Playing Doggy Detective Over This Unusual Steiff Wartime Era Canine

Paws and take a look at this interesting dog made during a really challenging time in world history. He has a familiar ring to him, don't you think... but his fabric is quite different than his standard line relatives. Just who is he, and when was his birthday - in dog years or otherwise? 

His lucky owner - Patricia from Europe - shares:

"I would be very grateful for your expertise concerning this Spitz dog. He is not catalogued in any of the Steiff Sortiment books. 

I have absolutely no idea if he is prewar? 

My concerns are his alternative coat. This is definitely not mohair plush. This is very lightly woven and the pile is flat, not fluffy.The airbrushing is bright and vibrant and his coat has full coverage. 

He is completely perfect with no damages at all. Unfortunately, he doesn't have his Steiff ID. He has beautiful glass eyes and is quite lovely. He is 22 x 22 cm in size. Any information on this little treasure will be greatly appreciated."

What an interesting find! Some of Steiff's items made just before, and just after, WWII are not captured in the Sortiment books. This could be because very few were actually made and sold, they are extremely rare today, they might have been produced only as samples or test items, or they simply fell through the documentation cracks during a complicated geopolitical period and its aftermath. The Sortiment books are great references, but they are not a complete and comprehensive accounting of Steiff's production. And, they were not validated or published by Steiff - but by a third party. 

That being said, it is Steiffgal's best guess that this dog is a version of the company's standard line Wolfspitz dog series that was officially in production from 1934-1943 overall. These canines were made standing on all fours in 22 and 35 cm; on eccentric wheels in 22 cm; and sitting in 17, 21, 22, and 25 cm. They were all unjointed and stuffed with excelsior. Their face, ears, and legs were made from shorter mohair while their backs, tails, and torsos were made from very long matching mohair. Each was detailed with lifelike brown and black shading on their backs and tails and had three embroidered black claws on each paw. Their faces came to life with felt lined ears, brown and black glass pupil eyes, a black embroidered nose and mouth, and brown airbrushed highlights on their foreheads. For reference, you can see the 22 cm mohair sitting Wolfspitz here on the left; the photo is from Steiffgal's collection. 

Patricia's dog appears to check many of the boxes to the company's basic prewar Wolfspitz pattern. These details include things like the use of long and short materials to replicate the dog's coat; three painted folds on the dog's forehead; airbrushed shading on his back and tail; and a very similar facial expression and rendering, among others.

From c. 1934 - the early 1940s, and then again from c. 1946 - 1949, things were really tough from the materials, supply chain, and operations perspectives at Steiff. Premier, traditional toy making materials including mohair and felt were in short supply and were often allocated to military purposes. As such, Steiff did everything it could to keep its toy making production lines supplied and active during these times. One way to do this was to use fabrics and materials that were available in the place of felt and mohair. These often were in the forms of artificial silk plush, wool plush, cotton plush, and other hybrid fabrics that blended wool, mohair, and other fibers. 

Given its presentation, materials, size, and detailing, it is Steiffgal's best thinking that this Spitz dog dates from the late prewar period and is made in part from some type of substitute plush that has wool as an element of its weave. He might have been a sample or prototype to test how his design would turn out in the plush available at the time. There is no indication (as far as Steiffgal knows of) that this pattern was produced in any form in the early postwar era.  The fabric on Patricia's pooch appears somewhat similar in texture and density to the unusual "lumpy-bumpy" plush on an otherwise standard line standing play duck from Steiffgal's collection. This fine feathered friend - like the Wolfspitz - was in the line from the early 1930s through the early 1940s. You can see this duck here on image on the left. 

Steiffgal hopes this discussion on this interesting Spitz dog has you barking up the right tree!

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

Oh, Shoot!

"Welcome to our world of toys!" When you think of those words, what comes to mind? F.A.O. Schwarz, of course! And the good news is that all Steiff, doll, and toy collectors will soon have the opportunity to hear that delightful tune again, as the store reopens for business on November 16th, 2018 in Rockefeller Center in New York City. It's the update we've all be waiting for, after tearfully saying goodbye to this world-class institution for what we all thought was forever in 2015. Do whatever you have to do... walk, take a car, bus, train, plane, or the subway to visit the new store when it debuts soon. Steiffgal is certain that you will experience "The Return to Wonder" the store promises! (The photo of a mini "pop up" F.A.O. Schwarz store shown above is from www.cnbc.com.)

As part of this grand opening celebration, Steiffgal (and her collection) had the pleasure of contributing to a short film that will be shown as part of the store's debut in a few weeks. The movie focuses on the remarkable legacy of the F.A.O. Schwarz company and the instrumental role the Schwarz family had in the world economy and business community from the mid-1800s onward. Here is a behind-the-scenes look at how a very long day of filming here at Steiffgal's house will help bring parts of that story to life.

