Bibbed Beauties: Steiff's Rare And Wonderful White Zotty Bears

Steiff's White Zotty bear, in the line for only two years, remains a collector's favorite more than six decades post his introduction. Here's a little more about this pattern, within the context of his legacy Zotty bear design. 

“Zotty” is from the German word “zottel,” which means “shaggy," and as such, is the perfect name for this signature Steiff bear. He was designed as a breath of fresh air after the factory reopened for toymaking business post WWII as his elements truly reflected the optimism and aesthetics of the 1950s. He was instantly popular, and many other toy companies introduced copycat Zotty bears as a result of his success. These companies would vary the pattern just enough not to infringe on the Steiff version.

Zotty’s legacy (and perhaps namesake) goes back over a century. In 1914, Steiff debuted their first “Zottlebaer” or “Shaggy Bear. ” He was in the line through 1927 and was known for his shaggy coat, sweet face, and soft texture.

Steiff's debut, midcentury Zotty bear was produced in 9 sizes ranging from 17 - 100 cm from 1951 through 1978. He was fully jointed and made from long shaggy caramel tipped mohair with an orange bib and a shorter mohair muzzle. His paw pads were made from felt. Earlier versions had glass pupil eyes, while later versions had plastic pupil eyes, for safety reason. Depending on size and era, Steiff sometimes backed the eyes in felt. Zotty featured an open, felt lined mouth, an embroidered nose, and distinctly toddler-like proportions. Zotty was created by Steiff designer Mr. Siegfried Zeller (1915-2000) around 1949-1950. His son, Rolland Zeller (1944-2008) also worked for Steiff and designed over 2,000 items over the course of his career there. You can see this great Steiff duo, along with an original caramel Zotty bear, in this photo on the left. 

Given his supersonic rise in popularity, Steiff debuted a white version of Zotty in 1960. He was made in 28 or 35 cm. He had almost identical design details as his caramel tipped cousin, but was made from very shaggy white mohair. In Steiff's 1960 new releases catalog, he is pictured along with a Disney Perri squirrel and a mohair Nagy beaver who were also relatively new products in the line at that time. Both Perri and Nagy which would go on to appear in the catalog for decades. You can see this catalog page here in the photo on the left. 

It is not clear why White Zotty was produced in so few sizes, relative to the standard line Zotty, or why he was discontinued just a year later in 1961. Traditionally, white mohair Steiff bears are quite popular and sell really well. It is possible that he just did not take off with customers, and/or the finances did not make sense. It is also possible that his white mohair was not available, or really expensive, or simply was challenging to work with. Whatever the reason - only he knows for sure!

Steiffgal hopes this discussion on the history of Steiff's white mohair Zotty bear has been a hair raising experience for you!

Having A Quack-Attack Over Steiff's Fantastic Duck Chain History

Steiff's Duck Chains are charming novelties that were traditionally produced in the form of a mother duck with two, three, or five babies in tow. These birds on the go rode upon eccentric wooden wheels which truly captured their natural strides. This Duck Chain image above with five ducklings is from Ladenburger Toy Auctions. 

Toys with "eccentric wheels" have appeared in the Steiff line for over a century. Steiff even owns a patent on this mechanism! The way it works on rolling items is that the wheels are aligned off center or on a bent axle, causing them to move up and down when rotated. Eccentric wheels were invented accidentally, but Steiff realized the opportunity created by their drilling mistakes. The first animal to appear on eccentric wheels was a duck. Steiff launched this item in 1912 as... "This waddling felt duck with brightly colored fathers is fixed onto solidly built, eccentric wooden wheels, which provide the duck with its characteristic waddle. Also fitted with a deceptively realistic "quack-quack" voice. A droll little toy."

Steiff's first and legacy Duck Chain, also on eccentric wheels, debuted in 1917 and was made from felt. It consisted of a 10 cm mother duck (pictured here on the left) and two or five 6 cm ducklings (pictured just below.) All were unjointed and stuffed with excelsior. They had grey bodies and green wings and heads. Their wings were decorated with embroidery. Their beaks, legs, and feet were made from orange felt, and their eyes were little black buttons. The mother was cataloged as article number "2110,42 ex," and the ducklings were cataloged as article number "2106 ex." These numbers translate to: 2= lying; 1=felt; 10= 10 cm and 06= 6 cm; 42= simple pattern with a voice; and ex= eccentric wheels. These were branded with Steiff buttons and tags on their felt feet. 

