There's Never A Dull Moment When It Comes To Steiff's Wild Boars

Can you be a big boar and the life of the party at the same time? Well, yes, definitely if you were made by Steiff! Check out this portly prince - a fine example of Steiff's 1960s era life-sized studio display handiwork - and see what makes him so delightful from the cultural, design, and historical perspectives. 

This happy hog is Steiff's lifelike and accurately proportioned Young Wild Boar. He measures 24 inches wide and 12 inches tall, is unjointed, and standing on all fours. His body is made from longish mohair that has been painted and stenciled in various shades of brown and copper. His mouth is open and lined in felt. He has a felt tipped snout and a long, skinny, twisted mohair tail. His face is detailed brown and black pupil eyes and a few touches of airbrushing. This sweet field and forest friend was produced in this size (cataloged at 35 cm) from 1963-1967. 

One of the things that makes Steiff's production so legendary is the company's ability to create really authentic looking animals at different points in their lifecycles. This particular example is named Young Boar - and he really looks like his namesake. He was produced alongside an adult boar, who is named Wild Boar. Wild Boar is not just a scaled up version of Young Boar; he has the adult features of this species including a thick brown coat, relatively thin legs and a stocky body, and pronounced tusks. The baby, on the other hand, is most noted for his striped coat as well as more youthful, rounded proportions. You can see the 1967 Steiff Studio display catalog page featuring these two beautiful boars just below. What an impressive family, indeed!

Wild boars have been part of the German culture, cuisine, and ecosystem for centuries. One even "starred" in The Singing Bone, a German fairy tale published by the Brothers Grimm in 1812. However, one did not show up in the Steiff line until 1952 in the form of a 7 cm velvet young boar. This popular pet was produced through 1973. In 1961, Steiff introduced its first mohair wild boar. The smallest version, at 10 cm, was designed as a baby and made from short airbrushed mohair. The 15 and 20 cm versions resembled adults with spiky mohair. All were standing and unjointed. Steiff's early postwar mohair boars remained in the line through the mid-1970s. And making up for lost time, soft plush adult and young wild boars designed for play have appeared almost continuously in the catalog from the early 1970s onward. 

Steiffgal hopes this discussion on vintage button in ear boars has made you as happy as a pig in muck!

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