This blog focuses on vintage Steiff finds, Steiff antiquing and travel adventures, international Steiff happenings, and the legacy and history of the Steiff company.
Collectors, looking for that elusive Steiff piece to add to your hug? Or is it time to find a new home for some of your Steiff treasures? I may be able to help; let's talk! Email Steifflife@gmail.com to start the conversation!
So glad you took some time out of your busy day to visit!
You've found the online place for all things Steiff. Although Steiff bears, animals, and dolls have been around since the 1880's, their collectibility, appeal, and stories are as new as tomorrow.
Sometimes it's ok to be a little sheepish. Especially when it comes to delightful Steiff button-in-ear mysteries like this one! Check out this fabulous and fuzzy farm friend who just might be larger than life. What do you think? Danna shares,
"Could you offer any assistance in figuring out the mystery of the sheep? His coat is darker and the feet are different than the two I found on the web, his eyes also have different centers and there is no yellow tag in the front. I think it's older. Any help would be appreciated. Thank you!"
This member of the flock truly rocks! What we have here is a great example of one of Steiff's rarer studio, or life-sized sheep. He is standing on all fours, unjointed, and made from now faded brown tipped wool plush. His legs and ears are made from white wool plush. His inset muzzle is detailed with oversized green and black slit pupil eyes, a simple mouth and nose, and airbrushed highlights. He is solidly stuffed with excelsior and most likely has a metal skeleton inside to support his size and weight. He left the factory wearing a Steiff chest tag, but this has been lost to time. These brown tipped sheep were made in 80 and 90 cm from 1966-1967 only. The 80 cm version is also standing but his head his bowed to the ground as if he is nibbling on the grass.
It is interesting to note that Steiff also created a 95 cm standing display ram produced in the same brown tipped wool plush as Danna's life-sized sheep.
Now let's shepherd this sheep discussion to his IDs. Danna's sheep has a product number of 1590,90 which is the 90 cm version made in 1966. Those made in 1967 have a product number of 3459/09. His numbers correspond as... 1= standing, 5= wool plush, 90= 90 cm, 9= display animal or special edition, and 0= normal (in reference to coloring.) Here on the left you can see these tipped sheep as they appeared in Steiff's 1967 studio line catalog.
Steiffgal hopes this discussion on Danna's sheep has put ewe in a great mood today.
Have a question about one of your Steiff treasures? Let's talk! Click here to learn more.
Well, hello handsome! It's been a long time in the making... but a studio sized Steiff Teddy Baby bear named Ralph has finally made it into Steiffgal's hug! Check out this huge and heavy heartthrob and see what makes him fabulous in so many ways.
Remarkable Ralph truly is in a class by himself. He is standing, made from lovely long chocolate brown mohair, 160 cm tall, and arm and head jointed. He is SOLIDLY stuffed with excelsior from head to toe. His hand paw pads are made from a suede-like material. His larger than life face comes to life with brown and black glass pupil eyes; a black hand embroidered nose and mouth; an open, smiling, felt lined mouth; and a light tan mohair inset muzzle. His feet are covered in black felt and Steiffgal suspects that these mommy-made "slippers" cover up some damage on his mohair feet.
Like his namesake, Ralph has all the typical Steiff Teddy Baby design features - on steroids! These include flat feet made for standing, downturned wrists, a chubby belly, and a distinctly toddler-esque personality and presentation. This prehistorically proportioned cub left the factory in Giengen, Germany more than a half century ago wearing a red leather collar with an oversized bell, but those accessories have been lost to time. His silver raised script button is about the size of a US dime and remains in his left ear. It is Steiffgal's best guess that Ralph was probably born in the c. 1960-1967 time frame.
The heyday for Steiff's studio animal production was in the 1960s. In the company's "Display Animals" catalog from the late 1960s, over 70 different models are represented - including this Teddy baby. On his page, which is pictured here on the left, his article number is 0339/15 and he is noted at standing 160 cm or 60 inches tall. It is interesting to note, that although the Teddy baby design has been produced in brown, blonde, and a number of rare mohair color variations since his introduction in the late 1920s, Steiff only rendered their largest display size in brown mohair.
Now, what's the deal with the name Ralph? And why was Ralph's arrival so anticipated? For over 50 years, Ralph lived with a family on the west coast of the USA. Ralph's original owner won him in a contest as a young girl and immediately adopted him as one of the family! She named him Ralph. When asked why, the family said... just because! Perhaps Ralph was the name of a friend, family member, or even childhood crush at the time. Only Ralph knows for sure. And Steiffgal is keeping his name as Ralph to honor his legacy.
Time marched on, and it was time for Ralph to find his next forever home. The family contacted Steiffgal to learn more about their family treasure, and to see if she had a place in her hug for him! Of course she did! But the challenge was moving him from the west to the east coast in a safe and cost effective manner. After almost a year of research and planning, Ralph was packed for a trip to Mars in multiple layers of boxes and made his cross country journey on a large moving van. When he arrived at Steiffgal's doorstep, she could hardly believe her eyes concerning the size and weight of his packaging!
After a long afternoon of careful unpacking, Ralph finally made his proper introduction. You can watch this unboxing on the YouTube video included just above this paragraph. Although loved and cherished as a friend, toy, and confidante, he clearly has many more years of love and joy to give! Steiffgal will give him a good cleaning, fix up a few bumps and bruises on him, and then display him as a crown jewel in her collection.
