Japan Celebrates All Things Othello At The Upcoming Teddy Bear With Friends Convention in Tokyo

It's the perfect time for a little get-away... even if it's just virtual! The Japan Teddy Bear Association is holding its 34th Japan Teddy Bear With Friends Convention on October 19th-20th, 2024 in Tokyo. This year, the weekend-long gathering celebrates Othello, the AMAZING and all original 1912 Steiff Titanic Mourning Bear that set a new world's record for the most expensive antique Steiff bear sold at auction in July, 2023. Steiffgal spoke with Shuya Tanaka, the Director of the convention, to learn more about this can't miss event.

Please introduce yourself and tell us about your experience with Steiff and this Teddy bear festival. 

Shuya Tanaka: My name is Shuya Tanaka. I am the youngest director of the Japan Teddy Bear Association and an antique Teddy bear dealer. I was born in Hiroshima in 1991. I studied Western Art at the University of the Arts in Kyoto, and then trained at Ladenburger Toy Auction in Germany. I studied under Mr. Götz Seidel and learned about antique Teddy bears though this internship. After that, I returned to Japan at the age of 26 and started my own business. My company sells antique Teddy bears to regular customers at high-end Japanese department stores. I also work for the Japan Teddy Bear Association to develop the Japanese Teddy bear market. Ladenburger Toy Auction is a business partner and I take my clients to their auctions in Germany several times a year.

 

Tell us about the 34th Annual Japan Teddy Bear With Friends Convention to be held on October 19th and 20th in Tokyo at the Haneda Airport Garden convention center. How many people will attend?

 

Shuya Tanaka: The Japan Teddy Bear Convention is the largest Teddy bear show in Asia. We have a partnership with Teddy Total in Germany and Hugglets in the United Kingdom. Our event features over 200 exhibitors. We expect to welcome about 5,000 attendees over the two day celebration. In addition to selling Teddy bears and animals, we also hold charity raffles and auctions, and offer seminars and programs given by Steiff and antique experts from the international Teddy bear community. The event is being held at the new Haneda Airport Garden complex, which is conveniently located to Tokyo International Airport, Terminal 3. You can see a photo of this huge facility here on the left. This all-inclusive space, which could be a travel destination on its own, includes two premier hotels, a rooftop hot-spring bath with views of Mt. Fuji, more than 60 retail stores, and 20 restaurants.

 

The star of the convention is Othello. Can you tell us about Othello and why he lives in Japan now?

Shuya Tanaka: Othello was sold at auction last summer in Giengen, Germany - also the location of Steiff's world headquarters. The buyer is a client of mine here in Japan, and they entrusted me with Othello's management. When Othello finally arrived in Japan, we decided to have a grand welcoming party for him at our annual Japan Teddy Bear Convention. As such, we will have many delightful black Teddy bear souvenirs available for purchase at this event to celebrate all things Othello. These include a Steiff's 1912 limited edition replica bear, key chains, bags, cookie boxes, and Teddy bears, among many others. 

 

The festival has a competition for Teddy bear artists. Please tell us about this contest.

Shuya Tanaka: Every year, the Japan Teddy Bear Association holds a contest to determine Japan's number one Teddy bear artist. This year, in addition to the regular contest, there will also be an Othello contest. The theme for this special contest is "Black and Red." We have invited artists to design and sew their best interpretation of Othello for this competition. We expect about 100 entries to the Black and Red contest. Our panel of expert judges comes from all over the world and even includes the President of a Teddy bear company. The judging criteria is confidential, but individual judges will score different elements of each contest bear. The grand prize will be awarded to the bear with the highest overall total score as determined by the judges. 

 

This event also includes an auction of sorts. Can you please describe this part of the convention. 

 

Shuya Tanaka: The auctions we hold at the convention are not formal auctions, but simple ones designed to raise money for local and regional charities. The items on offer include Steiff items and other Teddy bears that have been gifted to the Japan Teddy Bear Association. All have very low opening bids. The proceeds from this auction, minus expenses, will be donated to support reconstruction efforts following the major earthquake that occurred in Ishikawa Prefecture in January of this year. And speaking of traditional auctions, you can see a picture of Othello being sold in Giengen in July, 2023 here on the left. He set a new world's record price for the sale of an antique Steiff bear... realizing nearly $250,000!

