This Pretty, Prewar, And Purple Steiff Princess Rains Supreme!!

WARNING! You are about to get all out joint over today's blog special guest! This pretty kitty has just about everything going for her, including her looks, color, era, and "secret skill." Check out this fine feline and see what makes her so fabulous from the design and collector's perspective. 

This (now) purple kitten rains supreme. Here we have Steiff's fully jointed "Kitty." She is 15 cm tall and 21cm wide, not including her impressive tail. She is made from blue/black tipped mohair that has faded overall and evenly to a delightful, dark purple hue. Her underbelly, ears, muzzle, feet, and the tip of her tail are made from white mohair. Her face comes to life with a pink hand embroidered nose and mouth and teal green and black slit pupil eyes. Kitty was produced in 15, 18, 21, and 23 cm from 1931-1935. This example retains her long trailing "f" button as her Steiff ID. 

But wait, there's more! Kitty's long tail is functional as well as aesthetic. This model is actually a tail turns head model, meaning that when her tail is rotated in a circle, her head follows in tandem. This technology was patented by the Steiff company in the early 1930s and basically consists a system that connects the head and the tail through a series of internal metal connectors and joints. 

Head jointed animals were an important part of the Steiff line in the early 1930s. Over time, about 25 different tail turns head models were produced through the very early 1940s. For the most part, these were based on the best selling standard line patterns of the time and included cats, dogs, rabbits, penguins, goats, and lambs, and even Mickey Mouse, among others. However, as far as Steiffgal can tell, this Kitty was one of the few tail moves head items that was only made as a tail moves head animal and not produced in any other form. It is interesting to note that she is neither pictured or mentioned in Steiff's 1931 novelty catalog where many of the other tail moves head animals debuted. 

Now, let's use some colorful language to describe her hue. Today, Kitty is a marvelous shade of deep purple. But she did not start out life that way. According to Pfeiffer's 1892-1943 Steiff Sortiment, this model was produced in "blue/black tipped" mohair. But it has clearly mellowed to a pretty purple color over time. Another wonderful novelty produced with "blue/black" mohair at about the same time as Kitty was Steiff's King Peng penguin. You can see and example of a King Peng here on the left, the photo is from Christies. Today, when you find a King Peng, often his once blue/black mohair has become a similar purple color as Kitty's. As such, Steiffgal suspects that Steiff's 1930-era blue/black mohair was produced with a dye or dyes that oxidized or somehow had a chemical reaction with air or moisture over time. If this color change was due to something simple like direct sunlight, the change would not be so even or so consistent.

Steiffgal hopes that this discussion on this pretty purple princess has crowned your day.

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

What's The Tattle On This Unexpected Steiff Rattle?

Don't you just love a good surprise? Like when you buy something online, and when it arrives, it's even BETTER than your wildest hopes? That just happened to Steiffgal today, and she can't wait to share this auspicious treat with you. So 'ears what's happening....

Steiffgal took a leap of faith with this purchase. The electronic pictures weren't so great, and the description wasn't glowing. Yet, it called to her!

What we have here is Steiff's late 1920s sitting rabbit. He is head jointed, about 13 cm sans ears and 19 cm with them, and made from faded purple and cream colored velvet. His pert ears are lined in wires and are posable. His darling face comes to life with oversized brown and black pupil eyes, a wide forehead, and Steiff's legacy 1920s era rabbit nose and mouth embroidery. This consists of a horizontally stitched, triangular shaped nose, outlined in a slightly different color floss, and a simple "v" shaped mouth. He retains his long trailing "f" button and bits of his red ear tag. These hoppy handfuls were produced sitting in 11, 15, and 18 cm (measured without ears) in blue, purple, maize, orange, and white velvet from 1927-1933 overall.

So just what makes this purple bunny such a royal find? Two things come to mind. 

