Begging For More Information On This Nearly Century Old Steiff Rabbit

Everyone loves a Steiff bouncing bundle of joy. And the bigger, the better - especially in this case! Check out this note from a new friend from London who asks about a begging bunny purchased at a fundraising event over four decades ago. His owner shares,

"Thank you for the facility to ask about Steiff toys. I'm 73 now and 40 years ago bought an old, straw stuffed toy rabbit at charity sale. He is 50 cm tall, not including his ears. As I'm a bit of a hoarder I only just came across it after some decades. It's large, in good condition, German mohair, has sewn eyes not glass ones and I gave it a new bow and bell. I was working in a youth club which had been established by ex-POW veterans who'd been incarcerated in Brunswick, Germany in WW2. So I wondered if perhaps one of them had brought it back to the UK. Is there anything more you could possibly tell me about it including its value?"

What a cheerful earful! What we have is Steiff's Hase or Rabbit. He is simply and generically named after his species and does not have a more personal or endearing name. This particular design was made from 1927 through 1941 in 11, 15, 18, 23, 29, 36, 44, 50, and 70 cm. Steiff's rabbits are usually measured vertically from head to toe and do not include the length of the ears. So this example under discussion here is the 50 cm size. Steiff produced this head jointed, excelsior stuffed rabbit in light brown tipped, white, gold, purple pink, and light blue mohair. All examples left the factory in Giengen decorated with a silk ribbon and a bell. 

This pattern was a home run for Steiff at the time, and continues to be a collector's favorite nearly a century onward. Given how adorable and popular this design was, Steiff also made it in velvet from 1927 through 1932 in 11, 15, and 18 cm in white, purple, orange, light brown, light blue, pink, and yellow. Steiffgal often refers to Steiff's 1920s-era playfully hued rabbits as "the jellybean bunch," given their joyful (and super sweet) colors. You can see examples of the velvet version of this pattern above on the left; the image is from Pfeiffer's 1892-1943 Sortiment. Below to the left is another late 1920's advertising photo for Steiff's rabbit line featuring the jellybean bunch; that image is from Esser's 1920-1929 Steiff Kataloge. 

Now for the question that always sends Steiffgal down a rabbit hole. How much is he worth? As always, something is worth what someone will pay for it, and Steiffgal has NOT seen or handled this rabbit in person. Condition is key when establishing a valuation, and he might have some issues (like smoke or insect damage) that just don't show up on photos. What we do know about him is that he has a little playwear to him, he is missing his oversized brown and black glass pupil eyes, and he does not appear to have any IDs. He looks like he might have been brown tipped originally, but that has faded a bit over time. It is also possible that his facial stitching has been augmented at some point. Given all that, it is Steiffgal's best estimate (sans a crystal ball) that this guy could trade hands in the c. $250-500 range on an online auction platform like eBay. 

Steiffgal hopes this discussion on this large, prewar rabbit has put a spring in your step today.

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

How'd You Like A Bear Hug From This Steiff Ted?

It's time to come out of winter hibernation and take a look at this outstanding Steiff studio (or life sized) treasure!  Check out this question from a reader from Las Vegas who asks about his daughter's "room-mate" of a decade - a huge and friendly Steiff brown bear.  Through a series of emails, Roland writes:

 

"Dear Steiffgal,

 

I have a Steiff bear that has a ear tag with hand written number on it of 0409 19.  This bear has been in my family for over 10 years and now it is time to find him a new home. 

 

I purchased him from a yard sale 10 years ago for my 10 year old daughter.  She is now grown and getting ready to get married.  I know nothing about this guy other that he was built for a display and was never offered for resale to the general public.  All of the books I have, I have looked through them and they do not show him, however a few web sites do as being a VERY highly sought after collectible.  So I'm confused at to the value. He is indeed the biggest Steiff bear I have ever seen.

 

Any help with information would be really helpful.

 

Best,

Roland"

 

 

Many thanks for the larger-than-life question!  What Roland has here is Steiff's studio brown bear.  He is standing and 190 cm tall.  His body is made from a brown knitted fur material.  His face is made from short tan colored mohair and is detailed with brown and black pupil eyes, a black leather-like nose, and a few airbrushed highlights.  His paw pads are made from a trivera velvet like material, and have airbrushed "paw prints" on them.  Both his paws and feet are complemented by lifelike claws; these were most likely made from wood or plastic, depending on the date of production.  The large, handwritten ear tag, pictured above, is very typical for Studio items produced in his era.  Overall, he was made from 1972 through 1980; in 1972 only he was sold exclusively in the United States.

 

 

This item certainly gets a "standing ovation" for its size and design origins.  Standing Steiff bears are very distinctive as relatively few have been produced over the years.  It is very possible that Roland's bear is based on themes from Steiff's early Zirkus Baer or Circus Bear that was produced from 1935 through 1939.  This playful, 32 cm bear was designed to stand on two feet and had snapping limbs and a tail moves head mechanism.  He is pictured above.  Fast forward a few years, Steiff produced their 28 cm, standing Zooby bear, who - like Roland's bear - has prominent, 3D claws.  A 120 cm brown mohair studio Zoo Bear - who looks like the BIG brother of Zooby in many ways, was produced in 1967 only.  Rolands' studio bear was produced starting in 1972, and shares many of the characteristics of the studio Zoo Bear, including his color, facial insert design, distinctive claws, and of course, cheerful disposition.  

 

 

It is interesting to note that from 1972 through 1975, Steiff also produced an 80 cm standing "bear cub" who looks a bit like the kid brother of Roland's 190 cm version.  And like Roland's bear, the bear cub was only sold in the United States in 1972.  This not so little sweetie is pictured above. 