 

In terms of their vehicles, the mother sat on a square metal wire carriage with four wooden eccentric wheels. When she was pulled, she waddled and made a peep sound which was generated by a movement activated voice box embedded in her belly. The ducklings were each mounted on a diamond shaped metal wire carriage with two wooden eccentric wheels. They did not have a voice box. Loops and hooks at the end of the carriages kept the family linked together. This felt Duck Chain was featured in the Steiff catalog through 1932.

 

Duck Chains were also produced in other materials over the years. In the prewar era, the felt version was produced from 1919-1921 in a substitute plush because felt was in short supply for toy making purposes during and shortly after World War I. From 1925-1936, Steiff produced its Duck Chain with two or five ducklings in mohair. Duck Chains appeared in colorfully painted wood from 1924-1927 overall and then in an updated model with integral wheels from 1932-1943. After the debut of the woolen miniature line in the early 1930s, a woolen miniature Duck Chain featuring a drake and three ducklings, all on wooden wheeled metal carriages, appeared in the catalog from 1934-1941. You can see this petite treat here above on the left; the image is from Ladenburger Toy Auctions. 

Postwar, Duck Chains were produced from colorfully painted wood in families of four birds riding on integral eccentric wheels from 1949 through 1966. You can see an example of a 1950s era Steiff wooden duck chain here above on the left; the image is from Ladenburger Toy Auctions. Duck Chains made their final appearance in the catalog from 1969-1973, as a family of four birds in sanded beechwood, decorated with burned-in markings and riding upon large red eccentric wheels that were integral to their bodies. 

 

Steiffgal hopes this discussion on the history of Steiff's Duck Chain production has fully aligned with your expectations!

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

Let The Games Begin With This Sample Steiff Lake Placid Olympic Games Mascot!

Steiff's century-spanning anthropomorphic animal dolls are the best of all worlds. But is it possible there is one that is truly worthy of an Olympic gold medal? Steiffgal thinks so - and is over the moon thrilled to welcome one into her hug. This winter-themed wonder was purchased decades ago in Europe by his previous family. Check out this remarkable Steiff raccoon doll and see what makes him so COOL - literally - from the product design and historical perspectives.

Here we have a sample Steiff Roni the Raccoon doll, made as a possible licensed souvenir item for the 1980 Winter Olympic Games. These were held in Lake Placid, NY from February 13th-24th, 1980. Roni, who was named as a nod to the venue's Adirondack mountain range, was the cartoon mascot for this event and was designed by commercial artist Donald Moss. Roni himself is 25 cm tall, standing, and unjointed. His head is made from short grey plush with an inset velvet facial mask. His pupil eyes are highlighted with black airbrushing to give him his traditional "raccoon bandit" look. He has a black embroidered nose and a pink painted mouth. His ears are lined in velvet and have a little pink airbrushing to them. He has a very long, fluffy, and bushy tail. Roni's winter garb, which is made from velvet and integral to his body, includes green gloves, a blue snowsuit, and red boots with brown soles. He wears a white bib which has the event's official Olympic logo hand rendered in black on either side.

Roni is branded with his Steiff ear tag and button. Steiffgal doubts he was produced with a chest tag for two reasons; first, he was made as a sample so there really was not need for this tag. Also, his custom bib is so interesting and so integral to his chest, a chest tag would be redundant or even interfere with his presentation. His yellow ear tag is generic and without digits, so this pattern was probably never assigned an article number. This style of ear tag appeared on items made in the c. 1969/1970 through 1980 era. And his thick, brass style ear button with the script word Steiff on it debuted in 1979. So given the games were in 1980, and it could take a year or so for a licensed product to go from idea to production - all of these dates point to his production taking place in 1979.

It is not clear why Steiff's Roni doll never went into production. He is on brand, matches the official event logo to a "T", isn't terribly complicated or expensive to manufacture, and is super, super cute! Steiffgal suspects it may have something to do with legal or financial complications often associated with international commercial licensing agreements. However, other companies were able to get production licenses to make Roni dolls, including a version on ice skates. Of course, these simpler patterns were nowhere as fabulous as Steiff's full blown interpretation of Roni! It is interesting to note that Steiff was able to produce Olympic branded and licensed items for other Olympic games, including the 1972 Munich games, the 1998 Nagano games, and the 2010 Vancouver games, among others.

