This fine feathered Steiff friend is certain to give you goosebumps! Bird's the word when it comes to this adorable goose on wheels. She's flown a little under the radar relative to other birds in the Steiff line, but has a most impressive history worth a honk - or two! Check out her story below.
This gorgeous goose is 17 cm tall and 23 cm wide. She is lying on her belly and is made from white mohair. Her neck and head are airbrushed with a touch of grey. Her wings are splayed outward, in a most realistic and playful way. Her feet and legs are made from single thick orange felt. Her face comes to life with black button eyes backed in red felt and a proportionally large and dimensional orange felt beak. She rests on a metal carriage and glides along on four green wooden eccentric wheels. When she moves, her back axle activates a squeaker in her belly. Goose on the go was made postwar in 17 cm from 1949-1964.
This timeless pattern must also have been an unassuming best seller for Steiff. That is because it appeared both in the prewar and postwar period. Interestingly, it does not seem that this goose model was ever made without wheels. Prewar, it was made in 14 and 17 cm from 1914-1943. It is really likely that the pattern was updated just a bit in the 1914-1943 time frame - given how aesthetics, economics, and manufacturing realities evolved so quickly during that nearly three decade long period of production. Nonetheless, technically this goose on wheels was noted in every Steiff catalog published for a stretch of 50 years! This longevity is right up there with the company's legacy Molly the puppy (1925 - 1969, about 44 years overall), Waldi the Doxi (1933 - 1980, about 47 years overall) and Susi the cat (1936 - 1978, about 42 years overall.) You can see goose on wheels as she was presented in Steiff's 1929 catalog; the image is from C. Esser's Steiff Kataloge 1920-1929. You can click on the photo to make it larger.
Goose's yellow tag is unusually descriptive in this case and helps to nail down her birthyear. The words on it include "Steiff Original geschuzt (protected)"; this copy was only used in the late 1940s and very early 1950s. And the numbering is quite telling as well. It reads, 6317,2 ex. This means, 6 = young, 3 = mohair, 17 = 17 cm, ,2 = double press voice, growler, or pull cord voice, and ex = on eccentric wheels. She also has her raised script button but no evidence of a US Zone tag. All of this information suggests that this particular goose on wheels was produced probably around 1952 or 1953.
Steiffgal hopes this discussion on this timeless toy has made you feel young at heart today.
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