Steiffgal does not mean to (hedge)hog your time, but this gorgeous gent is worth a look - or two! Steiff's royal couple, Micki and Mecki the hedgehog dolls, are legacy items in the Steiff line and are proudly represented in most Steiff collections. But did you know this pattern had a little twist to it bridging its first and second years of production? Read on to learn more!
Here we have a simply marvelous, 28 cm Mecki hedgehog doll. He is standing and head and arm jointed. His body is solidly stuffed; his legs, arms and torso are made from felt and his head is made from rubber. Mecki has a patch of long tipped mohair on his chest (how macho!) and very long, spikey mohair as his hair. His shoes are black felt with tan soles, and his pants are grey canvas with faux red and blue felt patches. He wears a red plaid shirt and a brown felt vest with leather buttons. He is supposed to look a bit dusty and "dirty," like he's spent the day hard at work, but that's just in his design and he's actually clean as a whistle. His charming and all original accessories include a rope belt, a wooden pipe, and a faux leather "wallet" containing his identification papers.
Mecki and Micki have been produced almost continuously in the Steiff line since 1951. They traditionally have appeared in 17, 28, and 50 cm; Mecki was also produced as a 100 cm Studio model in 1967. The pair were the mascots for a very popular German magazine called HorZu, which covered radio and television news. The magazine is still in business today and mostly covers TV news; it is somewhat like People Magazine here in the U.S. HorZu began publishing in 1946; the hedgehogs made their debut in 1949. Knowing a good thing when it saw it, Steiff negotiated an exclusive licensing rights to produce the dolls in 1951, and they have been a mainstay in the line to this day.
Let's get right to the point here... so what's the big deal with this common item which appeared in the line since, well, forever? So hair's why this example is WAH-HOO good. Mecki and Micki are famous for their legacy style "v" hairlines, meaning that their prickly mohair hair comes to a "v" on their forehead. However, the very FIRST examples, made in 1951, had rounded hairlines. It is incredibly rare to find a rounded hairline HorZu hedgehog doll in any condition, given their heads were made from a rubber material which tends to dry out and fall apart over time. This Mecki is in practically new condition. He retains his US Zone tag in his arm seam as well as his red rubber bangle-style bracelet which anchors his button and yellow ear flag IDs like charms. He'd only be more perfect if he also had his chest tag, but you can't have everything, eh?
Steiffgal hopes you found this discussion on this earliest Mecki doll simply hair-raising (in the best possible way.)Have a question about one of your Steiff treasures? Let's talk! Click here to learn more!