Finding This Steiff Rarity Was A Hair-Raising Experience!

Steiffgal does not mean to (hedge)hog your time, but this gorgeous gent is worth a look - or two! Steiff's royal couple, Micki and Mecki the hedgehog dolls, are legacy items in the Steiff line and are proudly represented in most Steiff collections. But did you know this pattern had a little twist to it bridging its first and second years of production? Read on to learn more!

Here we have a simply marvelous, 28 cm Mecki hedgehog doll. He is standing and head and arm jointed. His body is solidly stuffed; his legs, arms and torso are made from felt and his head is made from rubber. Mecki has a patch of long tipped mohair on his chest (how macho!) and very long, spikey mohair as his hair. His shoes are black felt with tan soles, and his pants are grey canvas with faux red and blue felt patches. He wears a red plaid shirt and a brown felt vest with leather buttons. He is supposed to look a bit dusty and "dirty," like he's spent the day hard at work, but that's just in his design and he's actually clean as a whistle. His charming and all original accessories include a rope belt, a wooden pipe, and a faux leather "wallet" containing his identification papers.

Mecki and Micki have been produced almost continuously in the Steiff line since 1951. They traditionally have appeared in 17, 28, and 50 cm; Mecki was also produced as a 100 cm Studio model in 1967. The pair were the mascots for a very popular German magazine called HorZu, which covered radio and television news. The magazine is still in business today and mostly covers TV news; it is somewhat like People Magazine here in the U.S. HorZu began publishing in 1946; the hedgehogs made their debut in 1949. Knowing a good thing when it saw it, Steiff negotiated an exclusive licensing rights to produce the dolls in 1951, and they have been a mainstay in the line to this day.

Let's get right to the point here... so what's the big deal with this common item which appeared in the line since, well, forever? So hair's why this example is WAH-HOO good. Mecki and Micki are famous for their legacy style "v" hairlines, meaning that their prickly mohair hair comes to a "v" on their forehead. However, the very FIRST examples, made in 1951, had rounded hairlines. It is incredibly rare to find a rounded hairline HorZu hedgehog doll in any condition, given their heads were made from a rubber material which tends to dry out and fall apart over time. This Mecki is in practically new condition. He retains his US Zone tag in his arm seam as well as his red rubber bangle-style bracelet which anchors his button and yellow ear flag IDs like charms. He'd only be more perfect if he also had his chest tag, but you can't have everything, eh?

Steiffgal hopes you found this discussion on this earliest Mecki doll simply hair-raising (in the best possible way.)

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

Tag, You're It, When It Comes To This Unusual Steiff Promotional Item

Tag - you're it - when it comes to this Steiff treasure with an abundance of labeling.  In addition to the "standard" 1970's era Steiff IDs of a button in ear, yellow ear tag, and red and yellow "split" style chest tag, this toddler-esque cub also has washing instructions, his original price tag, store label, and a most unusual promotional tag.  Let's take a look at this Teddy ambassador from the German publishing world and see what makes him so interesting from the design and collector perspectives. 

This well read (and red, in some respects) bear is Toddel. He is 32 cm, standing, and head jointed.  Toddel is made from beige dralon, with trivera velvet paw pads and a small tan mohair muzzle.  He has very flat feet, which allow him to stand on his own. His face is detailed with oversized brown and black pupil eyes, a black hand embroidered nose and mouth, and light airbrushed highlights.  Toddel was made in this size only from 1971 through 1982 as a promotional item for the German magazine Eltern, which is still in business today.  

Eltern translates to "Parents" - and this periodical indeed is chock full of information and guidance for moms, dads, and young families.  However, it is not entirely clear if Toddel's design is/was representative of the Eltern mascot or logo, or was just a sweet bear made as a somewhat customized advertising specialty for this publishing house.  Toddel has a very similar appearance and body shape to that of Soft Bear Toldy, a beige dralon bear produced in 30 and 40 cm from 1970 through 1979.

It's hard to miss Toddel's unusual and most prominent tag - red on the outside, white on the inside - which is suspended from a red silk ribbon.  The tag reads "Eltern" on one side, and "Toddel" on the reverse.  The inside of the tag is pictured on the left and basically says how parents can now buy Toddel stories on the Maritim record label, that Eltern has a special children's section in its monthly magazine, and that parents can also buy Toddel puzzles made by JW Spear and Sons of Nurnberg. 

Despite his relatively simple construction and design, this Toddel has several interesting features and details that make him a very good read for collectors.

1.  First, and somewhat randomly, Toddel appears in the 1947-2003 Steiff Sortiment book in the "Bears and Teddy Bears" chapter, despite clearly being a co-branded product with the magazine; customer special items, like this one, almost always appear in the "Promotional and Film Animals" chapter of this reference book.

2.  Second, Toddel's special Eltern tag is detailed with two actual Steiff buttons.  Steiff hardly ever uses their buttons for detailing the packaging or labeling of a product; they are far more likely to use buttons on the clothing or shoes of an item.  The only other item that Steiffgal can recall offhand where Steiff used buttons on something "disposable" related to an item was the clear plastic boxes used to package the woolen miniature mobiles, back in the late 1960's and early 1970's. 

3.  Third, this particular Toddel, which was clearly made for the German marketplace, was purchased at FAO Schwarz in New York City in 1976.  Toddel retains his original red wooden FAO Schwarz bell tag, as well as his FAO Schwarz price tag, stating that he cost $22.50 at the time.  It is curious to consider why such a country specific, niche item would end up for sale so far away from its key target audience!

Steiffgal hopes this discussion on Eltern magazine's Toddel has been a great page turner for you!

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