Talk about a hare-raising find! A Steiff-loving friend from Europe has just added a super-sized rabbit to their hug, but wants to learn more about it. There's no tall tales when it comes to this distinctive and legacy Steiff design! Bojan from Serbia shares,
"This time I got this long-legged rabbit, which I got by exchanging for one little Steiff pig. Unfortunately, his left foot is damaged, so if you can give me some advice, what should I do, fix it if possible, or leave him like this? He is filled with some solid material, he is fully jointed and the dimensions (standing) from the top of the head to toe are 50 cm (with raised ears 60 cm). I would say that the button is made of nickel and has a diameter of 8mm. His fur is made of mohair. His eye color is a combination of blue and black and he has an open mouth."
This long and lanky fellow is Steiff's fun and hard to find dangling lulac rabbit in the largest standard size made. This model technically is cataloged at 60 cm tall, is five ways jointed, and is made from caramel and light orange mohair. His hands and feet are made from shaggy mohair. His mouth is open and lined in peach colored felt; his pink nose is hand embroidered. He has blue and black google eyes. These can be twisted and turned about to give the rabbit's face comical expressions. This large sized lulac hare was in the line from 1964-66. Although lulac rabbits are of interest to collectors, this big guy is highly sought after due to his short time in the line. Also charming, but more common, is the smaller version of this fun bun who was made in 43 cm from 1952-74.
Most collectors are familiar with Steiff’s cartoonish “lulac” creatures. These are animals like Bojan's rabbit with exaggeratedly long limbs and torsos. The name "lulac" probably came about through the combination of the German words for laughter, smiling, and lanky - suggesting that this unconventional design was designed to have a goofy appearance and to bring a smile to the face of the owner. You can see one of the rarest midcentury lulac style animals in the form of a zebra here on the left. He is 30 cm tall, made from mohair, and is unjointed. Although the history of this particular black and white beauty is not entirely known, it has been suggested that he was produced as an exclusive for the upscale toy retailer F.A.O. Schwarz in the mid-1950s. The photo is from Steiffgal's personal collection.
Now let's talk about the big bunny's foot issue; he seems to have lost most of his felt pad over time. Given the rarity of this item, and how much Bojan clearly likes it, it would be Steiffgal's recommendation to have the pad repaired. For the most part, this fix is pretty simple and not terribly expensive in the hands of a skilled restorer. Sometimes it is challenging to find felt that closely matches the original fabric for the patch given how natural and organic materials age and fade over time. It is just really important that all restoration work is documented, and communicated to potential future buyers, as "all original condition" is important to some collectors.
Steiffgal hopes this discussion on Bojan's big bunny has been a good learning "hop"-portunity for you!
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