Overall, A Most Delightful And Unusual Steiff Rabbit Doll!

Hop to it and check out this delightful Steiff rabbit doll with a somewhat mysterious origin. Steiffgal saw this charming fun-bun for sale on an online auction, and was lucky enough to win her (or him, but more about that later.) Its animal doll configuration was typical to 1930s construction, but there was something a little different about this example. But what was it?

This standing sweetie measures 28 cm tall (not including the ears) and is head jointed. Rabbit's body is made from a soft fabric that has a velvet-y touch to it. It has flat, cardboard lined feet designed for standing. The tips of its hands and feet, and its head and ears, are made from a woolen type of fabric - it is short, with a continuous, semi-rough feel to it. Rabbit's long "sideburns" (or side-buns?) are made from long mohair. Bunny's face comes to life with brown and black glass pupil eyes, a simple red hand embroidered nose and mouth, and traces of airbrushing. The ears are lined in wire and are poseable. Rabbit doll retains its long trailing "f" button and traces of a red ear tag as its IDs. 

So just who is this rare hare? This exact rabbit doll pattern does not appear in the Steiff Sortiment books. Steiff did make a series of wonderful rabbit dolls - toys with rabbit heads and human-like bodies like this one - starting in the 1930s. But none had the dramatic facial "hair" of the one under discussion here. This sideburned head pattern was produced on at least four other rabbit bodies. These included sitting and begging tail-turns head models, and two begging models - an unjointed version, and one wearing a little jacket. All appeared in the line from 1931 through 1940 overall. Given all of this, it is Steiffgal's best guess that the rabbit doll was indeed made in early to mid 1930s.

It is easy to go down a rabbit hole when it comes to learning more about Steiff rarities, and that's exactly what happened here. After looking through an original 1938 Steiff brochure, Steiffgal spotted a rabbit doll with mohair sideburns. Much to Steiffgal's surprise - as she thought the rabbit may be a girl - the bunny doll is actually called "Haspapa!" This literally translates to "Rabbit Father." He is shown next to another rabbit doll called "Hasmama," or "Rabbit Mother." Papa and Mama were made in 22 and 28 cm. The brochure does not mention their materials. However, it is interesting to note that they are posed with a woolen mohair duck. Woolen mohair was often used in the place of mohair plush on Steiff toys in the c. 1930-1950 time frame. It is considered an alternative, war-era fabric. So it is plausible that Haspapa was originally intended to be made out of woolen mohair and not traditional mohair plush. The picture from the brochure is shown here on the left, you can click on it to make it larger.

Finally, its a clothes call with Haspapa's darling outfit. According to the brochure picture, Haspapa left the factory wearing green overall style pants and what appears to be a checkered shirt. Fast forward eight decades, Haspapa did arrive wearing his wonderful red overalls; they are original to Steiff but not to him. The red fabric features lots of Steiff's most beloved toys and designs on a teeny-tiny scale, and looks great with his red nose and mouth . But given his age, and the New England weather, Steiffgal though he needed a few more layers. So Steiffgal's sister went right to work, making him comfortable cotton underwear, knitting him a sweater, and even "cobbling" him a pair of tie shoes. Isn't he a handsome devil? A big Steiff shout out to Steiffsis for the great handy work.

Steiffgal hopes this discussion on Steiff's Haspapa has been a hare raising experience for you.

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

It's Sofa, So Good When It Comes To Steiff's Unusual Prewar Couch Animals

Steiffgal promises today's blog will be as laid back as possible. That's because we're going to put our feet up and look at a very cool Steiff rabbit who would want it no other way. Check out this lovely honey bunny and see what makes her so interesting from the historical and product development perspectives.

It's sofa, so good when it comes to this Steiff "Couch Rabbit." Rabbit is 11 cm tall and 20 cm wide. She is head jointed, made from white mohair, and solidly stuffed with excelsior. Her ears are lined in tan velvet. She has wonderful, well designed, long, skinny legs and feet; each padless foot has three hand embroidered claws on it. Her oversized head and face come to life with pink and red glass albino eyes, a pink nose, light pink mouth, and traces of her original monofilament whiskers. She left the Steiff factory wearing a silk ribbon and brass bell, and lying on an oval shaped felt mat finished with a ruffled ribbon edge. Couch Rabbit was made in 11 and 13 cm from 1928 through 1930.

