Rounding Out A Ball Animal Collection With This Unusual Steiff Rabbit

Things are really "hoppening" around here with the addition of this delightful rabbit novelty to Steiffgal's collection. Although not terribly vintage, this was the very first of his type Steiffgal had ever seen in person. She saw him in a booth at the 2023 Steiff Sommer Festival, and knew right away he would be one of her souvenirs from a delightful trip. Take a look at this funny bunny and see if he calls to you as well, even if in just a round-about sort of way.

This cheerful-earful is Steiff's Ball Rabbit. He is 16 cm tall (not including his ears), sitting, and head jointed. His ears add another 7 cm to his height. He is softly stuffed with foam. Rabbit is made from longer tan dralon. His ears, muzzle, and foot pads are made from shorter dralon, and his fuzzy chest is made from longer mohair. His face is detailed with round black and white plastic cartoon style eyes, a black hand embroidered nose, monofilament whiskers, and a funny little dimensional mouth made from fabric. He has stenciled footprints on his foot pads and light airbrush highlighting here and there to give him a little more dimension. He retains his original blue silken ribbon. He has a non-working squeaker in his belly. This guy appeared in the line from 1960-1961 in this size only.

Steiff made three ball style animals in the 1960-1961 time frame, and this rabbit is one of them. All were 16 cm, made from dralon, stuffed with foam, and featured a fuzzy mohair chest. The others were Ball Mopsy, a pug, and Ball Sulla, a cat. Overall, these ball animals are really hard to find, especially in good condition — because they were designed to be used as playthings and stuffed with foam, which deteriorates over time, and were made for only a handful of years. Steiffgal is happy to finally have all three versions in her collection. 

Finally, let's take a look at Rabbit's chest tag. It looks original to the item, with wear and loss commensurate to the toy, and the thread appears consistent to Steiff. It notes that his name is Hoppy, which would make sense given he is a rabbit. However, there is no indication in any reference materials that this model was given a name beyond simply "Ball Rabbit." However, the pug and the cat of the same design and era were given playful names, so it is possible that he was named Hoppy for consistency, but this never made it into the records. This sometimes happens when something appears in the line for a very short time. Hoppy was also the name of a running style mohair Steiff rabbit made in 8, 14 and 17 cm from 1950 through 1976. So there is a little overlap there with the name as well. But only Ball Rabbit knows for sure....

Steiffgal hopes this discussion on this unusual rounded Steiff rabbit has been a ball for you!

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

This Precious Prewar Pug On Wheels Stands And Delivers!

As she continues to celebrate the arrival of her newly adopted sister-pugs, Steiffgal thought it was the perfect moment to share a special button-in ear version of the beloved breed. Dogs have always been an important design category for Steiff, so it should be no surprise that the first flat-faced cutie was introduced in the Steiff catalog in 1916. Take a look at this very early pug on the go and see what makes him so delightful from the design and product development perspectives.

This happy traveler is 22 cm tall (not including his wheels) and made from grey mohair. He is standing, unjointed, and solidly stuffed with excelsior. He has black hand embroidered claws on each of his feet. His distinctive face comes to life with proportional brown and black glass pupil eyes (which may be replaced), a black hand embroidered nose and mouth, and black lines on his forehead - to give him his breed-specific wrinkled forehead. His pert ears are lined in velvet, and he has a very curly tail. He retains his small trailing "f" button and traces of his white paper ear tag as his Steiff IDs.

Now let's dig deeper into his detailing. Pug wears a leather collar, which may or may not be original to him, but is appropriate in materials, design, age, and fit. His pull cord has been lost to time. Pug is mounted to two metal rods and rides upon four wooden eccentric wheels. It is interesting to note that this pattern, unlike many other dog patterns, only came on wheels, and was not produced sitting or in any other configuration. Pug on wheels was produced in 17 cm and 22 cm from 1916-1927.

