colors differentiated from species to species.  You can see several of the 4 cm versions of these other birds - and also the 8 cm Golden Bunting - in the picture on the left.  It is interesting to note that Steiff reintroduced all their 4 and 8 cm Robin, Green Woodpecker, Finch, Blue Tit, and Sparrow models right after the factory reopened for toy-making business in the late 1940's.  However, the Golden Bunting version, for some mystery reason, never appeared in the line after 1943.

Steiffgal's just quackers over this second woolie Steiff stocking stuffer.  Here we have a little 4 cm Steiff duck.  His body, head, and backside pom-pom are made from yellow woolen yarn.  His decorative head pom-pom is made from white woolen yarn.  His large, friendly beak and oversized feet and legs are made from orange felt.  His face is detailed with black bead eyes and a touch of orange airbrushing.  His button and tag, which have been lost to time, would have been on one of his feet.

This darling woolie duck was made in only this size and color combination from 1931 through 1941.  For the most part, pre-war Steiff woolie birds were designed to stand on metal legs, so this lying duck is somewhat unusual in terms of form and presentation.  

Not a creature was stirring - except for this mouse!  This final Steiff woolie stocking stuffer is not only insanely adorable, but also extremely seasonally appropriate!  This is Steiff's woolie mouse in felt slippers.  He is 9 cm, standing, head jointed, and made from white and orange woolen yarn.  His head and lower body are white, while his midsection is orange.  His hands and ears are made from single thick felt.  His legs are made from grey metal which has been painted light pink.  His little slippers are made from single thick orange felt and literally "slip on" his feet.  His tiny face comes to life with red bead eyes, a touch of pink to indicate his nose and mouth, and a few clear monofilament whiskers.  When he was a younger man - eh, mouse - he had a long matching tail.  He retains his tiny short trailing f Steiff button in his ear.
  
This petite treat was made in from 1936 through 1942 in this size only.  He also came in several other color combinations, including grey and red and brown and yellow.   Steiff also made several other standing woolie models with tiny felt slippers around this same time period; these included birds, rabbits, ladybugs, beetles, and bumblebees. 

Steiffgal hopes this discussion on Steiff's tiny pre-war woolies has gotten you excited for the holidays in a mighty big way.

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

Things Are On The Move At The Upcoming Teddy Dorado Auction!

Things certainly are on the move in the auction world!  And that can only mean good things for Steiff collectors and enthusiasts all from all corners of the Earth!  On Saturday, March 22, 2014, Steiffgal's dear friends at Teddy Dorado are hosting a fantastic auction event in Germany featuring over 300 lots of older, modern, and replica Steiff collectibles - certainly something for everyone!  In order to spring readers to action over this auction, Teddy Dorado was kind enough to send us VIDEOS of some of the finest vintage items in the sale.  So let's take a look at these "moving pictures" and see what makes these highlights so interesting from the collector and historical perspectives - and don't forget to click on the big arrow on the pictures above each description to start the show!



You know spring is truly in the air when you can hear the birds singing their happy warmer weather song!  Here we have a truly fantastic example of Steiff's "Chirp Couple."  This really marvelous item consists of two Steiff woolen miniature birds on a green "seesaw" type of movable platform.  The platform measures about 9 cm tall and 11 cm long.   When the platform is moved up and down, the birds appear to sing and bow to each other.   The bird with the blue head is Steiff's standard line Blue Tit (made in 4 and 8 cm from 1934 through 1943); the bird with the red head is Steiff's Finch (made in 4 and 8 cm from 1933 through 1943).  Both birds are 8 cm and are head jointed.  They are made from Nomotta wool and have brown metal legs and felt beaks and tail feathers.  Remarkably, each retains their crisp and fully legible red ear tag and Steiff button, which are worn like an anklet on each bird. 

This extraordinary item was in the Steiff line overall from 1932 thorough 1943; given the type of birds on the platform and the red ear tags, it is most probable that this specific example was made in 1934.  For more information on the Chirp Couple, click here.



It's time now to move on to another very springlike Teddy Dorado auction highlight - one that really enjoys just swaying in the breeze!  Here we have an amazingly rare Steiff lamb hanging pram toy.  The lamb itself standing, unjointed and is about 8.5 cm tall and 9 cm long.  His face, ears and legs are made from felt.  His legs are lined in wires for strength and poseability.  His sweet and tiny face is detailed with black button eyes and a simple pink hand embroidered nose and mouth.  He wears a tiny ribbon and bell.  Lamb is suspended from an elastic cord which is decorated with woolen pom-poms and finished with an ivory ring for hanging.  And no need to count sheep over this one - lamb is a rattle and also retains his button as his Steiff ID! 

This woolie and wonderful pram toy was in the line from 1902 through 1917.  It is estimated that this piece was produced in the 1905 through 1909 time frame - although he looks like he's game for at least another century of fun and play!  In addition to this design, Steiff also made a few other lamb pram toys; these included one with just a lamb's head suspended from an elastic cord decorated with pom-poms (produced from 1904 through 1912) and a more elaborate one of a full lamb reclining on a felt covered ring suspended from ribbons (produced from 1916 through 1918.)  Like the lamb pram toy featured in the Teddy Dorado auction, each of these two other pram toys were finished with an ivory ring for hanging.  For more information on the lamb pram toy, click here.



So lets take a paws - however briefly - to check out this final moving marvel from the upcoming auction.  Could this just be the perfect pooch?  Here we have a stellar example of Steiff's Rattler Terrier with a tail moves head mechanism.  In terms of size, he measures about 19.5 cm tall (without his ears)  or 17.5 cm long (without his tail.) Rattler is sitting, head jointed, and firmly stuffed with excelsior.  He is made from mohair with grey highlights.  His charming and authentic beard and eyelashes are made from longer mohair with a tan/orange cast to it.  His face is detailed with lovely almond shaped tri-colored glass eyes and a black hand embroidered nose and mouth.  His belly squeaker and his tail moves head mechanism are in fine and working order - this is most unusual for an item over 75 years old!  Remarkably, Rattler retains his underscored button in ear, crisp and fully legible yellow ear tag (with a very cool H for "head mechanism" stamped on it), movement instruction tag on his tail, and large, colorful named chest tag as his Steiff IDs.  

There's no need to give anyone a heads up that Rattler might win best of show at the upcoming Teddy Dorado event.  Overall, this blue-ribbon beauty was produced in 8, 10, 14, 17, 22, 25, 28, and 35 cm in the 1930 through 1943 time period.  Steiff produced a number of "tail moves head" items in the early 1930's, including other dogs, rabbits, and cats.  These items were produced as higher end "luxury" pieces; their internal mechanisms were designed to create a natural type of movement within the animal.  For more information on this Rattler, please click here.

Steiffgal hopes this video preview of Teddy Dorado auction highlights has been more fun than a Saturday movie matinee!  For more information on Teddy Dorado and their upcoming events and offerings, please click here!

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