This marvelous monkey is sitting, measures 11 inches or 28 cm tall, and is fully jointed. His face, ears, hands, and feet are made from peach colored felt. His face is detailed with an open, felt lined mouth, brown and black glass pupil eyes set into expressive, dimensional eye pockets, a once-white mohair chin, and airbrushed highlights around his eyes, nose, and mouth. His body is made from a light brown - almost khaki colored - cotton plush material. He retains his short trailing "f" Steiff button, broadly dating him from the c. 1936 - 1950 time frame. Steiffgal suspects, given his materials, presentation, and ID, that this Jocko was probably made around 1948 or 1949.
It's easy to have a plush crush on Steiff rarities made from unusual materials. Cotton plush has both a cotton backing and a cotton pile. The best way to describe it is that it feels like a cotton bathroom towel that has been through a number of wash and dry cycles; a little bumpy in texture but with an overall and somewhat smooth feel and dull finish. It is not like mohair, which can be distinctive and prickly; or silk plush, which can shiny and smooth feeling; or wool plush, which is continuous in texture and more "dense." This material was sometimes used instead of the company's more traditional fabrics immediately after the factory reopened for toy making business in the late 1940's as mohair and felt were in very short supply or extremely expensive at the time.
And just what makes this mid-century example more fun than a barrel full of monkeys? Khaki colored cotton plush Jocko is not pictured or mentioned in any of the standard Steiff reference books or catalogs that Steiffgal knows of. He definitely started out life this hue, as he is the same even color throughout - even in his "private" places. Steiff did make a 25 cm, fully jointed dark brown artificial silk plush Jocko as part of its standard, commercial line in 1949. It is entirely possible that this 28 cm example was produced in very limited numbers and from materials on hand. This classic Jocko the Chimpanzee Steiff pattern is so universally beloved, appealing, and well designed that it translates well to fabrics other than mohair. And, it is not terribly unusual to find other undocumented prewar legacy Steiff patterns - like running rabbits, Teddy Baby bears, and Fox Terrier dogs - in "alternative" fabrics from the early postwar (c. 1948-1952) time frame as well.
Steiffgal hopes you enjoyed monkeying around with this unusual and extremely handsome Jocko!
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