Like many of the Steiff pets debuting in the 19-teens, this perky pug has a proportional and literal design. The key pug breed elements - a flat muzzle, wrinkled forehead, and a curly tail - are very well represented in his pattern. For the most part, Steiff's dogs, cats, rabbits, and other popular pets introduced in the c. 1910-1920 time frame were not as basic as the company's earliest patterns, but did not have the youthful, often goofy or playful appearances of those items designed in the 1920s through early 1930s. Items from around 1925 onward often featured oversized eyes, brightly colored materials, and rounded faces, bodies, and limbs. As such, Steiff's second pug - introduced in 1925 as its first pug pattern was being phased out - was a truly silly looking sitting pup with exaggerated facial features and a larger than life red felt tongue. He appeared in the line from 1925 - 1927 in 14 cm. He is pictured on the left; the photo is from Pfeiffer's 1892-1943 Sortiment.

Steiffgal hopes this discussion on the company's early Pug on wheels has captured your interested in a round-about sort of way.

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

A Little Something To Celebrate!

I don't know about you, but the current state of affairs is making Steiffgal a little soft. Soft in the head, soft around the middle, and soft in housekeeping affairs - among a few others. Can you relate? In keeping with the theme of softness, Steiffgal would love to share with you two somewhat recent, but totally irresistible Steiff editions that she keeps around as desk decorations. Both were made as celebratory collaborations with other German companies or organizations. Hopefully you will find joy in them as well!

Check out that mug! Our first plush personality is this sitting, unjointed pug dog. He 12 cm tall and is made from tan and brown soft velvet material. His hugely oversized head comes to life with a tuft of long blonde plush, dimensional jowls, and embroidered features including round, black and white cartoon eyes and a big doggy smile. He has a tiny curly tail just like a real pug. And he wears a brown plush collar. His EAN is 990724, and he was produced in 2011. He does not have a chest tag. This precious pug is a "special edition," but not a numbered, limited edition. 

Ladies and gentlemen, may I introduce "Cobby," the goodwill ambassador for FCI, or Federation Cynologique Internationale. This translates to "World Canine Organization." FCI is an international federation of national kennel clubs, and is based out of Thuin, Belgium. Cobby is FCI's mascot, and he debuted on May 6th, 2011 in honor of the organization's 100 year anniversary event. Cobby was so beloved, and so well received, that he has become part of FCI's general communications and branding outreach. According to FCI's website, "Our mascot, which was designed by the well-known Steiff company in Germany, is perfect as a reward or as a present for anniversary events, but also for any event in general." And the Steiff loving world couldn't agree more!

Now let's turn the page to our second soft sweetie. Here we have "Mikael the bookworm." He is 15 cm long from start to finish and made from tan, brown, light green, and darker green plush. His unjointed body is "s" shaped. Mikael's preciously pensive and very studious face comes to life with a tuft of tan hair, black bead eyes, a pink smile, and black embroidered glasses. His EAN is 674655. His button and yellow tag are located on a tab on his body. He does not have a chest tag. Mikael is a "special edition" and arrived packaged in a commemorative box, but is not a numbered, limited edition.

Marvelous Mikael, like Cobby, was created to honor a centennial event. He was made in 2019 for a chain of bookstores in Germany called Thalia. This business opened in 1919 in Hamburg at the Thalia Theater. According to Wiki, "The Thalia Theater is one of the three state-owned theatres in Hamburg, Germany. It was founded in 1843 by Charles Maurice Schwartzenberger and named after the muse Thalia." Mikael has a special hang tag in German, which translates roughly to, "Here is Mikael the bookworm. He reads for a living. He is a completely original Steiff design and is only available through Thalia as a limited edition in honor of our 100 year anniversary. He feels most comfortable in hands that also like to leaf through books." As such, this Mikael has found a perfect home with Steiffgal. 

Steiffgal hopes this discussion on two sort of silly Steiff editions has added a little humor to your day.

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

Here's A Steiff-y Holiday Pug Hug, Just For You!

Are you in the mood for a Steiff-y holiday hug? Or even better, a Steiff-y holiday pug hug? Of course you are! Then check out this most unusual Steiff dog doll that will certainly warm your heart. He's certainly got Steiffgal's all a-flutter!
 

This darling dressed doggy is none other than Steiff's Pupphund or pug dog doll. He is 22 cm, standing, and head jointed. His arms hang softly at his sides, and he has flat feet for standing. Pug's head, ears, and the tops of his hands and feet are (or in this case were) made from mohair. His body is made from a tan linen fabric. He is filled both with soft stuffing and crunchy excelsior. His head and face come to life with floppy ears, oversized black and brown glass pupil eyes, a black hand embroidered nose, a pink mouth, and a distinct brown inset muzzle area. He retains his large, long trailing f button and traces of his red ear tag as his Steiff IDs.  