 

For our readers outside of Japan and Asia, can you tell us what it is like to collect or be interested in Steiff in Japan?

 

Shuya Tanaka: There are many individuals in Japan who collect Teddy bears. Of course, there are classic Teddy bear enthusiasts, but Japan has many famous fictional and media characters and a well-developed stuffed animal culture, too. Emotional education that enriches the soul is important here in Japan. So collecting these soft, playful, and appealing items is meaningful to many people for lots of reasons. There are Steiff distributors in Japan, and you can buy new Steiff Teddy bears at many department stores. Although there are few antique shops, our Teddy Bear Convention brings together everything from 100-year-old Teddy bears to the latest Steiff Teddy bears that have yet to be released.

 

I hear you saying is that this upcoming Teddy bear convention is the ideal destination for anyone - anywhere - that loves Steiff, Teddy bears, artist bears, and other collectible soft toys and playthings! I could not agree more! And thank you for chatting with us!

For more information on the 34th Annual Japan Teddy Bear With Friends Convention to be held on October 19th and 20th in Tokyo, please click here... you will need to use your English (or other preferred language) website translator as the site is in Japanese. 

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

Color Your World With This Most Unusual Steiff Painter Dog Doll

It's time to get creative with this most unusual and early Steiff rarity!  Steiffgal recently learned of this amazing dog doll through a fellow Steiff collector in Switzerland.  Although Steiffgal had seen a photo of him in the Steiff Sortiment book, that could not prepare her for the excitement of knowing a friend had one in the flesh, or in this case, in the fur!  Let's take a look at this wonderful item and see what makes him so interesting from the design and historical perspectives.

It goes without saying that this Steiff treasure is pretty as a picture.  Here we have Steiff's Kleksel The Painter Dog doll.  He is 30 cm tall, head jointed, and standing on flat feet.  His head, feet, and hands are made from mohair, while his solidly stuffed body is made from fabric.  His arms are not jointed but hang softly at his sides. He does not have a tail.  He is artistically attired in a cream colored, collared shirt; an orange felt jacket; green and tan plaid pants; a little leather belt; and a red bow tie.  He originally came with a slouchy hat, but this has been lost to time.  Kleksel was made in this size in two years only, 1939 through 1940.

This charming Kleksel is one of a group of Steiff Pupp-dogs (doll dogs) made by Steiff in the very late 1930's.  These animal dolls were dressed in national clothing or in clothing associated with specific occupations.   The others included a Scotty as a Scotsman with a kilt in 22 and 28 cm; an Arco German Shepherd as a farmer in 22 and 28 cm; Paddy the terrier as a sailor in 30 cm; Waldi as a hunter in 22 and 28 cm; and a Chow as an explorer in 30 cm.  Unlike these "working" Steiff pupp-dolls, earlier versions from the late 1920's through mid-1930's were more playfully or youthfully dressed and were not associated with adult professions.  

And what about his funny Steiff name, "Kleksel?"  This word roughly translates from German to English as "a blob."  In this case, a blob could be referring to a number things:

• A "blob" of paint, which would be perfectly appropriate for an artist doll; 
• The "blobs" of color on his ears and face, which are indeed multi-hued;
• The fact that the dog may be lazy and lies around all day resting as a "blob";
• Or something totally different... only Kleksel knows for sure!

It is interesting to note that unlike most of Steiff's animal dolls, Kleksel-like dogs did not appear in the standard Steiff line.  In the vast majority of cases, these animal dolls were designed with the heads of the most popular animals of the era, like Bully the bulldog, Charly the King Charles Spaniel, Arco the German Shepherd, etc.  It is not clear exactly what dog breed Kleksel represents, with his black and brown ears, prominent white muzzle, and relatively small open felt lined mouth.  He really does not look very much like any other standard Steiff dog in the line at the time of his manufacture.  It is Steiffgal's best guess that he somewhat resembles a Saint Bernhard or perhaps even a Spaniel.   What do you think? 

Steiffgal hopes this introduction to Steiff's Kleksel the Painter Dog has been a colorful experience for you!

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