This Life-sized Steiff Dog Will Have Your Eyes - Irish Or Not - All A'smiling!

It's time to set the record straight... no one does dogs better than Steiff! This is especially true when it comes to the company's outstanding 20th century life-sized pooches. These true-to-scale dogs are usually rendered so authentically that they can be confused for their real-life brothers. Take a look at this amazing Steiff Irish Setter. There's no question he'll have your eyes - Irish or not - all a'smiling!

It's no joke - this big, beautiful boy is Steiff Pranko Setter. He measures about 33" tall and about 40" long, not including his impressive tail. He is standing, unjointed, and made from deep reddish-brown woven fur. He is solidly stuffed with a mix of excelsior and polyfill, with an interior metal frame for strength and stability. His head and legs are made from shorter fur, while his earl, tail, body, and leg-feathering are made from longer fur. His personality really shines through his face; it is detailed with brown and black pupil eyes, a lifelike muzzle, dimensional jowls, a large leather like nose, and airbrushed highlights. He wears his original green collar and retains his button in ear and ear tag with EAN 4060/80. Pranko was made in this size only from 1978 through 1981.

Also in the line about the same time as Pranko was a life-sized sitting Irish Setter named Bosco. Like Pranko, he is cataloged at about 33" tall (officially 80 cm) and has the same general appearance, personality, and construction. He appeared from 1979-1983. These realistic Irish Setter dogs were introduced right at the time when Steiff updated how these life-sized animals were named. Steiff launched the name "Studiotiere" or "Studio animal" in 1979/1980. So life sized animals produced before then are technically "Schautiere" or "Display animals" and those produced at, or after that time, are technically "Studio animals."

Irish Setters are a rare dog breed in the Steiff commercial line. The first one appeared in 1933 in 17, 22, 28, and 35 cm. He was standing on all fours, made from long and short mohair, and of course, had the breed's distinctive long floppy ears and tail. This model appeared through 1940. These are pretty rare and the only ones Steiffgal has seen trade hands were a 17 and 28 cm version at a Steiff auction at Christies in London in 2010. You can see the 17 cm version here on the left, the photo is from Christies. Also debuting in the early 1930s was a similarly designed riding Irish Setter on wooden wheels. This model was mounted on a metal carriage and appeared in 35, 43, and 50 cm through 1941. This riding Setter made a brief re-appearance postwar, from 1950 through 1954 in 43 and 50 cm. The key difference between the pre and postwar versions was that the postwar version had rubber, not wooden, tires. 

It seems like dog years since an Irish Setter has graced the Steiff catalog. A quick online search suggests that within the last 10 to 15 years, the company introduced an utterly charming 12 cm Irish Setter as part of a miniature canine program. Like his forefathers, this petite prince featured authentic Irish Setter coloring and long, floppy ears. You can see this good boy here on the left.

Steiffgal hopes this discussion on Steiff's lovely Studio Irish Setter has given your day a golden glow.

Have a question about one of your Steiff treasures? Let's talk! Click here to learn more.

Spinning A Yarn Over This Unusual Steiff Woolen Miniature Teddy Bear

Are you ready for yet(i) another Steiff treasure? This one is so unusual that its hard to believe it was really made by Steiff - but it was, and at a really challenging time in history. Take a look at this small white Teddy bear that Steiffgal recently purchased on eBay. Despite its obvious condition issues, its rarity and unusual form make it simply irresistible!  Come take a look at what makes this "blizzard baby" so interesting from the design and historical perspectives.

This "abominable snowman" looking sweetie is actually Steiff's woolen miniature Teddy bear. He measures 22 cm tall standing and is made from white wool yarn "pom-poms" supported by a small wire skeleton in his torso. His coloring has aged to a mellow vanilla over time - perhaps to match his laid-back personality today! His arms and legs are probably string jointed; they hang loosely at his sides but can be moved about. His two half-circle shaped ears are made from white mohair. His very simple face comes to life with two brown and black glass pupil eyes. When he was new, he had a very small black hand painted nose and mouth. He retains his short trailing "f" Steiff button in ear. According to the 1892-1943 Sortiment, this really unusual design was produced in 22 cm from 1936 through 1938. 

It is clear that Old Yeti today has a face only a mother (or a diehard Steiff collector) could love. But it was not always that way. He started out life looking like the bear pictured here on the right. The photo is from Christies, from their October 2010 Steiff sale. He is cataloged here as "A Steiff Wool Pom-Pom Teddy Bear, (5522), standing, white, brown and black glass eyes and FF button with yellow cloth tag, 1936-1938 - 9in. (23 cm.) high." The catalog also notes, "Only 955 examples of this bear were made between 1936 and 1938." This tissue-new example realized GBP 5,250 at auction.

Despite old Yeti's appearance today, you can still make out some of the traditional Teddy bear features Steiff was trying to capture in this woolen miniature version. These are most prominent in the shape of his limbs. His arms do feature clearly curved wrists and suggest small hand paws. And his legs are also defined with proportional feet. These shapes are not wired and it is hard to figure out how Steiff pulled this off using pom-poms, but they did. Steiffgal suspects that the ears are mohair as they would be able to support and sustain a button-in-ear while a pom-pom version could not. You can see a close up of Old Yeti's button in ear here on the left. 

Old Yeti has a great yarn to spin.  He is a part of the company's long history of woolen miniature production. The very first woolies, introduced in 1931, were a series of six birds. Each was a different color and made in 4 or 8 cm. They had metal legs and feet and felt beaks and tails. They wore their buttons and earflags as tiny “ankle bracelets” around their sturdy legs. Soon after, Steiff added rabbits, cats, mice, monkeys, ducks and other animals to their line. Despite their proportions, most had jointed heads and, where appropriate, charming details that included tiny metal legs; felt beaks, wings and ears; colorful slippers; and headwear, including bonnets, top hats and lacy veils. Most of the standard line woolies were made in the 5 to 15 cm size range; this Teddy bear was among the largest if not the largest sized "miniature" produced. You can see a small collection of Steiff's prewar woolen miniature birds here on the left.

Collectors can certainly admire Steiff for trying to create a Teddy bear in the woolie style.  And, given his years of production - when mohair fabrics were in short supply but wool threads less so - could understand why the company would use this type of material in its Teddy bear production strategy.  

Steiffgal hope this discussion on Steiff's prewar woolen miniature bears has added a few Teddy hugs to your day.

Have a question about one of your Steiff treasures? Let's talk! Click here to learn more.