According to Coco Chanel, “Fashion changes, but style endures.” Such is the case with our sweet pup pal. He is dressed to the nines in brown cotton pants, a tan checked shirt, and a light grey-blue felt tam-o-shanter style hat which is "topped off" with a pom-pom. His shirt and pants are original to him, but it is not clear if his hat is. It is of Steiff quality and design and fits him quite well; Steiffgal simply has not ever seen another one like it. Pupphund was made in 14, 22, and 28 cm from 1932 through 1935 only. Each size came in six different clothing styles, which included pyjamas, swimsuits, dresses, and play suits.  You can see another one of Puggy's outfits here on the left, the photo is from Pfeiffer's 1892-1943 Sortiment book.  

Take a good look at Pupphund's pug-mug. It is quite unusual and as far as Steiffgal can tell, this doll pattern is the only item produced by Steiff with this basic design. Steiff often made their charming characters in a number of "theme and variation" ways. For example, many popular and now legacy 1920's and 1930's era designs were often produced as puppets, in sitting and standing versions, as music boxes, in different colors, as handbags, night dress bags, or other novelties. Unfortunately, this does not seem to be the case with this pug design - which is too bad for collectors today! 

 So how did this pug doll pattern come about? There are few clues here to work with. Steiff produced two different pre-war pugs; a grey standing mohair version on wheels from 1916 through 1927, and a caricatured blond and white mohair pug from 1925 through 1927. However, Pupphund really does not share any characteristics with either of these items. The only design element this pug dog doll does seem to share with any other Steiff dogs of its period is its distinctive pink mouth stitching. This can also be seen on Steiff's Ball Chin Chin, a 15 cm novelty which was produced from 1932 through 1935 as well. Ball Chin Chin is pictured on the left for your review; the photo is from Pfeiffer's 1892-1943 Sortiment book.  

As you can see from the photo to the left, the resemblance between Steiff's pug dog doll and real pugs is absolutely striking! 

Steiffgal hopes this conversation on this rare and darling Steiff dog doll has made you feel as snug as a pug in a zebra striped rug!  And happy holidays to all the Steiff fans out there.  Your readership and friendship are most appreciated! 

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

Steiff Pug Hugs To All The Dads Out There For Father's Day!

Every Dad deserves lots of hugs on Father's Day!  And, in Steiffgal's home, real life pugs are responsible for alot of the household cuddles!  So, to honor Steiffguy, the world's finest "Doggie Daddy," Steiffgal would like to share the history of Steiff's precious pugs with you.  Let's take a look at some early and later examples, and see what makes them so interesting from the design and historical perspectives.

Although they are never tardy for dinner, Pugs were a relatively late addition to the Steiff dog line.  The first Steiff pugs appeared in the catalog in 1916.  They were standing, made from gray mohair plush, and had very authentic looking curly tails.  Their faces were detailed with a somewhat prominent muzzle, a big black nose, and brown and black pupil eyes.  They were produced in 17 and 22 cm; both sizes wore a leather collar, were mounted on a pair of natural wood colored eccentric wheels, and came with a pull cord.  It is interesting to note that this pattern, unlike many other dog patterns, only came on wheels, and was not produced sitting or in any other configuration. These earliest rolling pugs are pictured here on the left, the photo is from the 1892-1943 Steiff Sortiment book.  

The next Steiff pug pattern had tongues a-wagging. This little ball of love was simply called "Mops" which is German for pug.  He was rather ball shaped, sitting, and made of tan and white mohair.  He has a proportionally large head, which was detailed comically with felt backed black button eyes, a simple mouth, and a huge red felt tongue.  He left the factory wearing a silk ribbon.  Mops was only produced in 14 cm from 1925 through 1927.  He does, in many ways, have the look and feel of a better known Steiff dog of the same era, Pip, who was designed after a famous cartoon character of the time.  Mops pictured here on the left, the photo is from the 1892-1943 Steiff Sortiment book.  

