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.

Sending Gigantic Midcentury Teddy Hugs To You!

Steiffgal's got news. Really big news! Super-humongous news! A brand new cub has joined her hug, and she couldn't be more excited or pleased. But this isn't just any Ted, he's really in a class all to himself. Come learn more about this bouncing bundle of joy and what makes him so interesting from the design and historical perspectives.

This big, beautiful bear is of course a huge Teddy baby. He measures 40 inches or 100 cm tall. He is solidly stuffed with excelsior and weighs a whopping 16 pounds. He is five ways jointed and made from glowing, long shaggy blonde mohair. His inset facial muzzle and the tops of his flat toddler feet are made from shorter matching blonde mohair. His nose and claws are hand embroidered in brown. He has a smiling, open, peach colored felt lined mouth and a touch of tan airbrushing to give his face a bit more definition. The same peach colored felt lines his paw pads. His eyes are oversized, brown and black pupil style. And he wears a blue leather color that is decorated with a bell and 16 raised script style buttons. His working growler is activated by a metal pull string and loop on his back.

The Teddy Baby pattern is a legacy one for Steiff. It debuted in 1929; pre-World War II, Teddy Baby was made in 9, 12, 13, 15, 20, 22, 25, 30, 35, 38, 40, 45, and 65cm sizes. It is interesting to note that Teddy Baby was one of the very first items Steiff started producing when the factory in Germany opened after the war. Due to limited supplies and logistical complications, he was made in artificial silk plush in 1948. Then, once supplies and operations were back in order, he was produced in blonde or brown mohair in 9, 22, 28, 30, and 40 cm in the identical pattern made before the war. All sizes over 9 cm came with a leather collar with a bell. Teddy Baby remained in the Steiff line from 1949 to 1957, although due to his popularity with collectors, has been replicated many times in numerous limited edition series. Here above you can see a variety of early postwar standard line Teddy baby bears ranging from 9 to 40 cm. 

So... what's the history behind this larger than life version? He's only had one family, so Steiffgal was able to get the entire scoop on him from his original owners. Here's what she learned. This bear was purchased in about 1950 from Macy's on 34th Street in New York City. The woman who Steiffgal purchased this bear from was a little girl at the time and accompanied her father to the store to pick out a special present for her mother. Their mom loved Teddy bears, so of course Steiff would be a perfect fit for this mission. The two walked into Macy's toy department and saw him there... and it was love at first sight! They bought the bear right away for $100 at the time. Today, $100 in 1950 dollars has the buying power of almost $1,100 today! A pretty penny both then and now. Mom loved the bear, and treated him like a prince - bringing him out once a year to add to the family's Christmas celebrations. 

Size defies in a number of ways when it comes to this Ted. Clearly, he is not from the standard line, which topped out at 65 cm early postwar. Steiff did make a display, or studio sized brown mohair Teddy baby in 60 inches or 150 cm in the mid-1960s. You can see the 1967 catalog page promoting this bear above. And, he's not a "one of a kind" as other almost identical one was sold at auction a few years back. It is Steiffgal's suspicion that this bear in this size may have been produced in very low numbers for "special" or high profile customers around 1950. This was exactly the timing in which Steiff was trying to regain its worldwide distribution, reputation, and visibility right after WWII. As such, it is possible that the company produced these "monumental" sized and styled bears to catch the eye, attention, and wallets of affluent midcentury consumers. And what better place than Macy's in NYC to make that happen!?

Finally, Steiffgal can't emphasize enough the power of a good scrub when it comes to welcoming a new vintage friend into your hug. Yes, this Ted is GORGEOUS and his original family took extra loving care of him. However, he's been around almost 70 years without a bath... so that's the first thing Steiffgal did when she got him home. Over the course of two hours, he went from totally handsome to POSITIVELY GLOWING with the help of a dozen white washcloths, a light cleaning solution, and lots of elbow grease. You can see his "before" and "after" cleaning photos here on the left.   

Steiffgal hopes this discussion on this huge Teddy baby has brought you enormous joy today.

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

This Huge Steiff Chimp Is More Fun Than A Barrel Full Of Monkeys!

What's on your Steiff bucket list? For the longest time, Steiffgal dreamed of adopting a Studio Jocko chimp. She had seen a few in photographs and immediately fell in love with their scale, playful looks, and charming personalities. Whenever Steiffgal asked her what she wanted for a birthday, anniversary, or holiday gift, she would jokingly exclaim, "a Studio Jocko!" Well, be careful what you wish for... because wishes - especially Steiff wishes - can come true. Please meet Studio Jocko, Steiffgal's new beloved Steiff pal. Here he is pictured on the left, relaxing on the couch with a few relatives. 

It's easy to go bananas over this great ape. He stands 150 cm tall (5 feet) and is head and arm jointed. He is made of really long, chocolate brown mohair. His face, feet, ears, and hands are made from tan felt and are detailed with light airbrushing to give them additional dimension and depth. He has typical Jocko chimp detailing, like pert eyes set into eye pockets, a white mohair chin, and an open, smiling mouth - albeit on a huge scale. Jocko has an internal rod metal skeleton for stability, and he stands on two flat feet. He is solidly stuffed with excelsior, which must have taken several strong men weeks if not months to complete. According to the Sortiment book, this big boy was produced in this size only in 1960 and 1967. Here on the left is the Steiff Display Animal catalog page from 1967 featuring him. 

Now let's take a brief "guided tour" of Jocko.  

As you can see, he really is a very big dude indeed. Here he is pictured with Steiffgal. Just for reference, Steiffgal is 5'5". It is Steiffgal's best estimate that if indeed he were real and made from muscle and bone, his girth and proportions would put him between 300-400 pounds. He actually weighs about 25 pounds.  

His handsome, proportionally large face is simply irresistible - and always smiling! It measures 22 inches from his chin to the top of his head, and 20 inches ear to ear.

Here is a close up of his dimensional and very lifelike ear. You can see the smallest 4 inch Jocko resting on it so you get an idea of its scale. Big Jocko's ears measure 5.5 inches high each. 

And here is a close up of his hand. Again, the smallest Jocko helps to put his size in context. His hands measure about 8 inches long and 9 inches wide.  

Jocko has flat felt feet to help him stand (with a little help.) They measure 14 inches long and 8 inches wide. 

As you can see, Jocko is extremely photogenic. If you are in the Maryland area on September 28th and 29th, 2018, Jumbo Jocko and Steiffgal will be attending the United Federation of Doll Clubs (UFDC) Region 11 conference in Towson, MD. We will be manning a Steiff table in the salesroom with lots of Steiff temptations for doll and Steiff collectors alike. Jocko looks forward to meeting as many Steiff fans as possible at this great event, and is available for once-in-a-lifetime selfies. Click here for more information on this UFDC celebration.

Steiffgal hopes this discussion on her Studio Jocko has been a larger than life experience for you.

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