Little differences can mean alot when it comes to the vintage Steiff collecting world. Check out this darling black and white Cocker Spaniel puppy. She has a familiar ring to her, right? But one detail elevates her from beloved everyday companion to best of show at Westminster! Read on to learn more.
Here we have a darling black and white mohair Cockie Cocker Spaniel. She is 12 cm tall, sitting and head jointed. Her body is made from white colored mohair which has lovely hand airbrushed black spots on her legs and body. Her long, floppy ears are made solid black mohair. Her face and muzzle are darling, with a distinctly childlike appearance. She comes to life with pert black and white plastic google eyes, a hand embroidered black nose, and a painted mouth. She appears to be pouting - or begging for a bite of whatever you are snacking on at the moment! She retains her original red collar, which closes with one very small, plain silver snap.Now for the grand reveal. This happy handful was made in this size only as an exclusive for the upscale toy retailer FAO Schwarz in 1962-1966. Schwarz sold her along with a simple wooden dog house, a red water bowl, bone, and mat as a set. She was attached to the house via a metal chain. The red wooden FAO Schwarz wooden tag was attached to the roof of the house. She is incredibly rare and only the second one Steiffgal has seen or handled in decades of collecting! Through the late 1970s, Steiff often partnered with FAO Schwarz to create store-exclusive products based on the company's most popular standard line items at the time. Other examples of these now-coveted rarities include a series of standing Dalmatians; a walrus puppet and pajama bag; an open mouthed, standing beagle; and a life-sized beagle, among several others.
In this particular case, this FAO Schwarz black and white Cockie Cocker Spaniel is based on Steiff's legacy black and white mohair STANDING Cockie Cocker Spaniel. This adorable model was produced in 12, 19, and 29 cm from 1960-1976. This Cocker Spaniel exclusive also has the same face and general appearance as the company's charming felt bodied Cockie Nightcap animal. Steiff produced these fun novelties as cats, dogs, bears, foxes, and rabbits in 15 cm from 1969-1974. They were designed to hide a sweet, prize, or coin on the pillow of a child. You can see Nightcap Cockie and a few of her cousins in the image above; this page is from one of Steiff's c. 1969 product catalogs.
To wrap up this discussion, let's take a look at sitting Cockie's ear tag. Her article number is 3312,96. This translates to 3=sitting, 3=mohair, 12=12 cm tall, 9=display animal or special edition, and 6=black. That pretty much perfectly describes her!Steiffgal hopes this discussion on this super rare and lovely Cocker Spaniel has added a beautiful highlight to your day.
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