It is nearly impossible to find out any additional details on Roni and this stalled Steiff Olympic project. The only footnote Steiffgal could find was a reference in Dee Hockenberry's, book, Steiff Bears and Other Playthings Past and Present. Concerning the Roni doll, she notes: Prototype Raccoon: 11 inches. In 1978 and 1979, Steiff, through their US representative, made presentations to the American Olympic Committee in order to obtain a license to make 1980 Olympic souvenirs. Three prototype were made incorporating the Lake Placid mascot and Olympic logo. Although the samples were attractive, an official license was never granted. These are the only examples ever made.

Steifgal hopes this discussion on this Roni the Raccoon Olympic prototype doll has been one for the record books for you. 

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

Starting 2026 Off In A Steiff Supersized Way!

Sometimes the most unexpected and super-scaled treasures appear almost out of the blue! Such is the case with this fantastic and extremely large prewar Steiff Ted. And just how big is he? Well, Steiffgal could barely pick him up and move him about for his photo session! Take a look at this titan-Ted and see what makes him so fantastic from the design and historical perspectives. 

Here we have a HUMUNGOUS classic and traditional five ways jointed Steiff Teddy bear. He measures approximately 115 cm tall or 45 inches tall standing, is made from dark blonde mohair, and solidly stuffed with excelsior. He has a pronounced back hump, a partially trimmed muzzle, long narrow feet with felt pads, proportional brown and black glass pupil eyes, and a black embroidered mouth, nose, and claws. He retains his long trailing "f" button and traces of his white ear tag; these IDs date his production most likely to the mid 19-teens or early 1920s. 

This gentle giant is the largest sized standard line bear produced by Steiff prewar; this huge size was made from 1905-1933. This is only the second jumbo mohair prewar Ted Steiffgal has handled - these big boys are super rare. Steiffgal suspects not many were made, and those produced most likely were destined to be showpieces or window displays. It really is not possible that a child could interactively play with a bear of this size given the weight and heft of him.

Big Ted was most recently in the collection of Iris Carter, a passionate Teddy bear and Steiff collector from Virginia. Iris was inspired to start collecting Teddy bears when she read Peter Bull's The Teddy Bear Book, which was first published in 1970. It would be so interesting to learn how and where she adopted this bear, given his rarity and timeline.

Like many old friends, this bear had a few condition issues typical to larger prewar bears. Mostly these had to do with his ankles and feet pads. His ankles had some splits and damages, and his felt pads were dried out and flaking off. Both of these issues can be addressed with gentle and sympathetic restoration. 

However, Steiffgal came up with an idea to help stabilize those vulnerable areas until this work happens. Given his feet and legs were so oversized, standard commercial socks were not an option here. However, there is such a thing as bariatric socks, which are soft socks which are designed to cover the feet and ankles of people with extreme Lymphedema - or very, very swollen feet and calves. You can see what these look like here. This protective footwear stretches to 30" at the calf, up to 21" in the foot, and up to 14 E shoe width. These socks fit this big bear really well and provided a somewhat attractive way to cover and protect his pads, feet, and ankles up to almost his knees!

Steiffgal hopes this discussion on Iris Carter's terrific Ted has launched your 2026 in the most supersized way possible!

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

Can't Help But Crow Over This Latest Prewar Steiff Find!

Welcome to our next Steiff egg-cellent adventure! Steiffgal spotted this fine feathered friend on an online sales channel and just couldn't resist his impish personality and adorable presentation. Turns out, he's pretty rare, too! Check out this prewar, bitty barnyard buddy and see what makes him so interesting from the design and product development perspectives.

Size defies with this tiny feathered friend! Here we have Steiff's smallest sized prewar rooster. He is about 8 cm, standing, unjointed, and made from blonde mohair. His feet are made from metal which has been painted orange. His tail feathers are made from elegantly cut and shaped brown felt. His face and waddle are made from red felt, and he sports black button eyes. Rooster was produced in 8, 17, 22, and 28 cm in this specific color combination from 1930 through 1937 overall. This smallest size was made for one year only, in 1933. Although this example has lost his IDs to time, these baby birds would have left the factory with their button and tag placed on their felt back feathers or worn like a bracelet around one of their metal legs.  