The truth is - as far as Steiffgal can tell - is that Steiff made very few versions of these lying pets. It is possible that this design concept emerged as the company was actively pursuing all sorts of "novelty" patterns in the mid-1920s; these included a series of pull and clockwork toys on wheels. The only other documented sofa animal she can find is the company's "Couch Cat." This chill-axing cat was also made in two sizes (10 and 12 cm) and during the 1928 through 1930 time frame. Their names, body positions, and accessories suggest that the company's "couch animals" were designed as decorative items to display on living room furniture like sofas. After all, that's where you find household pets resting comfortably in real life, right? The page from the company's 1929 catalog advertising these sweet treats is here on the left, the photo is from Carsten Esser's Steiff Katalog 1920-1929.

Despite its relative rarity, Couch Rabbit has many details that are typical to the company's rabbits of the period. For example, her childlike appearance, with an oversized head and eyes, exactly mirrors the company's design aesthetic of the late 1920s. Her long, skinny, padless feet and chunky thighs are almost identical in shape and proportion to the company's beloved Record Hase. And her nose and mouth stitching, consisting of a solid triangular outlined nose and a simple cross-style mouth, is also seen on many rabbits of her era. You can see these design elements here on the Record Hase (made in 25 cm from 1926 through 1943) pictured here on the left. 

Steiffgal hopes this discussion on the company's Couch Rabbit has been a restful experience for you.

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

Taking A Leap Of Faith On This Teeny Tiny Steiff Rabbit

Ok, here's a puzzler for you. How can something so small be such a huge mystery? Well, check out this bitty Steiff bunny pictured here on the left. Do you recognize her? Her origins and purpose are not clear at first glance. It's time to spring down a rabbit hole and see what we can unearth about her.

Size defies when it comes to this petite princess. She measures about 5 cm tall (without ears) and 8 cm wide. She is unjointed, lying, and made of mohair. Her back end and the backs of her ears are silvery-grey, while her front end, face, and tail are white. These fabrics are patched, not airbrushed or colored. Her tiny face comes to life with black button eyes and a pink hand embroidered nose and mouth. She is solidly stuffed with excelsior. Her Steiff IDs include a long trailing "f" button and traces of her red ear tag. 

Now it's time for a little leap - of faith - in terms of rabbit's identification. Given her appearance, construction, and IDs, it is Steiffgal's best guess that she is the smallest (or almost smallest) version of a lying rabbit simply called "Hase." Hase is pictured above, the photo is from Pfeiffer's 1892-1943 Sortiment. Hase was officially produced in 6, 8, 10, 12, and 14 cm from 1923-1928 overall in white and brown or white and black. With Steiff, it has been Steiffgal's experience that measurements are seldom "absolute" and can range sometimes as much as +/- 20%. The smaller sized versions of any given Steiff pattern sometimes look a little "simpler" than their larger sized relatives. And vintage brown mohair can oxidize or fade to a silvery color. So those "facts" may explain the coloring and presentation differences between the bitty bunny under discussion today from the "reference" Hase rabbits pictured in the Sortiment book.

But its possible to spin her tail a bit more. In the 1920s, Steiff focused on producing a great number of playful novelties as pull toys on wheels. These included pairs of animals on see-sawing "wiwag" carts, pairs of forward and backward moving animals on "galop" carts, and pairs of spinning animals on "roly droly" carts, among others. The animals featured on these carts for the most part were the smallest versions of standard line animals, like bears, monkeys, and dogs. In 1924 through 1934, Steiff produced a roly droly featuring a chick and a rabbit. And in 1926 through 1934, they made a roly droly featuring two tiny rabbits. If you look at these two photos - pictured here on the left - you can see that the rabbits look almost identical to the rabbit under discussion. Both photos are from Pfeiffer's 1892-1943 Sortiment. For reference, the chick pictured is 8 cm. It is quite possible that this tiny rabbit at one time was a passenger on a spring-themed Steiff roly droly! 

Steiffgal hopes that today's discussion on this tiny rabbit has brought a big smile to your face.

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

Is This The Steiff Spring Hare-binger We've All Been Waiting For?

Are you looking for a "hare-binger" that a welcome change of season is slowly on its way?  Steiffgal certainly is!  As such, she couldn't be more delighted to receive this inquiry about one of spring's favorite sons. So hop to it and check out this interesting note that Steiffgal just received from a new Steiff friend from the United Kingdom.  Andrea from Reading, Berkshire writes...

