Here's another great addition to Steiff's meow-mix of fantastic prewar puppets! Check out this black and white beauty. Do you recognize his distinctive face and impish personality? This guy - who is now over a century old - entertained millions of people through the 20th century.
This Fe-line is none other than Felix the Cat in the form of a hand puppet. He is 20 cm tall and mostly made from black mohair. His face is made from white felt with a stitched mouth, big black button eyes, a dimensional black felt nose, and felt ears. He has a little red and black airbrushing on his mouth. His head is firmly stuffed with excelsior and his finger tube is made from cardboard. This puppet design was made from 1925-1926 in this size only.
So what is the history of this happy handful? In 1919, Pat Sullivan and Otto Messmer introduced their Felix the Cat movie series. By 1926, sensing that Felix would be a great fit for Steiff, Steiff's distribution partner in the USA - George Borgfeldt - asked Steiff to create a series of licensed Felix the Cat toys. Steiff was hesitant and didn't think the line would be a success. Nonetheless, Steiff did end up producing a full bodied 22 cm Felix from 1926-27, a 20 cm Felix hand puppet from 1925-26, and a 20 cm Record Felix from 1926-27. The doll didn't sell well, but the puppet and wheeled versions struck a chord with buyers at the time.
Today, Steiff's Felix the Cat novelties are few and far on the secondary market. Given their rarity, they often top the wish lists of Steiff collectors worldwide! The most recent Felix hand puppet sold at auction Steiffgal could find hammered for 1700 euro at Ladenburger Spielzeugauktion's Special Steiff Auction in 2018. In 2019, Morphy Auctions sold a full bodied Felix doll; he hammered for $4,000. And in 2010, Christie's sold a Record Felix in delightful condition for GBP 2,375. The photos of the full bodied and record Felix novelties are pictured here on the left; the images are from Morphy's and Christie's respectively.
Steiffgal hopes this discussion on Steiff's rare Felix the Cat hand puppet merits a thumbs up from you!
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