This little guy has two (well, two and a half) subtle, but interesting features of note. 

First is his coloring. Most people think of Steiff's prewar roosters as being very colorful, often with green feather detailing. And, Steiff did make a very similar rooster design in this more vivid color palate in 8, 17, 22, and 28 cm from 1930 through 1943 overall. The little guy under review here today is from a lesser known series of 1930s-era tan and brown roosters. Given that the ones with the green details were produced for a much longer period suggests that they also sold better and were more popular with customers. 

Second is his legs and feet. They are made from orange painted metal. Steiff has a long history of making their early prewar birds with metal feet and legs, but they were either "slipcovered" in felt or wrapped with string. As far as Steiffgal can tell, these 8 cm mohair roosters introduced in 1933 might have been the first full bodied birds with painted metal legs, complete with their requisite poultry "spurs" just above the ankles.

And the half? Well, coincidence or not, Steiff debuted its line of woolen miniature birds in 1931. These first mini guys, and all the company's prewar standing pom-pom style birds moving forward, had painted metal legs and feet almost identical to the ones seen on the smallest prewar mohair rooster. It is possible that by 1933 - when the smallest mohair roosters debuted - that the company had perfected their metal legs and feet production technology to the point that this design element could be implemented on other more sophisticated patterns. For example, here on the left, you can see tiny rooster's metal legs and somewhat twisted toes (guess he might be having a little foot arthritis after a century!) and the metal legs and toes of his woolen miniature owl friend from 1934.

Steiffgal hopes this discussion on this little bird with interesting leg features has you standing tall. 

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

Check Out This Bearded Beauty From The Steiff Archives!

It's easy to be all smiles over this next Steiff mystery. Check out this note from a friend in Germany, who has just added a very special bearded beauty to his collection. But who exactly is this rarity, and what might be the back story behind him? Orlando writes:

"I bought a sitting Schnauzer from the Steiff archive, which I can't find in any book. He has the number 3530, which is written on the archive tag. He has a leather collar, his breastplate, and his ear flag with a button. The pressure voice, works. Maybe you can tell me something about the dog. Was it perhaps intended for the American market? Thank you for your efforts. I'm looking forward to your reply."

This darling doggie is an unusual version of the Steiff's popular and legacy Tessie Schnauzer design. These pretty pooches were made in 10, 14, 22, and 28 cm from 1954 through 1976. Tessie dogs produced for the standard line were standing and made from long, light grey mohair. They had irresistible faces that came to life with black and brown pupil eyes, a black hand embroidered mouth, a happy pink tongue, and pert triangular shaped ears. Their accessory was a red leather collar.

Orlando's version has the same general look and feel as the standard line issue Tessie dogs, with a few key differences:

• 1. Standard line Tessie was standing and Orlando's is sitting. 

• 2. Standard line Tessie was made from mohair and Orlando's appears to be made from a different sort of fabric. 

• 3. Standard line Tessie has a closed mouth and Orlando's has an open, smiling mouth lined in velvet - sort of like those seen on Steiff's early 1950s Cockie Cocker Spaniels. 

• 4. Standard line Tessie came in sizes up to 28 cm and Orlando's appears to be larger.

So what does this all mean? The Steiff archive tag, with the numbers 3530 and 1955 on it, does help to shed some light on the dog. These numbers translate to 3=sitting, 5=wool plush, and 30=30 cm tall. So his fabric is in part wool plush, he is 30 cm tall, and he was made in 1955.

Now let's talk about his unusual form - sitting instead of standing. The sitting version was sampled in 1955, one year after standing Tessie's introduction. Steiffgal has two plausible ideas why Steiff tried out a version of their Tessie Schnauzer dog in sitting form.  

The first has to do with growing the company's overseas presence and market position. It was not uncommon for Steiff to make design tweaks to its standard line, postwar dogs and present them as exclusives to F.A.O. Schwarz and other high end stores in the USA in the 1950s and 1960s. For example, Steiff produced a standing Dally Dalmatian (the standard line version was sitting), a sitting black and white Cockie (the standard line version was standing), and an open mouthed Biggie Beagle (the standard line version had a closed mouth) as specials for F.A.O. Schwarz. This sitting Tessie might have been proposed for an exclusive for the USA, but never put into production for one reason or another.