Steiffgal hopes this discussion on Steiff's studio sized Teddy Baby bear has you living large today.
Just in Claus you haven't noticed, its just a few hours until Christmas Day is upon us! And nothing says season’s greetings quite like the main man in red - Santa Claus - at least here in the United States.
Check out this page from a 1967 Steiff catalog featuring an almost life-sized Santa Claus doll. You can click on the image to make it bigger. Many collectors are familiar with the company's popular and beloved smaller Santa Claus dolls, which were produced in 13, 18, and 31 cm from 1953 through 1963 overall. This pattern was also made as a puppet. In the 1960s, Steiff produced this big fellow as a display piece in 150 cm, or about 5 feet. These supersized Steiff Santas were dressed to the nines in fine felt tailored suits trimmed in mohair - just like their rockstar namesake!
Today, these life-sized Santas are extremely rare, as for the most part, time has not been kind to them. Because their faces were made from rubber, they tend to dry out, sink, and crack as the years go by. As such, there are not too many of these still around. Steiffgal only knows of one, and he's having a rough go of it. And speaking of faces, it is interesting to note that the same facial mold used to create this display Santa was also used on the company's display sized shepherd and gnomes which were all produced at the same time as this Santa; you can see two of these "lifesized" gnomes here on the left. You can click on the image to make it bigger.
Steiff's Santa catalog page, like many of Steiff's vintage advertising images, is utterly charming, visually engaging, and tells a happy story. It is also fun to check out the other secondary items in the shot - those toys and articles placed around the featured article to help bring it to life. The selections often represent a "time capsule" of popular line items of the time, which is absolutely true in this case as well.
Santa's delightful deliveries from 1967 include:
*A caramel mohair “mask style" original Teddy bear (made from 1966-93 in sizes ranging from 11-100 cm overall.)
*A grey mohair Snobby poodle (made from 1954-74 in sizes ranging from 10-43 cm overall.)
*A white plush Diva cat (made from 1967-78 in 35 cm.)
*A mohair giraffe (made from 1953-74 in sizes ranging from 14-75 cm overall.)
*A brown mohair jointed Jocko monkey (made from 1949-81 in sizes ranging from 10-80 cm overall.)
*A grey mohair Jumbo elephant (made from 1952-75 in 22 and 35 cm overall.)
*A Mungo multicolored monkey (made from 1957-71 in 17, 25, and 35 cm overall.)
*A tan wool plush camel (made from 1950-69 in 14, 17, 28, and 35 cm overall.)
Steiffgal ho-ho-hopes this life-sized discussion on Steiff's display Santa Claus has put you in a holly-jolly mood!
Have a question about one of your Steiff treasures? Let's talk! Click here to learn more.
Hot dog! Most readers are familiar with Steiff's beloved "Biggie" Beagle model. Here's an example of this fan favorite that really merits the name. Check out this life-sized Steiff Beagle and see what makes him so interesting from the collector's perspective.
This "Best of Show" beauty is Steiff's studio (or display size) Beagle. He stands 14 inches tall and 16 inches long (not including his tail) and 24 inches long including his tail. He is made from tan mohair and is head jointed. His head, body, and tail are elaborately hand-painted with delightful shades of black, grey, and brown, giving him wonderful definition. He has three black hand embroidered claws on each paw. His face comes to life with brown and black pupil eyes, a black hand embroidered nose and mouth, and floppy ears. He retains his original red buckled collar. This Beagle was produced in this size only from 1965 through 1966 as an exclusive for the upscale toy retailer FAO Schwarz.
This regal Beagle stands and delivers with his great IDs. Like most Steiff items sold at FAO Schwarz during his era, this dog sports the company's red wooden "bell" tag. This features a golden bell and the words, "EST. 1862 TOYS FAO SCHWARZ." This old fashioned design is based on a bell carved in the Schwarz family's wooden dining room table. This piece of furniture was originally located in the family's Greenwich, CT home. The Beagle also has his raised script button, and fully legible yellow ear tag. It is numbered 1343,90, which corresponds to 1=standing, 3=mohair, 43=43 cm, 9=display animal or special edition, and 0=normal coloring.
Beagles were a very popular breed in the 1960's, most likely because they were the "Presidential Pets" of Lyndon B. Johnson. His Beagles, which included Him and Her, were truly the "First Dogs" of America - often accompanying the President on visits to heads of state, hanging out in the Oval Office, and swimming in the White House pool. These lucky dogs were even featured on the cover of Life Magazine in 1964. As such, FAO Schwarz picked up on this cultural trend to create a number of exclusive Beagles for their customers, including this display example under discussion here. Other FAO Schwarz exclusive Beagles included a 15 cm standing open mouthed Beagle (sort of a hybrid in design between Steiff's regular line sitting and standing Biggies) and and a family of Beagles in a basket, resting on a soft cushion.
And really, just how "big" is this special FAO Schwarz Biggie? Steiff Supermodel BooBoo the real-life pug, (reluctantly) shares the spotlight with him so you can see his scale firsthand.
Steiffgal hopes this discussion of this rare display size Steiff Beagle has made a big impression on you!
Have a question about one of your Steiff treasures? Let's talk! Click here to learn more.
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