In the mood to learn about a bouncing bundle of joy? Of course you are! And it's a boy - really! Steiffgal was delighted to add this big blue baby bunny to her Steiff hug recently. He's got such a great personality, and exemplifies many of Steiff typical 1920's era characteristics. Take a look... you'll certainly fall for this cheerful-earful as well!
If this isn't hoppi-ness, then what is? Here we have Steiff's sitting rabbit. He is head jointed and measures 20 cm tall (not including his ears, which are typically not included in rabbit measurements.) He is made from blue mohair, while his chest and the fronts of his ears are white mohair. He has a proportionally petite tail and short, thin, curvy arms and legs. His face comes to life with oversized brown and black pupil eyes, a pink hand embroidered nose, and a black hand embroidered mouth. He even retains a few mono filament whiskers. His big ears are lined in wire and are posable. He is stuffed with a combination of crunchy excelsior and soft kapok. Rabbit retains his long trailing f button and bits of his red ear tag as his Steiff IDs.
This design was produced in mohair in 11, 15, 18, and 23 cm from 1926 through 1932. It was also made in velvet in 11, 15, and 18 cm from 1927 through 1933.
So just what makes this rabbit such a blue belle? Colors can be tricky with Steiff. When you have a vintage piece in hand, always look in "places where the sun don't shine" to discover its true and original color. Although this rabbit today looks cream or tan, if you peek in the crotch, deep in the neck joint, under the tail, under the glass eyes, and in its "armpits," you can absolutely see traces of a baby blue color both on its fabric backing and its mohair covering. Dyes used in the first quarter of the 20th century can fade, wash out, or change color dramatically over time, due to the nature of their chemical composition. So don't always assume that your 1920-1930's era Steiff items, although perhaps tan or grey today, didn't start out life in a much more colorful manner. Here on the left you can see traces of his blue coloring on the underside of his tiny tail.
This rabbit is a delightful example of a delightful product development era at Steiff - the mid 1920's through the early 1930's. Here's what makes this beautiful boy so period to the "roaring 20's:"
His color: Steiff did alot with colored and tipped mohair starting in the mid-1920's. It was not unusual to see rabbits, bears, dogs and other popular animals produced in "jelly bean" colored mohair, or tipped mohair though the early 1930's. Think of Teddy Rose, Molly the puppy, Charly the King Charles, and other favorites from that period. These color choices were the result of a directive from Richard Steiff, who insisted in the mid-1920's that the company's products include lighter, happier colors that reflected popular cultural trends of the time. Here on the left, you can see another colorful example from c. 1929, he is the 11 cm version of the blue bunny under discussion today, but in pink (which has also faded a bit over time.)
His proportions: During this period, many of the items produced moved away from lifelike proportions to appealing proportions. Items designed during this period were more round, chubbier, and toddler-esque than in the past. Teddy baby, who debuted in 1929, is a perfect example of this. As you can see with this rabbit, its head and body are quite oversized, while its legs are quite thin and narrow - not lifelike, but very endearing. Here on the left you can see a picture of a number of colorful rabbits that also fit this description; the photo is a 1929 Steiff advertisement and is taken is from Carsten Esser's Steiff Kataloge 1920-1929.
His detailing: Steiff items produced in the mid-1920's through the early 1930's have playful and happy personalities which come alive thorough subtle design elements. In this case, the rabbit's ears are lined in metal wires, making them posable and more interactive. Think of Petsy the baby bear, who also had this detailing. And his oversized eyes, placed low and wide on his very symmetrical face, give him a distinctly innocent, appealing, and inviting look.
Steiffgal hopes this discussion on this blue bunny has left you jumping for joy.
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