The second has to do with regular business product line extension. If a design is great and selling well - why not make it in a theme and variation form? The best analogy Steiffgal can come up with here is Steiff's foray into creating a postwar sitting Arco German Shepherd. Postwar, Arco has always appeared in the catalog standing. Steiffgal has seen just a few of the sitting versions here and there, but has never seen them documented in any reference book as a standard line item. In 2020, a 25 cm sitting Arco with all IDs sold at auction; it generated 12 bids and hammered at €2,300 / $2,481. His cataloging read, in part... 

"Arco, button, chest label and cloth tag label, cloth tag label is worn, sitting 25 cm, flat STEIFF button with embossed cursive writing in ear, item-No. 3325, cloth tag label on ear isn't readable, neck mark, Arco, mohair stuffed with wood wool , brown/black glass eyes, black nose/ mouth decoration, always 3 claws, press voice is faulty, red leather collar, this Alsatian Arco in sitting version was planned by the company STEIFF 1963 as novelty in different sizes , but wasn't put into the assortment, it were probably only a few sample items produced, very nice, unused original condition, extremely rare STEIFF rarity, expertise by the company STEIFF GmbH Giengen is enclosed." Here on the left you can see this sitting version of Arco, the image is from LiveAuctioneers. 

It is not clear why these sitting versions of Tessie and Arco never went into full blown production. Steiffgal suspects it has to do with production and labor costs, and/or market share or other business factors. These kinds of production decisions almost always have an economic element to them. But only they know for sure - and their lips are sealed!

Steiffgal hopes this discussion on Orlando's archival Tessie has been one for the books!

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

You Are Certain To Have A Plush Crush On This Amazing Steiff Prewar Rarity!

No need to sugar coat this amazing rarity! Here we have a wonderful example of Steiff's little known sitting "coat plush" cat. Have you ever seen a Steiff animal in this little known fabric? She is just about purr-fect in every way. 

This pretty kitty is 17 cm tall, sitting, unjointed, and made from grey and white coat plush. Her back is covered in now faded black stripes. Her tail wraps around her rear, as often noted in Steiff's sitting cat patterns over the years. She has green and black pupil eyes and a pink painted nose and mouth. Her face is detailed with black stripes. Any whiskers have been loved off or lost to time. Her bow is not original to her, but her bell might be. She retains her button as her Steiff ID. This fantastic feline was made in 14, 17, 22, and 28 cm from 1931-1939 overall. 

Let's now take a look at how she is cataloged in Pfeiffer's 1892-1943 Sortiment. It says, "Rauhstoff, Grau/weiss, sitzend, billige Series." This translates to English as "Rough cloth, grey/white, sitting, cheap series." These descriptors are very telling about her construction and era of production in two key ways.

First, let's consider her material. It is called rough cloth or coat plush. This is the first time that Steiffgal had handled an item made from this wartime era fabric, it is that unusual. More commonly noted substitute fabrics found on items produced just before and just after WWII include wool plush, artificial silk plush, cotton plush, and linen. From an aesthetic perspective, this material looks and feels a bit like flannel cloth - the fabric usually seen on nightclothes and plaid shirts! It has a very slightly fuzzy surface. Steiffgal suspects that the absence of this fabric appearing over a wide range Steiff prewar designs suggests that it was unpopular, hard to work with, and/or unavailable on a commercial level.

However, it is interesting to note that coat plush was used on two other cat models around the same time as this one. One, a standing version, was made in 14, 17, and 22 cm from 1931-1933. This same model was also produced on blue eccentric wooden wheels as a pull toy in 14, 17, and 22 cm from 1931-1932.

And second, let's noodle what Pfeiffer might mean by the words "cheap series." It is unclear if this specifically means "cheap to manufacture" or "cheap (or cheaper) to purchase", or both. The early 1930s at Steiff were a time when the company was implementing numerous strategies to slash costs and create efficiencies throughout the entire organization. So the chronology of these words does make sense. This sitting cat was made at the same time as a number of the company's now legacy sitting cats, including Susi, the sweet tabby; Siamy, the Siamese cat; and Fluffy, the adorable blue tipped kitten. Clearly, these head jointed mohair cats were far more elegant in their materials, construction, and detailing than this basic, unjointed one. This "cheap series" cat also has simple painted facial features - not embroidered ones - which are far more economical to apply than hand embroidered ones.

