So Many Elements Make This Steiff' "Sulphur Mate" Doll So Fantastic!

Cute as a button! There's simply no better description of this darling, and diminutive, Steiff doll. This petite treat recently joined Steiffgal's hug, and she couldn't be more excited about it. Please say hello to Sulphur Mate, and see what makes him so interesting from the design and historical perspectives.

Hat's off to this fine fellow! Bitty Sulphur Mate is 14 cm, standing, head jointed, and made primarily from felt. His body and outfit are one in the same and made from yellow felt. His oversized slip-in shoes are made from light orange felt. He dons a teal colored, removable hat decorated with tan paper buttons. His darling face beams with its horizontal shaped seam, side glancing, google-style black and white glass cartoon eyes, a pink stitched and painted mouth, and airbrushed features. His hair and beard are made from bright orange tipped mohair, which has faded a bit over time. 

In terms of IDs, this Sulphur Mate retains his trailing "f" button and yellow ear tag marked "114". In this case, the 1=standing and the 14=14cm. It is not clear if this pattern ever had a chest tag. This lucky charm was produced in 14 and 25 cm from 1933 through 1936 overall. The 25 cm version has tri-colored glass eyes, but is almost identical in every other way. Sulphur Mate's design was also repurposed as a coffee warmer in 44 cm in 1934. 

Sulphur Mate has several design features that are elemental to his appeal, and reflect the timeframe in which he was produced and sold. 

The first is his delightfully tipped orange mohair beard and hair. This type of happy, eye-catching material was very typical to the late 1920s/early 1930s; for example, think of Steiff's "Petsy" the Baby Bear, and Molly the Puppy - both are famous, in part, for their great tipped fabrics. 

The second is his accessories. His oversized slip-in shoes - which are most likely a nod to the clogs made famous by Steiff's earlier and well healed gnomes Snik and Snak - are made from orange felt. Steiff's earliest clogs were made from wood and leather; Sulphur Mate's are simple and made from felt. And his hat is inexpensively decorated with small, glued on cardboard circles. Earlier details like this would have been embroidered or painted. With Steiff, over time, it was not unusual for accessories to be sampled and streamlined over time as cost savings measures. This was especially true starting in the early 1930s.

The third is his facial construction. It is interesting to note that this gnome doll was one of the very last dolls designed and produced with Steiff's traditional horizontal or vertical seam face construction. His prominent horizontal seam was necessary create his prominent, large, flat nose; this seaming dates from the early 1900s and can be seen also on some of the company's early farmer dolls.  The company's dolls introduced from the mid-1930's onward all had seamless, pressed felt face assemblies. 

Despite his impish presence and personality, Sulphur Mate has a somewhat scandalous history with Steiff. According to the Cieslik's Button in Ear book, this doll pattern was originally designed by artist Charlotte M. Kirchhoff as a logo for a Bavarian hotel chain owned by Anton Gross. In the early 1930s, Gross asked Steiff to produce Sulphur Mate as a toy. A sample was made, but Gross never placed an order. The sample was placed in the archives. 

In 1933, Otto Steiff came across the sample, really liked it, and put it into production. Between 1933 and 1936, 1,315 Sulphur Mate dolls were made. In 1936, Steiff received a cease and desist letter from Kirchhoff's lawyer, accusing the company of plagiarizing the design. Recognizing the error, Steiff immediately stopped Sulphur Mate's production, and paid Kirchhoff based on their sales of her pattern. Steiff replaced Sulphur Mate in its line with another little gnome in 1937; he was called "Lucky Fellow." He had a somewhat similar body to Sulphur Mate but had a pressed felt face and a mushroom looking hat. You can see Lucky Fellow here on the left; the picture of this little guy is from LiveAuctioneers.

Steiffgal hopes this discussion of this well-heeled Sulphur Mate doll has been a "shoe-in" for you!

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

Hat's Off To This Tiny And Absolutely Adorable Steiff Dwarf Doll!

Do clothes make the man? No, not always, but they can suggest some very interesting things about him! Check out this happy handful - a well attired Steiff dwarf doll - that recently joined Steiffgal's hug. His outfit, materials, and impish good looks make him quite the cover boy!