Steiff's final pre-war pug was such a doll - literally!  From the late 1920's onward, Steiff created a series of animal-dolls that were made from the mohair heads of usually well known Steiff characters, mounted on a somewhat standard hard stuffed cloth body with floppy arms.  The tops of the hands and the feet of these dolls were mohair as well.  Each animal doll was playfully dressed in everyday clothes, country-specific outfits, or pants and tops specific to a profession (like a farmer, explorer, painter, etc.)  Steiff did make a pug dog doll in 14, 22, and 28 cm from 1932 through 1935.  They came dressed in a variety of different outfits, including a sailor suit, pajamas, playsuits, dresses, and shirts and trousers.  It is interesting to note that the pug head used for this dog doll is quite unique and as far as Steiffgal can tell, was never used again before or after this product - which is too bad because it was just incredibly adorable.   Don't you agree?  The Sailor version of the Pug doll is pictured here on the left, the photo is from the 1892-1943 Steiff Sortiment book.  

It's time to jump three decades to the 1960's, when pugs again were a feature in the Steiff line.  In 1960, Steiff introduced "Mopsy" to the world, and she quickly became a collector's favorite for her sweet and silly looks, and most puggy personality.  Mopsy was sitting, made from tan mohair, and was head jointed.  She had a very prominent muzzle, large black and white google-style eyes, and turned-in ears - much like the real dog.  And you could not miss perhaps her finest feature...  her red, somewhat asymmetrically angled tongue!  Mopsy appeared in 12 and 22 cm until 1981.  She was also produced as a 17 cm hand puppet from 1960 through 1978. 

If you liked Mopsy, then you'll have a ball with this last vintage Steiff pug.  In 1960 and 1961, Steiff produced a series of “ball” animals; Mopsy (a pug), Sula (a cat), and a rabbit. Each of these big-bottomed dralon collectibles was 16 cm, head jointed, had front facing limbs, and a squeaker.  Like her cousin Mopsy, Ball Mopsy had black and white google eyes and turned in ears.  Ball Mopsy had a very funny design detail... a little chest bib of mohair on her otherwise dralon body.    She also had little brown airbrushed paw detailing on her feet pads.  Ball Mopsy, and all the other ball style items of this era, are hard to find, especially in good condition—because they were designed to be used as playthings and stuffed with foam, which tends to deteriorate over time.  

Steiff has featured several versions of pugs in the line within the last 10 years or so. In partnership with the AKC (American Kennel Club), the company produced a mother/baby pug pair in soft plush for FAO Schwarz. Among others, the company also made a delightful red and white candy striped fabric pug with a red velvet facial mask and ears; a little plush pug keyring; and most recently, a sweet pug named Lielou made from light tan alpaca.  And looking forward, it is Steiffgal's strongest wish that someday Steiff makes a black alpaca pug identical to the one pictured here to the left... and names her Bobo, of course.

Steiffgal hopes this discussion on Steiff's pugs has not been a pugnacious experience for you... and a Happy Pappy's Day to you as well!

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

A Little Novel Mystery To Light Up Your Steiff Life!

Looking for a little something to light up your (Steiff) life? Then you've come to the right place.  The world of interesting vintage plush collectibles is quite large - but also quite interrelated on many levels.  Take a look at this note from a reader who asks about a possible novelty... could it have been made by Steiff?   Jaime writes...

"Hello,
 

Here is my dilemma... After what seems like a thousand dead-ends, a ton of time, energy, and endless "google-ing" & "bing-ing"....  I have exhausted all known avenues of search.  Can you take a look at my item and provide any information about it?

Here are his details.  He is approximately 19cm or about 7-1/2" tall, and hard stuffed with excelsior.  His body is made from mohair and is yellowish / cream or off-white, in color, with darker shaded tips and a few black, air-brushed, spots on the forehead and front paws.  His muzzle and ears are shaved or trimmed black mohair; each ear has one stitch, to help keep them held down and in place.  His nose and mouth are hand embroidered in black.  He has a pink corduroy "panting or begging" tongue.  He has a swivel head and wears a green leather collar with a silver buckle.