All of these small tweaks in the aggregate certainly brought her costs down... but not her appeal or importance in the company's product development timeline in any way.

Steiffgal hopes this discussion on this prewar era coat plush rarity has warmed your heart and soul!

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

Having A Ball With This Prewar Steiff Kitten Novelty

Without trying to be catty, Steiffgal suspects you've never seen a Steiff kitten just like this one! Check out this fancy feline who is simply having a ball - literally. This prewar novelty is totally the cat's meow!

This lovely lady is simply cataloged as "Wool Plush Cat." But her details are far more interesting! She measures 9 cm tall and 17 cm long, not including her tail. She is head jointed and in a lying position. She is made from tan wool plush with now faded black airbrushed striping. She has a pinch style squeaker in her torso. Kitty comes to life with felt backed ears, green and black glass pupil eyes set low on her face, and a pink hand embroidered nose and mouth. Her accessories include a satin bow, jingle bell, and a red, yellow, and blue woolen miniature pom pom ball which is held between her two front paws. This delightful rarity was made in 17, 22, and 28 cm (measured horizontally, not including the tail) from 1933-1942.

Kitty's design and presentation closely mirror Steiff's late prewar design aesthetic as well as business drivers and strategy. In the early 1930s, the realities of Germany's challenging geopolitical, social, and economic situation really began impacting every level of operations at Steiff. As such, the company started using less expensive and more readily available non-mohair fabrics as well as launching simplified designs to minimize materials and labor costs. Here to the left you can see this pretty kitty as she appeared in Steiff's 1938/1939 print catalog; you can click on the photo to make it bigger. 

Here's how this kitty's pattern checks many of those boxes. 

1.  She is made from wool plush, which is lovely and durable, but is less elegant than the company's signature mohair. Wool plush is considered a wartime era, substitute fabric and was often used in Steiff's production on items bookending WWII. 

2. Her face is nicely done, and very appealing and expressive, while her body is  very basic in form. Starting around 1931, Steiff began consolidating their design and manufacturing efforts on an item's head, while leaving the rest of the body as simple as possible. A great example of this is the company's line of dressed animal dolls of that era. They consisted of a lovely, detailed mohair head on a plain, generic linen or fabric body. 

3.  Kitty she has only one joint - a head joint. Jointing is very expensive and time consuming, and the fewer joints an item has, the more efficiently it can be made. 

4. And finally, her accessories are also quite telling. Her bow, bell, and simple woolen miniature pom pom are inexpensive to source and quick to attach to her, but really elevate her presentation and draw your eye forward to her finest feature, her head. Steiff debuted its general woolen miniature line, which was invented in part to address the realities of manufacturing in Germany in the 1930s, so it is interesting to see it being used here to compliment and upscale this design. 

Steiffgal hopes this discussion on this wool plush kitty has tickled your whiskers!

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

Getting Cosi With Steiff's Poodle Named Tosi

Poodles are amongst the most popular dog breeds globally and are regularly celebrated for their distinctive good looks, superior intelligence, and fun-loving personalities. These wonderful dogs, often sporting fantastic hair-dos, are so important to Steiff that several were featured in the company's debut catalog in the early 1890's. Since then, Poodles have appeared almost continuously in the Steiff line to this day.

One of the rarer Steiff poodles, Tosi, tops the wish lists of many collectors today. This is most likely due to her unique presentation, unusual detailing, and place in the company's product development timeline. A deeper dive into her history suggests she is a case study in early postwar design, development, and distribution. Here is the story behind this precious pup!

Given the breed's appeal, Steiff started manufacturing Poodles as soon as possible once the factory reopened for toy making business after the conclusion of WWII. The first new postwar Steiff Poodle design was Tosi. Here you can see her on the cover of the company's 1950 product catalog. Tosi's design strategy was based on two of Steiff's key business drivers at the time - to produce quality, appealing toys as quickly and efficiently as possible and to regain their status as a premier, worldwide toy manufacturer. However, Steiff still had alot to manage operationally in the earliest midcentury period, including rebuilding their infrastructure, optimizing new regulations and distribution channels, and dealing with material and talent shortages, among other factors.