 

And now the question that makes Steiffgal want to run into a cave and hide... his value.  As always, Steiffgal is not a formal appraiser and strongly believes something is worth what someone will pay.  Clearly, this is a most impressive item and also a bear, which helps his appeal. The real issue with all studio items of these proportions is that finding a buyer can be challenging.  Its been Steiffgal's experience and observation that most people love these items - at a distance.  Many collectors simply don't have the space in their homes for them.  Plus shipping logistics can be very complicated - and sometimes cost many hundreds of dollars - if they require special handling or long distance travel.  That being said, Steiffgal's best guesstimate is that he would fall within the $1,000 to $2,000 range today.  

Steiffgal hopes this discussion on the standing studio bear has keep you on your toes 'till this point.

 

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

A Tall, Dark, and Handsome Steiff Mystery!

A tall, dark, handsome, and mysterious (Steiff) gentleman appeared in Steiffgal's inbox, and she couldn't be more pleased!  Steiffgal is always open to this type of introduction, and even Steiffguy is OK with it!  Take a look at this note from a reader, who asks about an "almost" life sized Steiff doll that has been in his family for over a quarter century.  Bryan writes... 

"Dear Steiffgal,

Anything you can tell me about this item? It has been in my family for well over 25 years. It still has its Steiff tag on it, but I have not been able to find out any information about it through my own searching.  The tag LOOKS like like it has the numbers 7749/12 on it, but they are really hard to decipher. 

This is a large doll that looks like someone from Saudi Arabia, perhaps.  It measures roughly 30" high at the tallest point, and is about 24" wide. The legs are not jointed, but it is possible the arms are, they have much more of a range of movement than the legs. Its hard to tell without removing the clothing. As far as the clothing goes, nothing has ever been done to it by us, so as far as I know it is original.  

Here is the story I was always told growing up about it. My dad used to import cars from Germany. On one of his trips over there, around 1983 or 1984, he was in a gift store in the Frankfurt Airport and he saw Muhammad Ali buying this same doll (or one similar, the details are vague). Of course, Ali was causing a huge commotion as everyone wanted to see him and get autographs/photos with him. He decided if Ali was buying one, he wanted one too and jumped in line behind him and bought this one. He says it was the last one they had.  Both my dad and Ali carried these dolls onto the plane, Ali in first class, my dad is coach.  Dad thinks he paid around $300US for it.

Many thanks, Bryan"

So, just who is this international man of mystery?  Well, to be honest, Steiffgal is not 100% sure, as she has never seen this piece before, and it does not appear in any standard Steiff reference books.  However, there are several clues about him that may shed a little light on his dating, background, purpose, and history. 

First check out his tag and button.  He has Steiff's traditional thick letter raised script button which technically appeared on items from the early to mid 1960's through around 1972.  His yellow linen tag was used from 1969/1970 through 1980. However, Steiffgal has noticed from some items in her personal collection that the thick letter raised script button has appeared on some larger, studio items through the mid- to late 1970's as well. 

Next check out the writing on his tag.  It is clearly handwritten.  It has been Steiffgal's observation that in the past in general, Steiff hand wrote numbers on a tag on studio (life sized) items, items that only very few were produced, sample items, and other rarities.  Although the meanings of the different numbers have changed over time, and several times in the 1950's and 1960's, Steiffgal can decipher that the first two digits, a 7 and a 7, most likely indicate Steiff is describing this item as "in caricature" - the first 7 - and "synthetic, rubber" for the second 7.  That would make sense, given the doll has a playful look to him, and is most likely made from man-made trivera velvet.  The "49" may - and this is just a guess - indicate 49 cm as a sitting size for this item, as the total height is around 75 cm.  It is not clear what the final two digits after the slash may indicate.  Overall, his tag suggests that he is very unusual and made for a special purpose.

Now his look and materials.  As mentioned above, he appears to be made from trivera velvet, a material that was very popular at Steiff in the 1970's through the 1980's.  It had a soft and durable "skin" like texture and look to it. This material was used quite frequently on play dolls, notably on a series of adorable little friends from 1972 through 1982.  They are pictured here on the left.  This material is occasionally used at Steiff today; a somewhat recent example is the 100cm bier monk doll Steiff created in 1999 for Alpirsbacher Klosterbraeu, a traditional brewery located in Germany’s Black Forest.   

Of course, it's never polite to guess any one's age.  But given all the clues mentioned above, Steiffgal feels that this doll most likely was manufactured in the the mid 1970's - a little less than a decade before being discovered by Bryan's dad!   

Now for his purpose.  Here's where best guessing and a little knowledge come together.  Based on his size, rarity, and hand written tag, Steiffgal THINKS that this doll was produced for one of these reasons:

1. As part of a large storefront window display, perhaps of the nativity (he could have been a wise man posed with a camel) or of a Middle Eastern vignette.
2. As a "customer special", a piece ordered and then designed and produced in very limited quantities for a private customer or organization.
3. As a sample which was never produced in a large enough scale for documentation.    

Given that, then you may be asking why were there two of these, and why were they for sale in a Frankfurt airport gift shop?  It is entirely possible that for any of the three reasons listed above, Steiff produced a handful of extras and had them on hand in storage.  It would not be out of character for Steiff (and Steiffgal means this in the most loving way...) to sell these older extras to retailers to make a few dollars, and some extra room, in their inventory stockrooms.  

Steiffgal hopes this research into Bryan's great mystery doll has added a little foreign intrigue to your day! 

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