Going Out On A Limb Over This Extraordinary Midcentury Steiff Lion

If this isn't the mane event, Steiffgal is not sure what is! To make a long story short, look who popped over for a visit... a supersized Steiff lion with mile long legs. Just who is this tall drink of water? Check out his story right here!

Steiffgal's not lyin' when she says this guy is wah-hoo good. This supersized lion is 80 cm tall, fully jointed, and made from blonde mohair. He has oversized brown and black glass pupil eyes, a prominent pink hand embroidered nose, a black embroidered mouth and painted freckles, and clear mono-filament whiskers. He has a white mohair chin. His mane is made from very long, brown tipped mohair; the same mohair details the tip of his tail. Steiffgal thinks this particular lion has a delightful, innocent "toddler" look to him. He was made in 1958 only as an exclusive for the United States. Other extra-large (80+ cm) long and leggy exclusives of this period also included a 90 cm tiger and a 80 cm grey poodle.

This lovely lion is a rare example of Steiff's beloved and legacy lulac style design. Steiff's lulacs all have comically long arms, legs, and torsos. They are long and lanky, usually fully jointed, and have a very playful air about them. It is interesting to note that the German verb “to laugh” is lachen, and the word for smile is lächeln, perhaps suggesting that this style was designed to have a comical appearance and to bring a smile to the face of the owner. The original Steiff lulac animal was a rabbit, which debuted in the line in 1952. He was made in 43 cm through 1974, and in 60 cm from 1964-1966. Due to the success of this beautiful bunny, Steiff quickly followed with several additional lulac animal patterns, including dogs, cats, donkeys, zebras, bears, and others. Steiff's rare and goofy 40 cm black mohair lulac tomcat, made from 1964-1966, is pictured below. 

The lulac lion under discussion here today was designed and produced at a most creative period at Steiff - the mid 1950s through the mid 1960s. It was during this time that the company made a number of unique, well designed products for their United States customers, as well as distributors at the time - Reeves International and Loucap. Other noteworthy US editions of that era were the company's dinosaur range, basset hounds, animal head trophies, and school and institutional mascots. These items, made in relatively small numbers for a short period of time, seem to always catch the eye - and pocketbooks - of collectors worldwide.

Steiffgal hopes this discussion on this fabulous lulac lion has given you a leg up on your day.

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

Hungry For More Information On This Carrot Toting Steiff Rabbit

Please lend your ears to this 14 carrot gold inquiry! Rabbits are among the most popular Steiff designs, and have been since the company started producing them in the late 19th century. Their ties to Easter, fertility, and rebirth go back centuries. Check out this question from Patrick, who asks about one of his Steiff happy-hoppers. Are you familiar with his rarity? He shares...

"Hello,
I am from Luxembourg, but living in Germany. I own a big collection of Steiff animals, about 1,500 pieces. About one of them I don´t know really anything. So I hope, you, as an expert, can perhaps help me. It is the bunny, which you can see in the photos. He does not have tags and is 40 cm to the tips of his ears. I bought it from a Steiff-Seller 10 years ago! Even if Easter has not yet come, I hope you can tell me something about this beautiful bunny bringing his carrots (one in his paws and one in a pocket on his back) with.
Sincerely yours,
Patrick"

Talk about a cheerful earful! What Patrick has here is is known as the "Carrot Rabbit" or "Sunny the Bunny." This rarity was produced as a special edition for the department store Macy's here in the United States. This item was made in 9, 12, 17, and 30 cm in the 1950-1956 time frame. The 30 cm version was also made with a music box in 1954-1955. Although this particular rabbit has lost his IDs to time, it is interesting to note that he retains his cloth "Made in the US Zone" tag, suggesting that he was made at the very beginning of his production timeline. Since for the most part Steiff rabbits are measured without their ears (just vertically from the top of the head to the feet) Steiffgal suspects that Patrick's Sunny is the largest size at 30 cm. 

Steiffgal can't think of any other Steiff special editions made for Macy's, so his distribution channel and origins are quite unique! After World War II, Steiff worked with two rep firms here in the United State, the Loucap Company and Reeves International. It is most probable that Macy's worked with one of these New York based companies to bring this Carrot Rabbit to market. 

There are several delightful features about this Carrot Rabbit. First, of course, is the fact that he comes with two felt carrots, one in his "back pocket" and one in his hands. They are detailed with felt greens and airbrushing. Steiff has a long tradition of creating toys in felt, so this is a delightful nod to the company's legacy. Rabbit's fantastic, tri-colored glass eyes give him such personality and a "high end product" look. And his well defined, oversized legs and feet keep him well balanced in an upright, sitting position. Although he shares a few similar characteristics with the company's fully jointed Niki rabbit pattern of the same era (produced in 14, 17, 22, 28, and 35 cm from 1951-1964 overall), his construction, scale, and and facial detailing put him on a close, but not identical, branch on the Steiff product development tree.

Steiffgal hopes that this discussion on Patrick's Carrot Rabbit has brought a spring to your step today.

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