Many of Tosi's design elements reflects these postwar realities. She was standing and simple in design and only head jointed in the larger sizes. She had minimal seams and labor intensive details. Because mohair fabrics during this period were limited and expensive, this model was made from wool plush. Her coat was in a "Karakul" trim, meaning that it was fluffy but uniformly the same length all over her body. This gave her a sweet and youthful appearance, but also required no additional hand-trimming or work on her legs and torso. Tosi's face was detailed with a round, black glass button nose and soulful, almond shaped white, brown, and black eyes. These facial features did not require facial hand embroidery, which can be time consuming and require special expertise to execute. Her accessory was a simple red leather collar, which was easy to manufacture and attach to the dog. And, her small size and compact form made her light and easy to pack and ship worldwide. Here on the left you can see Tosi in a variety of color and size combinations as she appeared in Steiff's 1950 new product catalog. 

Overall, Tosi was produced in black or white wool plush in four sizes ranging from 14 to 28 cm from 1950 through 1953. Because of her time of manufacturer, Tosi would have left the factory with either a short trailing f, blank, or raised script button; yellow ear tag; a red or blue imprinted chest tag; and a cloth US Zone tag in her leg seam as her Steiff IDs. You can see these IDs on the white Tosi above; the image is from www.invaluable.com. Examples in excellent to as new condition with all IDs today can trade hands in the high three digits - low four digit range.

Steiffgal hopes this discussion on Steiff's Tosi poodles has you feeling quite rosy!

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

It's Hip To Be Square With This Steiff Prewar Charly The King Charles Pajama Bag

You snooze, you lose! But everyone who is interested in this next fantastic find is a clear winner. Check out this short inquiry from Steiff superfan Michael, who writes about an unusual novelty. He simply writes...

"Hi, could you give some detail and history on this pajama case, I think?"

It's hip to be square with this marvelous 1930s era Steiff Charly the King Charles pajama bag. The bag itself is 30 x 30 cm, square shaped, and made from long, soft tan mohair. It closes with a metal zipper with a pull ring and is fully lined in textured light green fabric. All of these details appear to be original to the bag. The bag itself is decorated with the head of Steiff's signature Charley the King Charles Spaniel. Charly's head is made from mohair and measures about 15 cm long. It is head jointed to the bag and was designed to rotate. His face is detailed with oversized brown and black glass pupil eyes (one appears to be missing), a black hand embroidered nose and mouth, and oversized, floppy ears, just like the real dog. And cue the happy dance - this great novelty retains its long trailing "f" button as its Steiff ID. 

 

This functional favorite was made as part of a series of children's pajama bags in the late prewar period. They were formally called "night dress bags" and were the first style of pajama bags that Steiff launched to the world. For the most part, they are really rare and seldom seen on the secondary market as they were designed to be used and loved as toys as well as functional items. As such, most wore out or were lost to time. Their basic "template" was a simple, square shaped and lined bag with the head of a well-known Steiff pet of the era. They were produced from 1930-1937 overall and came with Teddy baby, Bully, Charly, a Scotty, a Sealyham, Molly, or a Siamese cat as the animal detailing. This is the first one Steiffgal has seen with a Charly as its featured animal.

 

This rare pajama bag appears to be in really nice condition overall. It is missing an eye, which sometimes happens. Replacing the lost eye would add to its appeal and presentation, and is not that difficult to do with the right needle and thread. However, it is sometimes challenging to find an exact ocular match in terms of size and era. And for some reason, eyes that don't match often look a little strange. As such, if Michael is not able to find an exact match, he may consider replacing BOTH eyes on this item to give the face a pleasing and authentic balance. Of course, it is important to note and disclose any and all known restoration on a vintage item if you are considering selling it at some point in the future.  

Steiffgal hopes this discussion on Steiff's Charly the King Spaniel pajama bag has been the crown jewel in your day today. 

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

This Fully Jointed Prewar Cat Has Quite The Tail To Tell!

Paws and check out this next Steiff surprise! Steiffgal was recently asked about a wah-hoo good Steiff prewar rarity that probably every collector in the world would love to add to their meow mix. Check out this fabulous feline and see what makes her so interesting from the design and product development perspectives. 

Here we have Steiff's early and delightful mohair cat. She is fully disk jointed - i.e., all limbs, head AND TAIL!! - and made from black mohair. She measures about 21 cm wide (nose to tush, not including her tail) and about 17 cm tall. She has tan claws, round and early green and black glass slit pupil style eyes, and a simple pink hand embroidered nose and mouth. She also retains her tiny long trailing "f" style button. You can see her ID close up in the image below. 