The first is his monarchal color - lilac - which is so lovely and typical to Steiff's 1920s era production. In the late 1920s through early 1930s, Steiff made a series of "jellybean" colored velvet and mohair rabbits. In addition to this sitting, velvet version, the company also produced sitting mohair and begging velvet or mohair rabbits in playful colors including orange, pink, yellow, and light blue, among others. These were made to match the aesthetics of the "Roaring 20s." You can see a Steiff catalog image from 1929 featuring a number of these "jellybean jumpers" at the bottom of this blog post. Today, many of these items have faced a bit, much like this rabbit. You can usually tell their original color by looking in their cracks and crevices. In this case, the folds in his ears retained their vivid violet color.

And now let's make some noise over his second highlight. Believe it or not, this beautiful bun is also a RATTLE! Yes, when you shake him, he makes a happy plink-plinka noise! This feature was not noted in his listing, which makes it even more thrilling to discover.

To keep things moving and shaking, Steiff sometimes tucked a rattle into some of the smallest or almost smallest versions of its most popular prewar models. As far as Steiffgal can tell, there is/was no formal numbering or ID system to identify those items specifically produced with a rattle feature. In her personal collection, Steiffgal has a velvet sitting Pip dog rattle, a lying wool plush rabbit rattle, a white mohair Teddy rattle, and a velvet and mohair begging squirrel rattle. All were discovered to be rattles by accident... in the best possible way. Next time you handle a small, prewar item, shake it gently.... and you may happily surprised as well!

Steiffgal hopes this discussion on this princely purple rabbit reigned supremely well with you.

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

Playing The Dating Game With Steiff's Precious Pre- And Post War Chimp Puppets

How do you tell how old a vintage Steiff collectible is, if it doesn't have tell-tale IDs? For Steiff items produced over a very limited time, this is easy, and can be solved through reference book or online research. However, for some legacy items that appeared in the line for decades, this can be tricky. Dating is an art, and not a science, especially when it comes to timeless items like the company's Jocko chimpanzee puppets. 

Steiff's chimp puppets have been produced almost continuously in mohair from 1911 through 1978 (with a pause in the 1940s for World War II) and are beloved universally. Steiff's monkey puppet design was produced prewar from 1911-1943. He was called Punch Chimpanzee through 1928 and Jocko from 1929 onward. Greater variants of this puppet were produced prewar than postwar. Prewar, they were made in 17 cm in brown, blonde, and white mohair. Brown was the most popular and prolific color and appeared from 1911-1943. A larger, 28 cm brown mohair version was produced from 1912-1916. The blonde version is super rare and was produced only from 1913-1916. And the white version appeared in the line from 1925-1928 - probably coinciding with the popularity of John Galsworthy’s 1925 best-selling book, “The White Monkey." A sweet 17 cm prewar brown mohair chimp puppet is pictured here on the left. 

 

Steiffgal has also seen prewar Jocko puppets with the traditional mohair head and felt hands, but with a red felt or purple felt body. These were probably made to match the "colorful" aesthetic of their production time - 1921 through 1942. These are relatively rare and seldom seen on the secondary market. You check out these fun novelties here on the left, the photo is LiveAuctioneers. Steiffgal also knows of a few other examples of these felt and mohair puppets, including one that has a blue felt body.

The Jocko puppet was also a mainstay in the postwar Steiff product line through 1978. He was produced in brown artificial silk plush in early 1949, and then again in brown mohair starting later in 1949 onward. Like the popular, standard line prewar version, he measured 17 cm and basically shared the same general detailing as his earlier ancestors. A sweet 17 cm postwar brown mohair chimp puppet is pictured here on the left. 

So how do you date a Steiff chimp puppet sans IDs? There is no one simple answer here, and every expert probably has their own set of criteria and ways of thinking about this. Steiffgal personally can think of four subtle differences that are distinctive between older versions and more recent ones. They are:

1. Finger tube. As far as Steiffgal can tell, prewar chimp puppets have a cardboard finger tube, while postwar ones have a plastic one.

2. Eyes. For the most part, Steiff used glass pupil eyes on these puppets through the early 1960s; by the end of the 1960s these were almost entirely replaced by plastic ones for health and safety reasons.

3. Fabrics. Steiff produced these monkey puppets in a number of mohair and felt colors prewar, but only in brown postwar. Steiffgal has noticed that occasionally the brown mohair on the prewar versions feels or looks a little different than "traditional" mohair. By that she means it is a bit lighter or darker in color, or has a slightly different touch or feel to it. This may be because of wartime-related production limitations or supply chain issues.