"Hi Steiffgal,

I brought this for my son a few years ago from a charity shop and recently found it in the loft.
Please can you clarify that this is an original Steiff product and how much the value of it would be worth as it matches all the descriptions on your website?

Thank you, Andrea."

For the record... it is Steiffgal's best guess, based on the pictures provided, that this indeed is a Steiff "Record Rabbit."  Steiff's "record" style animals are those that are mounted on a wheeled metal chassis (sometimes called "Irish mail carts") and appear to move back and forth as they are pulled along... giving the impression that they are the ones powering the vehicle!  This is different than most other Steiff items on wheels, which remain entirely stationary as the tires rotate.  Steiff's debut "record" animal was the now famous Jocko the Chimpanzee, who was produced "record style" in 10, 15, 29, 25, and 30 cm in brown or white mohair from 1912 through 1943 overall.  You can see an early version of this record primate here on the left.

Now let's race back to the rabbit under discussion today.  This happy hopper is 25 cm, fully jointed, and made from mohair.  He has long floppy ears, oversized and expressive black and brown pupil eyes, and a hand embroidered nose.  His smiling, open mouth is lined in peach colored felt.   This item was produced postwar in this size only from 1949 through 1964. His features, including his facial detailing and distinctive mouth, are quite similar to the company's beloved, fully jointed Niki Rabbit pattern.  Niki appeared in the Steiff line in 14, 17, 22, 28, and 35 cm from 1951 thorough 1964.

Steiff's postwar Record Rabbit's design is based on a prewar carriage riding bunny, also named Record Rabbit.  This prewar rabbit is also 25 cm, fully jointed, and made from mohair.  However, the prewar version of this pattern has a few very subtle differences between it and the postwar version.  For example, the postwar version has an open mouth; the prewar version has a closed mouth.  The postwar version has a rounder, "toddler" appearance; the prewar version is more curvy and angular.  And the postwar version has broad, felt padded feet; the prewar version has extremely thin, padless feet. The prewar version appeared in the line form 1926 through 1943; a photo of him appears on the left.  

Rolling right along, its time to answer the dreaded valuation question. As always, something is "worth" what someone will pay for it.  Steiffgal has not seen this item firsthand, and cannot check for condition issues that do not appear on these photos, such as weak areas, odors, rot, thinning, excessive playwear, possible restoration, presence (or absence) of IDs, etc.  On the upside, this 14 carrot cutie looks to be in good to very good condition, with minimal losses on the wheels.  Steiffgal even spots a few of his original monofilament whiskers!  Given all that, it is Steiffgal's best guesstimate that he may sell on an online channel like eBay in the $150-250 range.

Steiffgal hopes this discussion on Andrea's postwar record rabbit has put a nice spin to your day.

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

This Well Dressed Steiff Rabbit Doll Deserves A Standing Ovation

Steiffgal certainly finds most Steiff items appealing, but there are some that are truly outstanding - literally!  Most recently, she has had the pleasure of welcoming a somewhat rare standing rabbit into her collection.  And with his stylish apparel, it is fair to say he has a leg up in the fashion department as well!  Take a look at this handsome hare and see what makes him so interesting from the design and historical perspectives.

It's so hard not to break into a big smile when it comes to this happy go lucky fellow.  Here we have Ossili.  He is 30 cm and made from mohair.  His arms are on wires and are poseable and he is head jointed.  He has a very dear little tail;  large, flat cardboard lined feet that are covered with synthetic leather paws; and sweet hand-paws that are stitched with little fingers.  His darling face is detailed with a peach colored felt lined open mouth, a pink hand embroidered nose, clear mono-filament whiskers, and large oversized black and brown pupil eyes.  He wears a red felt necktie and a green felt apron decorated with a yellow felt pocket. Ossili was produced in this size only from 1962 through 1974.

So what's in a name, especially Ossili?  It is Steiffgals' best guess that Ossili's name may be a nod to the German word Ostern, which translates to the delightful, and bunny-centric holiday of Easter!