This petite treat stands 22 cm tall and is fully jointed. His entire body, including his face, is made from flesh colored linen. His oversized hands and feet are remarkably detailed with realistic fingers and toes. His ever-happy face comes to life with a long, light brown mohair beard and eyebrows, bright green and black glass slit pupil eyes, a charming upturned nose, and a open, red smiling mouth. His cheeks are very rosy and he even has a little razor stubble to him! He wears brown velvet shorts, a white cotton shirt, a bright yellow mohair cap, and a bright blue felt vest. His accessories include a leather belt and a Steiff-branded satchel; this is pictured below. When he left the factory in Giengen, Germany over a century ago, he wore oversized wooden and leather clogs. Dwarf retains his tiny, long trailing "f" button in ear as his Steiff ID.

So just who is this dapper dwarf? Steiffgal has two theories.  First, perhaps he is a hybrid of the company's early 20th century Snak and Snik dwarf designs. Snak was made in 22, 30, 43, and 50 cm from 1911-1915. He is known for his mohair cap and pointy nose. Snik was made in 22, 30, 43, and 50 cm from 1911-1920. He is known for his floppy felt hat and upturned nose. This little guy has a mohair cap and upturned nose - suggesting that he shares key traits from both patterns.

It is also entirely possible, given how every Snak Steiffgal has ever seen has a bright yellow mohair cap, that he is 100% Snak. Sometimes, the smallest versions of a Steiff item have little design tweaks from the larger versions. This usually involves simplification of seaming, body shape, or jointing relative to scale. In this case, this diminutive dwarf does not have eye pockets like the larger versions do, and his nose is definitely not crooked! Perhaps Snak's distinctive, long crooked nose just didn't translate well to the 22 cm version. Only this dwarf knows for certain, and he's not talking!

What is certain is his "birth date" and what that means in terms of his presentation. Given his materials, this dwarf was most certainly made in the World War I era (c. 1914-1918.) During this period, traditional, high quality woolen materials used for toy making like mohair and felt were in very short supply. Most of these fabrics were rationed for war purposes like uniforms and blankets; what was available commercially was very expensive and challenging to obtain.  

During peacetime, this dwarf's entire body and head would have been made from felt; here they are made from inexpensive linen. And his pants, which typically appear in felt, are made from velvet. These substitutions saved a significant amount of costly fabrics, and didn't really change his appearance or personality. It is interesting to note that his "signature" and highly visible elements - his hat, beard, and vest - are still made from woolen fabrics. However, the amount of materials needed for these "key" elements was quite small, and these details could have been pieced together from scraps for efficiency. 

Steiffgal hopes this discussion on this tiny linen dwarf has added to the fabric of your day!

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

A Petite Steiff Treat In Honor Of Valentine's Day

In honor of Valentine's Day, the universal holiday of love, Steiffgal thought she'd introduce you to one of her Steiff cupids! Well, this little guy wasn't designed as the sprite with wings and a bow and arrow - but he certainly plays the role of a super sweetheart really well! Come check out this darling Steiff gnome and see what makes him so interesting from the design and historical perspectives.
 

This little lovey certainly gets Steiffgal's heart beating in a big way! Here we have Steiff's gnome named Snik. Snik is 35 cm tall, made of felt, and is leg and head jointed. His oversized hands and feet are remarkably detailed with realistic fingers and toes. His ever-happy face comes to life with a long orange mohair beard and eyebrows, bright green and black glass pupil eyes in felt eye pockets, an impish upturned nose, and a open, red smiling mouth. He wears brown felt shorts, a white cotton shirt, a now faded red pointed cap, and a bright purple belted felt vest that has faded to tan over time. You can't help but notice Snik's enormous wooden and leather clogs - just perfect for yard work (but more on that later!) Snik was produced in 25, 35, and 43 cm from 1927 though 1943.
 

Steiffgal's Snik is based on another very similar felt dwarf (also named Snik) that Steiff produced from 1911 through 1921. Early Snik was made in 22, 30, 43, and 50 cm; he had a purple felt hat and a slightly different facial expression than later Snik. You can see this first Snik pictured here on the left; the photo is from Gunther Pfeiffer's 1892-1943 Sortiment Book. Early Snik was designed during a most interesting period in the evolution of Steiff dolls. Steiff began commercially producing its first dolls with center-seamed faces around 1904. Most of these were felt; some were velvet. These early dolls were called “caricature” dolls or “charakterpuppe” because they had comical, exaggerated features – such as extremely lean or rotund bodies, huge feet, or cartoon-like faces... much like early and later Snik. In about 1914, Steiff started giving their new doll patterns much more accurate, human proportions, and started moving away from the “charakterpuppe” look. These updated designs became universally embraced for their authenticity, appeal, and charming appearances. So this later Snik, despite his likely production in the late 1920's or early 1930's, is really a nod to Steiff's very early turn of last century “charakterpuppe” doll production and design priorities. 