After a week of frenetic planning, the crew from the Ewers Brothers film production company arrived on location around 9am. The team included a director, a producer, an assistant producer, a cinematographer, and an assistant cinematographer. All were fantastic, extremely professional, respectful of the collection and house, and just plain fun to be around. The team brought an enormous amount of movie-making items in hard cases, tubes, suitcases, rolls, and just about any packing case you can imagine. As the parking and traffic was crazy in Steiffgal's neighborhood at this time, load-in was a little complicated logistically, but everyone was in good humor and this task was accomplished within 30 minutes or so. Given the amount of materials they brought, these items took over much of Steiffgal's first floor, including the kitchen! 

Next, the crew toured the house to find the best place to "set up camp" for the interview sessions. They needed an area with an interesting background, the right light, and enough space to arrange what seemed like an infinite amount of technologies, a huge camera, multiple screens, and other filming apparatus. It was decided that this would take place in Steiffgal's living room, which is also the largest room in the house. Within an hour, this usually quiet space (which just that morning was where Steiffgal and family enjoyed a low-keyed breakfast and coffee) was transformed into what looked like an international broadcasting booth!

An important part of putting together a film like this is the inclusion of old photos, letters, catalogs, and other ephemeral things to round out the story and to ground it in history. Steiffgal, with the help of the Schwarz family and some wonderful and generous toy-colleagues, pulled together a table full of these items expressly for this purpose. The film team brought along an electronic scanner. The assistant producer studied these historical documents and scanned the ones that would be relevant and helpful to the project. It took her practically the entire day to complete this herculean task.

The main interview set took about two hours to arrange and finalize. This time was spent adjusting light levels, angles, volumes, noise controls, and other factors that all come together to make the ideal venue. Steiffgal was surprised when simple black metal chairs from her porch were selected as the interview seats, not the couch as she anticipated. All in all, the set from the interviewee's perspective consisted of two chairs facing each other, about two feet apart. The camera was behind one of the chairs. The person being interviewed faced the camera; the interviewer sat in the other chair and never appeared on camera. There were various lights, screens, and other apparatus all within that very small space. The producer held a device about the size of a tablet that allowed her to view what the camera saw and make adjustments as needed.

Overall, the crew interviewed three people during the day - two members of the F.A.O. Schwarz family and Steiffgal. Each interview took about an hour and was casual and very conversational. The interviewer had carefully prepared a slate of general questions for everyone, as well as specific questions per person. For example, family members were asked about their memories of the store and their relatives, what it was like to "grow up Schwarz," and the role of toys and play in their lives. Steiffgal was asked what the store means to collectors, why F.A.O. Schwarz editions are coveted even today, the role of the catalog, and all about Steiff's life-sized animals that are practically synonymous with the store. Because of street sounds and sirens, filming was occasionally put on hold until these noises passed. But for the most part, the hour long interview just flew by, and the interviewer did a masterful job at developing rapport and making his interviewees feel as comfortable - and sound as articulate - as possible! And, in case you were wondering, Steiffgal did indeed hold a special and meaningful Steiff animal in her arms during filming. So stay tuned about that!

Once the interviews were completed, the crew again rearranged the house for shooting "B" roll. These are shots or images that are used in the film between segments or as transitional visuals. It took at least another hour to set up the cameras and lights for this. The camera was positioned on a multi-wheeled dolly and could be fluidly and evenly moved to film panoramic images of the collection. The team was interested in capturing the size, scale, and variety of the studio pieces, as well as the beauty and range of Steiff animals that appeared on the shelves of F.A.O. Schwarz over the years. Steiffgal was delighted that Jocko chimps of all sizes and shapes, as well as a number of other collector's favorites, were prominently featured in the "B" roll shots. Here on the left you can see cinematographer Chris Ewers preparing a few familiar Steiff faces for filming.

The crew's final shooting location was the second floor of the house, including Steiffgal's study and her stairway landing, where a few cases of Steiff are on display. Many of the items from these areas have provenance to F.A.O Schwarz so it was important that these treasures were included in the filming. All of the movie making apparatus used for the "B" roll was brought into these small spaces and there was hardly any room to stand! But the crew did a masterful job in working around the limited footprint and truly brought the collection to life under their magic touch.

The full day of shooting wrapped up around 7pm. Everyone felt great about the quality and quantity of footage generated. The team quickly packed, bundled, and cased up all of their filmmaking tools and loaded up their vehicles. They also helped to reconfigure the house back to its original condition. Hugs and high fives were exchanged. Once the team left Steiffgal's home, there was no physical trace of the extraordinary things that had occurred in the space that day. But you can best believe that the wonderful memories of this once-in-a-lifetime experience will last forever!

Steiffgal's hopes that you enjoyed this sneak peak into some of the preparations going into the relaunch of the world's most favorite and beloved toy store in November, 2018. Steiffgal extends a huge thank you to the Ewers Brothers team for a job well done, and cannot recommend them highly enough for their professionalism, insight, humor, and just plain wonderfulness! Director Erik Ewers (here on the left, under the supervision of a Steiff Moorland sheep) and crew have recently completed a documentary on the Mayo Clinic, airing on PBS. You can read more about that by clicking here. For more information on F.A.O. Schwarz, please follow all the happenings and excitement at www.faoschwarz.com. Once this movie has been completed and launched, Steiffgal will share the link and post a copy here on the blog.

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