Face it, sweet Ossili really resembles another well known and beloved standing dressed rabbit design called Nikili.  Nikili was produced as a bub, or boy, and a maedel, or girl, in two versions.  The earlier version was in  production from 1951 through 1957; the boys wore Dutch style green felt overalls and the girls wore calico skirts and matching green tops.  This set was produced in 25 and 35 cm.  The later version was in production from 1958 through 1963; the boys wore dark felt shorts and red vests and the girls work red polka-dotted skirts and white felt tops.  This second set was produced in 26 and 36 cm.    In all cases, Nikili was head and arm jointed and had the head of the very famous and beloved Niki rabbit, who is pictured here on the left.

It seems logical that Ossili is the next "generation" of the pupp-hase (doll rabbit) Nikili based on his timeline and design.  In terms of timeline, Nikili stopped production in 1963 and Ossili was introduced n 1962. So this aligns just right. In terms of design, the changes that occur between Nikili and Ossili are quite typical in the way that Steiff updated items in the product line over time - for cost and manufacturing efficiencies.  These core elements included:

• Jointing:  Nikili was three ways jointed and Ossili was head jointed only, with unjointed arms that were posable on metal wires.  Jointing is very expensive, and by reducing the number of joints, the company could save on material and manufacturing expenses.
• Clothing:  Nikili was fully dressed head to toe, including shoes.  Ossili wore only a simple felt necktie and felt apron, and did not have shoes.
• Materials:  Ossili's footpads were made from synthetic leather, not felt.  This same treatment (going from felt footpads to faux leather over time) is also noted on the company's beloved panda bears and Teddy Baby patterns.
• Handiwork details:  Nikili's nose was hand embroidered in pink with a black outline; Ossili's nose was quite similar without the extra step of a black outline.  

Steiffgal hopes this discussion on Steiff's charming and delightful Ossili rabbit is worthy of a standing ovation!

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

Steiff's Perfect Vintage Easter Rabbit

Hippity, hoppity, Easter's on its way!  What wonderful words, given the cold and snowy winter we've all experienced here in the Northeast.  In just a few weeks, we can all hope for a visit from the Easter rabbit, with a basket or two full of goodies in tow.  But have you ever imagined what this most famous Easter "hare-binger" actually looks like?  Steiffgal has... and here's what she came up with!

If this beautiful bunny doesn't put a little spring in your step, Steiffgal's not sure what would!  What we have here is Steiff's Hase or Rabbit.  She measures 26 cm head to toe, and 33 cm ear-tips to toe.  She is begging, head jointed, and has a non-working squeaker in her belly.  She is entirely made from white mohair, including the lining of her ears. Her charming face is detailed with a simple pink hand embroidered nose and mouth, clear monofilament whiskers, and over sized pink and red albino style glass eyes.  Surprisingly, she does not have any hand or foot claw stitching.  Hase's Steiff ID includes a long trailing "f" Steiff button and remains of her red ear tag.  Her large pink silk ribbon is not original to her, but suits her perfectly! 

According to Steiff records, this particular model was made from 1927 through 1941 in 11, 15, 18, 23, 29, 36, 44, 50, and 70 cm.  (It is not 100% clear which size this bunny under discussion falls as she is a little tall, or a little short to standard; this happens alot given the hand-made nature of early Steiff treasures.)  Hase came in light brown, white, gold, purple pink, and light blue mohair.  Steiff also made this same popular pattern in velvet from 1927 through 1932 in 11, 15, and 18 cm in white, purple, orange, light brown, light blue, pink, and yellow.  All models left the factory with a pastel colored silk ribbon and a bell.  

It is hard not to take notice of this rabbit's large and unusual eyes.  Steiff started using glass pupil eyes on their Teddy bears, animals, and dolls in the early 19-teens when manufacturing and distribution processes made it economically feasible to do so. The company soon started experimenting with different glass eye color combinations and even sizes to give their products a unique, or authentic, touch.  For example, early Steiff cats often had hazel or greenish-blue slit glass pupil eyes, much like real cats. Some novelty items, like Petsy the Baby Bear, Bonzo, and Cheerio, had deep blue and black glass pupil eyes.   This gave them a "special" quality.  Many dogs launched in the 1920's through the early 1930's had larger brown and black pupil eyes to suggest a wide-eyed and youthful innocence.  These would include Molly, Bully, and Charly, just to name a few.  And then of course there is this albino rabbit, with his delightful red and pink pupil glass eyes - clearly a "focal point" of his marvelous design.

Steiffgal hopes this discussion on her perfect Steiff Easter Rabbit is sweeter than a big box of marshmallow Peeps - and far more healthy!

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