Sometimes, the best things in life tiptoe in on little cat's feet. And such is the case with this week's happy find! Steiffgal popped into an antique show while traveling recently. There were many great vintage temptations on offer, but hardly any Steiff... until the VERY LAST booth in the hall. Check out what was hiding out among a bunch of old toys, puzzles, and other vintage childhood favorites.
What a purr-fectly wonderful discovery! Here we have a nice example Steiff's very early post war "Kitty" cat. She is 17 cm tall, fully jointed, and made from mohair. Her body, limbs, tail, and face are made from very light grey mohair, while her paws, chest, muzzle, and ears are off white mohair. Her back, arms, legs, tail, and
the sides of her head are lightly airbrushed with darker gray stripes, making her the true Tabby! Her all original and early slit pupil eyes are made from green-teal and black glass. Kitty has pink hand embroidered facial features, with a red dot on her mouth to indicate her lips. Her claws are red and she retains her original clear
mono-filament whiskers. Steiff's Kitty was made from 1949 through 1970 in 10, 17, and 22 cm. This
example's coloration, eyes, and "Made in the US Zone" put
her in the very early portion of this time frame.
They say cats have nine lives, and in the case of this example, that is exactly true! Today, when a toy is produced, it usually appears on the market for just a handful of years. This is due to the "limited edition" phenomenon, as well as changes in market preferences - especially for things like licensed characters. But, in the case of Steiff's 20th century production, some items would appear for years, decades, or even generations. For example, the company's Molly dogs were introduced in the 1920's and were produced through the end of the 1970's. And Steiff's black "Scary Cat" pattern appeared in the company's debut catalog of 1903, and is still being manufactured on and off to this day! Post war, this fully jointed cat pattern was clearly a fan favorite, appearing in the line for almost 20 years.
Despite her longevity, this pattern did experience a few updates and changes over time. These changes were aesthetic, to keep up with modern preferences, but also structural, to help keep her manufacturing costs in check. So what are some differences between the older and newer Kitty cats? Here on the left, you can see a more "modern" Kitty, produced during the early 1970's. As you can tell, the older ones simply have a more "vintage" look to them. But here are three objective, key physical details that may help to date this beloved and legacy pattern.
Eyes: Older Kitties have distinctive green-teal and black glass slit pupil eyes, while newer ones have olive-green and black slit pupil plastic eyes.
Coloration and ID: Older Kitties have grey and off white coats that are airbrushed in grey stripes, while newer ones have off white coats what are airbrushed in darker grey or black stripes. Older ones tend to have powder pink noses, while newer ones tend to have darker pink noses. Older ones also often, but not always, have a "US Zone" tag sewn into their front leg seam.
Materials: The smallest older Kitties have felt ears and a white velvet muzzle, while newer ones have mohair ears and muzzles. You can see two examples of the earliest Kitties with these details here (along with their sweet friend, a woolie mouse from F.A.O. Schwarz!)
Steiffgal hopes this discussion on Steiff's fully jointed kittens has been the cat's meow for you.
Have a question about one of your Steiff treasures? Let's talk! Click here to learn more.
Well, if this fantastic Steiff rarity isn't the cat's meow, Steiffgal is not sure what would be! Here we have an all but purr-fect basket of Steiff Susi cats all snuggled up together in their special bed. Let's take a closer look at these pretty kitties and see what makes this grouping so interesting from the collector's perspective.
A tisket - a tasket - here we have sweet kitties in a basket! This marvelous set consists of three total baby 10 cm Susi cats, and one Mama 17 cm Susi cat. The cats are head jointed and made from white mohair that has been carefully hand-airbrushed with
black stripes. Their tails wrap around their rears. Each has green and
black slit pupil eyes, a pink embroidered nose, and clear monofilament
whiskers. All the Susi cats have been gussied up with a spray of faux silk flowers which are worn like a corsage on their ribbon, or as a pretty crown-wreath on their head. (You can see one of the kittens with her floral flourish here on the left.) Post war, this Susi cat pattern was
produced from 1948 through 1978 in 10, 12, 14, 17 and 22 cm
and remains a classic favorite, even today.
It is interesting to note that "Susi" was named after a member of the Steiff family.
Let's weave the conversation now to the family's great wicker basket. It measures about 36 cm long by 25 cm wide by 11 cm high and is oval in shape. It is made from nicely woven brown wicker and is stamped "West Germany" on the base. The cushion is made from red and white gingham check cotton material, is quite soft and fluffy, and is removable from the basket. The cats are all tied down to the cushion by white thread, which you can see on the underside of the cushion; this is illustrated here on the left.
This charming design was an "exclusive" item produced for the upscale toy retailer FAO Schwarz. Steiff and FAO actually collaborated on a number of different "families in a basket" offerings, including groupings of large and small Dally Dalmatians, Molly Puppies, Snobby Poodles, and other popular pet patterns. In addition to Susi cats, Steiff's Kitty and Tabby cats were also used for this item. You can see the Molly version of this product here on the left; the photo is from the book "A Century of Steiff & FAO Schwarz." Pet families in wicker baskets appeared in FAO Schwarz stores overall from 1961 through 1972; three or four total animals appeared in the baskets depending on the model used and year of production. Steiff made the mohair animals and FAO Schwarz then decorated and attached them to their cushions in house once they arrived here in the United States. According to the FAO Schwarz catalog,
"Next best thing to a real life family of pets (which can have its trying moments) is one of these happy groups of Steiff pets arranged on a pillow in a sturdy 14-inch beribboned wicker basket."
Steiffgal hopes this discussion on Steiff and FAO Schwarz's Susi cat family in a basket has been an exclusive experience for you.
Have a question about one of your Steiff treasures? Let's talk! Click here to learn more.
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