Here's where it gets interesting.  He has glass eyes, which are light brown/auburn with a black pupil.  Each contains  a "filament", essentially, a removable light bulb with a socket. The battery or power source is housed in the belly and is accessed by un-doing three, brass, snap-style buttons. All 3 snaps are engraved with the maker's name, "Prym."  The Prym Company, responsible for making the snaps, is located just 3 hours away from the Steiff factory in Germany.

There are no identifying marks except for the button makers name on the brass snaps. There does appear to be an "indented" area where a button would have been in the left ear.   The mohair, in that area, was matted down in the shape of a round button and there did appear to be small hole through the ear,  But I have poured over this puppy for so many exhausting months that it might just be a wishful thinking!  Please help!!  

Thank you, 

Jaime"

Electrifying, and many thanks for introducing us to this great item.  And, as you might know, Steiffgal is a pug fiend; two real live ones (pictured above) are right here by her side as she figures out this mystery.  

Don't mean to zap anyone's expectations, but Steiffgal can tell you right away that this item was not made by Steiff. However, it has two features that are quite interesting when viewed through the lens of Steiff history and product evolution: 1.  its design and 2.  its "novelty" qualities.  The big challenge is that there were a zillion toy companies in business in Europe and the US about the time that he was made, and little documentation or history on many of these manufacturers.  So, as a result, Jaime may never really know his origins.  And that's ok. But there are a few things Steiffgal can glean about this dog which do relate directly to Steiff.  

Let's first take a look at his dog-gone design.  It is Steiffgal's opinion that has many of the same elements of two documented Steiff dog designs.  These are Tino, who is from the early to mid 1930's, and Pug, who is from the mid to late 1920's.  They are pictured above; Tino is on the left and Pug is on the right.  Both are little known, very rare, and seldom seen on the secondary or collector's marketplaces.   

It is very interesting to note that it was (and still sort of is) really, really common that plush companies would all but replicate their competitor's lines with the slightest of modifications and call that pattern their own.  Well known examples of this with Steiff include early Teddy bear designs, tumbling animals, and even their Treff the bloodhound, who was based on the English Dalmatian "Dismal Desmond," manufactured by the Deans Rag Book Co. of London.  

So, when can a dog really be a cat?  When it's a copycat!  Despite a Steiff look, there are two design elements that strongly suggest that the item was not made by Steiff.  First, his design is too "clunky" to be made by Steiff; the pattern is very simple and the lines are not curved and elegant.  (This is not meant to be derogatory in any way, it just is what it is.)  Additionally, thinking back, Steiffgal can't think of one time Steiff ever used corduroy on any item, except way post war on some doll, bear, and character's clothing items.  So this also all but rules out Steiff as the manufacturer.   

Second, let's take a look at the novelty features of this pug.  Steiff created many early novelty items - including hand bags, puppets, pajama bags, animal dolls, dangling car mascots, and even a record cleaner - but Steiffgal is all but certain that Steiff themselves never made "electric" eyed items.  (However, she has seen "aftermarket" creations, meaning someone got creative with a Steiff Ted, some wiring, and light bulbs in their garage!) The novelties that Steiff produced were always based on their most popular and well known characters, including Bully the Bulldog, Molly the Puppy, and Charly the King Charles Spaniel.  Jaime's dog design, although adorable, would not fit into this tier of classic Steiff patterns.  Steiffgal's favorite Steiff novelty of all time, Jocko as a purse - from around 1930 - is pictured here on the left. 

It's time to plug into the topic of electrified plush!  Light-up eyed items first came on the market around 1907 or so.  They were produced as novelties and mostly seen on bears.  The eyes would light up if the bear's belly was pressed, a switch was pressed, or a limb was moved up or down.  The early ones had the batteries buried in the body so you pretty much had to take the animal apart to replace them.  Jaime's pug seems to have a much nicer battery setup, with snaps or the like, implying that it is a more sophisticated, therefore slightly younger design than the early ones, perhaps from the late 1920's or so.

So what does this all mean?  Steiffgal's best guess, and that's all she can offer here, is that this was made in Europe by one of Steiff competitors in the early 1930's or so.  The light up eyes were designed to "one up" the Steiff design, but the materials used, and the overall design details are somewhat inferior to traditional Steiff standards.   Anyone else have any ideas? 

Steiffgal hopes you got a real charge out of learning about this vintage electric-eyed pug.  

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