Fantastic Finds Headline Ladenburger Spielzeugauktion's November 7th, 2026 Steiff Masterpiece Auction!

Are you feeling the Steiff love? If not, you are about to! Ladenburger Spielzeugauktion's November 7th, 2026 Steiff Masterpiece Auction is presenting a spectacular array of vintage to antique button-in-ear temptations. 287 lots are on offer; many are from the Steiff archives directly, with others from fine collections across the globe. Here are three extraordinary examples from that catalog that really caught Steiffgal's eye - and why!

This sale presents a number of seldom seen and really outstanding prewar felt dolls. This one captured Steiffgal's attention because she was not familiar with his pattern, plus she appreciates Steiff items that do "double duty." Here we have lot #2087, Steiff's Pastry Chef. It is cataloged as, "Pastry Chef, made in 1914–1915, Item No.: 50, with a small Steiff button, felt head with a long, detailed nose, shoe-button eyes, tapered chin, attached ears, large felt hands, movable arms and head, original clothing, 42 cm Condition: generally good condition, felt defect at the tip of the nose, dark spot on the right upper lip." It has an opening bid of 1200 €.

So what makes this guy so, well, tasty? Not only is he a doll, he is also a tea, coffee, or cocoa cosy! These functional dolls were created to go over a hot beverage pot to keep the contents warm in a most decorative way. In most cases, Steiff's beverage cosy items have a jointed human or animal head, jointed arms, and a hollow, tent like body. The body is usually lined in several layers of thick insulating felt. You can see his underside, jointing, and lining in the image above. These beverage cosies appeared in the Steiff line from c. 1904 - 1930 overall, with the focus on production in the c. 1904-1920 time frame. 

Also on offer is a fine hug of amazing, century spanning Steiff Teddy bears - including ones like these that do not appear in any standard Steiff reference books! Good things come in twos with lot #2218, a pair of Steiff immediate post war Throw bears. They are cataloged as, "2 x throw dolls (bear, girl, and boy), made in 1949, with a button, elongated "f," 1 x with a plain button, artificial silk plush head, glass eyes, open mouth, soft body, dangling arms and legs, 26 cm, original clothing Condition: very nice overall condition." This lot has an opening bid of 180 €.

These great cubs are made from interesting materials and also have a neat place in Steiff's product design evolution history. They are hard to find today - especially in such fine condition as these are - because their materials and construction are so ephemeral. They have jointed heads and dangling limbs. Their heads and the tips of their hands and feet are made from artificial silk plush, while their body and limbs are made out of stockinette material. They are dressed in simple outfits made from inexpensive rayon fabric. All of these materials are quite representative of the immediate post war era, when traditional toy making materials, like mohair and felt, were not yet being produced again on a commercial scale. These "Throw bears" were also made exclusively to be sold to American soldiers at the PX stores in Germany immediately post WWII. They were made in a variety of different clothing color combinations and as boys and girls. "Throw rabbits" were also made at the same time. It is Steiffgal's understanding that "Throw cats" were made as well, although she has never seen or handled one.

Amazing animals and other rarities round out this can't miss event. No doubt collectors will be howling over lot #2159, a probably prototype running wolf. It is cataloged as, "Rare sprinting Steiff wolf, manufactured in 1954, green glass eyes with vertical pupils, open mouth with pointed wooden teeth, lifelike mohair coloring, U.S. Zone flag, 14 cm tall, possibly a prototype, with archive tag, Condition: Unplayed, original condition. This wolf has an opening bid of 220 €.

This handsome dude is somewhat of a mystery in a few ways. As far as Steiffgal can tell, he is the first wolf design attempted by Steiff. He shares many details with Steiff's Loopy wolf hand puppet, which was produced in 18 cm from 1956-1978. This puppet pattern would go on to be made as a full bodied, standing wolf in 25 and 35 cm in 1964 only. Standing Loopy wolf is one of the rarest and most desirable postwar editions made by Steiff. However, it is not unheard of for Steiff to try out versions of their animals in different body positions over time. For example, the company produced standing versions of their Dally Dalmatians as exclusive items for FAO Schwarz; Dally traditionally presents sitting. And if you check out lot #2179 in this sale, you can see a prototype version of a sitting Arco German Shepherd dog. This version would not go into production as this dog design was always made standing. 

Care to throw your hat into the ring for these or any item from this exciting event? You can place your bids directly on the auctioneer's website (preregistration is required!), on LiveAuctioneers, or via phone (preregistration is also required). Please see www.spielzeugauktion.de for more information. 

For more information on Ladenburger Spielzeugauktion's November 7th, 2026 Steiff Masterpiece Auction, please click here!