According to Pfeiffer's Sortiment, this rarely seen design was made in 17, 22, and 28 cm (measured vertically, top of head to toes) in grey or black mohair from 1913-1916 overall. You can see this catalog listing here on the left, the image is from Pfeiffer's prewar reference book. Although this one under discussion today does not have a squeaker, Pfeiffer notes that the item was produced with a squeaker, and those may have appeared in the larger sizes where the body cavity was large enough to hold this apparatus in place. 

There are two key things that make this cat purr-fect in every way. 

First, the color is lovely and rare, and its timing is intriguing. The black versions were actually made only in 1913, which is one year after the company produced a series of black mohair bears in tribute to the sinking of the Titanic in 1912. So it is possible that the mohair used on some of these black cats was identical to, or from the same rolls of mohair used to create the company's now legacy Titanic Mourning Bears.

The second is its jointing. Steiff produced a number of uber-jointed items starting around 1910 or so. These included rabbits with long jointed ears, begging squirrels with jointed bushy tails, and standing dogs and cats with jointed tails, among others. Less than a decade prior, Richard Steiff was just beginning to work on ways to create basic jointing on the company's doll and animal production, and Steiff's offerings were very basic animals in simple, stationary forms. 

So it is really amazing how quickly the concept of jointing impacted the company's product design and development trajectory - basically zero to sixty in just a handful of years. However, in the big picture, these extensively jointed items did not last long in the line. This is probably because they were very labor intensive and expensive to produce - and the extra jointing might not have paid out in either ROI or additional sales. 

Steiffgal hopes this discussion on this rare and early black cat has tickled your whiskers!

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

This Charly Purse Is A Crown Jewel In Steiff's Prewar Novelty Production

Hold everything and check out this absolutely amazing rarity! Steiffgal has a thing for Steiff novelties, especially those made in the prewar era. And it is certainly the best of all worlds when it comes to this breathtaking example. This Charly the King Charles Spaniel handbag will undoubtably have your vote for “Best of Show” in terms of her beauty, design, and willingness to lend a paw in service!

What we have here is Steiff’s Charly Handtasche or Charly Purse. This novelty is based on Steiff's beloved and legacy Charly The King Charles Spaniel pattern which debuted in the late 1920s. This precious pooch purse is 25 cm long, in a standing (albeit slouchy) position, and head jointed. She is made from long and short mohair plush. Her ears and tail are brown-tipped mohair, while her body and face are off-white mohair which has mellowed to a vanilla color. Her face is detailed with oversized brown and black glass pupil eyes and a simple black hand embroidered nose and mouth. She also has black embroidered claws on her hands and feet. And here’s what makes her a purse: her torso is hollow like a pouch, and is lined in bright orange velvet. You can see that detail in the photo on the left.  Her back opening closes with a study brass zipper. The pouch volume is quite small; it probably is the volume of about a small sized apple. This fantastic and very rare prewar novelty was produced in 22 and 25 cm from 1927 through 1940.

Steiff debuted a series of zippered, mohair purses in 1927 based on some of their most beloved characters of the era. These measured 17 to 29 cm in size, measured horizontally. Each featured a velvet or silk lined, hollow back pocket which closed with a zipper. The zipper had a mohair ring pull to it, which probably also was designed as a small handle. These rings tend to get lost to time or wear given their function. The first button-in-ear handbag designs to appear included this Charly, as well as Jocko the Chimp, Petsy the Baby Bear, Bully the Bulldog, and Molly the puppy. Other patterns rolled out over time, with the final design being a Pip in 1941. 

Now let's do a bit of time travel. Check out this image on the left from Steiff's 1929 catalog. You can click on the image to make it bigger. The page is dedicated to their line of mohair handbags. Three young ladies are happily modeling the purses, including one with the Charly bag under discussion here today. Steiffgal thinks she looks the happiest of the gals, and for good reason! You can also see the circular mohair zipper pulls on the purses. The words on the advertisement translate roughly to, "Elegant in the arm of the lady, funny with the little ones.” The catalog page also notes that the purses were decorated with a collar or silken ribbon. 

Steiffgal hopes this discussion on Steiff's animal handbags has got you carried away - in the best possible way!

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