It was a shoe-in that this clog wearing sweetie would be a hit with collectors for over three decades! Gnomes hold a very special place in the hearts of many Germans and have been a part of European popular culture for centuries. These small, humanoid creatures apparently live underground and are considered auspicious (and a bit mischievous) as well as essential for gardening success! Today, it is not uncommon to see small gnome statues in even the most formally planted and tended gardens across Europe! It is said that gnomes have a lifespan of 400 years and "kiss" by rubbings noses and also use nose rubbing as a greeting equivalent to people shaking hands.  Like our friend Snik under discussion today, "typical" gnomes have red pointy hats, fluffy beards, dark pants, sturdy working shoes, and a sweet expression that reflects the pleasure that comes from a good day at work.  

Steiffgal hopes this discussion on Snik has been a petite treat for you. 
  
Have a question about one of your Steiff treasures? Let's talk! Click here to learn more. 

A Few Of My Favorite (Steiff) Things

Raindrops on roses, and whiskers on kittens... are a few of Julie Andrew's favorite things for sure!  What's on your list?  Hopefully a piece of Steiff, or two or three!  Steiffgal is traveling this week, so in the interim before next week's new question and answer post, she thought she would share a few treasures with you that she has had the pleasure of adding to her collection over the past year or so.   So without further ado, please check out her top three highlights!

The first item is both huge and tiny at the same time!  Here we have Steiff’s 12-centimeter baby Dinos Stegosaurus dinosaur. He is unjointed and standing on all fours, made from tan-colored mohair that has been painstakingly hand airbrushed in a full spectrum of greens, blues, purples and browns. Dinos has a matching felt fin along his back and a sweet, baby-like face. His head is detailed with an open, pink lined felt mouth; green and black google style eyes; and little yellow felt ears. Dinos was produced in 12 and 42 cm as a U.S. exclusive from 1958-59 only. He retains his complete set of ID that includes a named chest tag, raised script button, and crisp, fully legible yellow ear tag.  

For more information on Dinos, including his history, design legacy, and value, please click here!

The second item is quite a doll - literally.  What we have here Steiff’s Zwerg Puck or Dwarf Puck, who stands 20-centimeters tall and is five-ways jointed. He is quite detailed and very charismatic for his size! His face, a classic “center seam” design, is made from felt and is detailed with shiny black eyes, a comical, round nose, an open, smiling mouth, ruddy cheeks, large ears and a very long, white mohair beard. He has large, clown-like felt hands and very skinny fabric legs. His clothes, which are integral to his body, consist of a light blue felt jacket, a brown felt shirt and blue and white cotton calico pants. He has donned a triangular-shaped yellow mohair hat. He has very large feet (proportionally) and is wearing denim blue-colored fabric boots.

For more information on Puck, including his history, design legacy, and value, please click here!

And finally - it's quite clear this fantastic find has quite a purse-sonality.  What we have here is Steiff’s Charly Handtasche or Charly Purse. This precious pooch is 22 centimeters tall in a standing (albeit slouchy) position with a jointed head. She is made from long and short mohair plush and her ears and tail are brown-tipped mohair, while her body and face are off-white mohair. Her face is detailed with oversized brown and black-pupil eyes and a simple black hand-embroidered nose and mouth. She also has black embroidered claws on all four paws. And here’s what makes her a purse: her belly is hollow like a pouch, and is lined in lime-green velvet. It closes with a study brass zipper. The pouch volume is quite small; it probably is the volume of about a small-sized apple.  According to Steiff records, this Charly Purse was produced in 22 and 25 cm from 1927 through 1940. This particular example, with her trailing “F” Steiff button and red ear tag, was made in the 1928-through-1934 time frame.

For more information on Charly, including her history, design legacy, and value, please click here!

Steiffgal hopes this 1-2-3 review of delightful Steiff treasures has been a delightful numbers game for you.

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