Care To Go On A Date With Steiff's Delightful Prewar Rabbits?

Rabbits have always ranked among Steiff's top categories of animals manufactured, with the others being dogs, cats, and bears. Rabbits have appeared in Steiff's catalogs since their debut in 1892. At least 7 examples were featured in this first issue alone. It is interesting to note that Steiff's rabbits are "officially" measured vertically, sans ears, and that through 1937, all were called "Rabbit." In 1938, Steiff introduced "Ossi," the first named rabbit. Ossi is a nod to the German word "Ostern," which translates to "Easter" in English.

Steiff's rabbits have evolved significantly over time, which makes them somewhat easy to date if they lack their buttons or ear tags. Here's a summary of their key characteristics through the mid-1940's when the company stopped production due to World War II. The picture above on the left features a rabbit doll, two miniature rabbits, and a sitting rabbit.

Steiff's rabbits from c. 1892-1910 featured simple, “primitive” patterns with chunky proportions. They were unjointed, or VERY jointed, with head, limb, and ear jointing. Their faces were detailed with simple facial stitching and black button eyes - sometimes backed in felt - or pink and red albino eyes, or glass pupil eyes starting around 1908. These earliest buns were made from felt or velvet, often with painted spots. Mohair rabbits debuted around 1903, when this fabric became available on a commercial level. You can see an adorable, more than fully jointed white mohair albino rabbit from around 1909 here on the left. Even his little ears are jointed - and you can move them around 360 degrees!

Steiff's rabbits from the 19-teens to the early 1920s had slightly more sophisticated and lifelike presentations. They were primarily unjointed and made from tan, white, grey, or white mohair. They came to life with simple facial stitching and glass pupil eyes, sometimes backed in red felt, or pink and red albino eyes. 

Steiff's rabbits from the mid-1920s to the early 1930s had a very distinct aesthetic. The patterns introduced during this era were childlike and detailed with oversized glass pupil eyes. In addition to natural colored examples, Steiff also made rabbits in jellybean hued velvet, as well as longer nap mohair. Their facial embroidery included a triangular nose outlined in distinctive long stitches. Also during this time, Steiff produced a number of charming rabbit novelties, including tail-moves-head models, pajama bags, pull toys, and rabbit dolls. Here on the left you can see a four adorable, sitting velvet jellybean rabbits from this era. Check out their very characteristic nose stitching!

Steiff's rabbit designs from the mid-1930s through the mid 1940s reflected the socio-economic realities of life leading up to WWII. These patterns were noticeably less playful and colorful than those made just a decade previously. Rabbits were again produced in natural colors. Their patterns were simplified and had a "lean and pensive" presentation. With wool materials allocated towards military production, Steiff began using substitute fabrics, including artificial silk plush and wool plush in the place of mohair, and linen in the place of felt, on their best-selling rabbit patterns. Rabbits from this era once again had very simple embroidered facial features and proportional glass pupil eyes. Here on the left you can see two very typical late 1930s-early 1940s rabbits; the running one on the left is made from wool plush and the sitting one on the right is made from artificial silk plush.

I hope this discussion on dating Steiff's prewar rabbits has been a cheerful earful for you!

Bibbed Beauties: Steiff's Rare And Wonderful White Zotty Bears

Steiff's White Zotty bear, in the line for only two years, remains a collector's favorite more than six decades post his introduction. Here's a little more about this pattern, within the context of his legacy Zotty bear design. 

“Zotty” is from the German word “zottel,” which means “shaggy," and as such, is the perfect name for this signature Steiff bear. He was designed as a breath of fresh air after the factory reopened for toymaking business post WWII as his elements truly reflected the optimism and aesthetics of the 1950s. He was instantly popular, and many other toy companies introduced copycat Zotty bears as a result of his success. These companies would vary the pattern just enough not to infringe on the Steiff version.

Zotty’s legacy (and perhaps namesake) goes back over a century. In 1914, Steiff debuted their first “Zottlebaer” or “Shaggy Bear. ” He was in the line through 1927 and was known for his shaggy coat, sweet face, and soft texture.

Steiff's debut, midcentury Zotty bear was produced in 9 sizes ranging from 17 - 100 cm from 1951 through 1978. He was fully jointed and made from long shaggy caramel tipped mohair with an orange bib and a shorter mohair muzzle. His paw pads were made from felt. Earlier versions had glass pupil eyes, while later versions had plastic pupil eyes, for safety reason. Depending on size and era, Steiff sometimes backed the eyes in felt. Zotty featured an open, felt lined mouth, an embroidered nose, and distinctly toddler-like proportions. Zotty was created by Steiff designer Mr. Siegfried Zeller (1915-2000) around 1949-1950. His son, Rolland Zeller (1944-2008) also worked for Steiff and designed over 2,000 items over the course of his career there. You can see this great Steiff duo, along with an original caramel Zotty bear, in this photo on the left. 

Given his supersonic rise in popularity, Steiff debuted a white version of Zotty in 1960. He was made in 28 or 35 cm. He had almost identical design details as his caramel tipped cousin, but was made from very shaggy white mohair. In Steiff's 1960 new releases catalog, he is pictured along with a Disney Perri squirrel and a mohair Nagy beaver who were also relatively new products in the line at that time. Both Perri and Nagy which would go on to appear in the catalog for decades. You can see this catalog page here in the photo on the left. 

It is not clear why White Zotty was produced in so few sizes, relative to the standard line Zotty, or why he was discontinued just a year later in 1961. Traditionally, white mohair Steiff bears are quite popular and sell really well. It is possible that he just did not take off with customers, and/or the finances did not make sense. It is also possible that his white mohair was not available, or really expensive, or simply was challenging to work with. Whatever the reason - only he knows for sure!

Steiffgal hopes this discussion on the history of Steiff's white mohair Zotty bear has been a hair raising experience for you!

Having A Quack-Attack Over Steiff's Fantastic Duck Chain History

Steiff's Duck Chains are charming novelties that were traditionally produced in the form of a mother duck with two, three, or five babies in tow. These birds on the go rode upon eccentric wooden wheels which truly captured their natural strides. This Duck Chain image above with five ducklings is from Ladenburger Toy Auctions. 

Toys with "eccentric wheels" have appeared in the Steiff line for over a century. Steiff even owns a patent on this mechanism! The way it works on rolling items is that the wheels are aligned off center or on a bent axle, causing them to move up and down when rotated. Eccentric wheels were invented accidentally, but Steiff realized the opportunity created by their drilling mistakes. The first animal to appear on eccentric wheels was a duck. Steiff launched this item in 1912 as... "This waddling felt duck with brightly colored fathers is fixed onto solidly built, eccentric wooden wheels, which provide the duck with its characteristic waddle. Also fitted with a deceptively realistic "quack-quack" voice. A droll little toy."

Steiff's first and legacy Duck Chain, also on eccentric wheels, debuted in 1917 and was made from felt. It consisted of a 10 cm mother duck (pictured here on the left) and two or five 6 cm ducklings (pictured just below.) All were unjointed and stuffed with excelsior. They had grey bodies and green wings and heads. Their wings were decorated with embroidery. Their beaks, legs, and feet were made from orange felt, and their eyes were little black buttons. The mother was cataloged as article number "2110,42 ex," and the ducklings were cataloged as article number "2106 ex." These numbers translate to: 2= lying; 1=felt; 10= 10 cm and 06= 6 cm; 42= simple pattern with a voice; and ex= eccentric wheels. These were branded with Steiff buttons and tags on their felt feet. 

 

In terms of their vehicles, the mother sat on a square metal wire carriage with four wooden eccentric wheels. When she was pulled, she waddled and made a peep sound which was generated by a movement activated voice box embedded in her belly. The ducklings were each mounted on a diamond shaped metal wire carriage with two wooden eccentric wheels. They did not have a voice box. Loops and hooks at the end of the carriages kept the family linked together. This felt Duck Chain was featured in the Steiff catalog through 1932.

 

Duck Chains were also produced in other materials over the years. In the prewar era, the felt version was produced from 1919-1921 in a substitute plush because felt was in short supply for toy making purposes during and shortly after World War I. From 1925-1936, Steiff produced its Duck Chain with two or five ducklings in mohair. Duck Chains appeared in colorfully painted wood from 1924-1927 overall and then in an updated model with integral wheels from 1932-1943. After the debut of the woolen miniature line in the early 1930s, a woolen miniature Duck Chain featuring a drake and three ducklings, all on wooden wheeled metal carriages, appeared in the catalog from 1934-1941. You can see this petite treat here above on the left; the image is from Ladenburger Toy Auctions. 

Postwar, Duck Chains were produced from colorfully painted wood in families of four birds riding on integral eccentric wheels from 1949 through 1966. You can see an example of a 1950s era Steiff wooden duck chain here above on the left; the image is from Ladenburger Toy Auctions. Duck Chains made their final appearance in the catalog from 1969-1973, as a family of four birds in sanded beechwood, decorated with burned-in markings and riding upon large red eccentric wheels that were integral to their bodies. 

 

Steiffgal hopes this discussion on the history of Steiff's Duck Chain production has fully aligned with your expectations!

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