4. Appearance. Steiffgal has noticed that the prewar versions in her collection have a more "delicate" presence to them than do the post war versions. The prewar ones tend to have longer, leaner heads with more angular felt masks; the postwar ones are a bit more rounded and childlike, with curvy felt masks. The prewar ones have gentle, nuanced painting and shading on the face and ears, while the postwar ones have darker, more prominent shading. The prewar ones have larger, almond shaped eye pockets while the postwar ones have smaller, more circular ones. And for the most part, the prewar versions have their button on the outside of their ears, and the postwar ones have their button on the inside of their ears. Here on the left you can see a closeup on the faces of a prewar Jocko puppet (on the left) and a postwar Jocko puppet (on the right) for comparison. 

Steiffgal hopes this discussion on pre- vs. postwar Jocko hand puppets has been more fun than a barrel full of monkeys. 

Many thanks to Marcus Sampaio of Once Upon A Puppet for his contributions to this article!

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

A Hint of August In December!

Baby, it's cold outside! But this wonderful mystery from Chile - of all places - will warm your heart for sure. Check out this note from a new friend who asks about a very vintage find on wheels. He shares over time:

"Hello, my name is Adrián and I am from Chile. 

I am writing to inquire about an antique object that appears to be made by Steiff. It is a doll stuffed with straw, covered with cloth on a quadricycle, apparently it had a mechanism that when walking made the doll move. His eyes are made of glass, his body is complete but unfortunately the moths have damaged the coating.... Under the jacket it presents a purple felt. It has wooden wheels and the caddy is made of metal wire. It measures 9 inches tall. In advance I appreciate your help!"

This purple-clad Steiff doll reigns supreme! This guy is Steiff's "Record August." The doll is made from felt and jointed. When he left the factory in Giengen more than a century ago, we was wearing a purple shirt, a matching purple brimmed cap, white trousers, a black belt, black socks, and brown shoes. You can see elements of this outfit on him today. These details were key in helping to identify him. August has traces of Steiff's first quarter of the 20th century doll facial construction, including a center seam, brown and black glass pupil eyes, a dimensional nose, and facial painting. His ride is Steiff's traditional "record" style vehicle. With this design, a jointed rider is sitting on the seat of a simple cart made from a metal chassis and four wooden wheels. The cart has a handlebar, and the rider appears to pump it back and forth as he is pulled along. Record August was produced in 20 cm from 1916-1929. A picture of him "as new" is here on the left; it is from Pfeiffer's 1892-1943 Sortiment.

So what is the story behind this wonderful find? According to Adrián:

"The truth is that my late boss was dedicated to antiques, his name was Heriberto Gudenschwager Klaassen. I continued working in his store after he passed away. I found some boxes in the shop, they were stored away for many years, and they contained several old toys on wheels - including the little boy on his quadricycle. A prewar mohair Steiff duck on wheels was also part of this collection. These toys were found in a box in the attic of an old house. My boss bought them from a grandson of the original owner. It was only this year that they were rediscovered in the shop."

In a roundabout way, Record August is part of Steiff's legacy "record" production. The first record item was "Record Peter" - a chimp on wheels - who came on the scene in 1912 and was an immediate success. The 1912 catalog described him as: “Record Peter, in silky brown mohair plush, seated on a self-drive chassis with sturdy wooden wheels and automatic sound box. Virtually unbreakable mechanism. Simply has to be pulled along by attached cord.” A Record Teddy debuted in 1913, and by 1916, a series of record dolls topped Steiff's novelty production. These included a Record Puck gnome, Shockheaded Peter, Max, Moritz, Radler (a boy in a red felt suit) and this Record August. Over time, popular characters like Mickey Mouse, Petsy the baby bear, and Felix the Cat were also produced as record-style novelties. The record rabbit, pictured here on the left, was featured in Steiff's catalog from 1926 through 1943. Postwar, record style rabbits and chimps appeared in the line through 1964 and 1970, respectively.

Steiffgal hopes this discussion on Record August has been a joy ride for you!

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

Steiff Bucket List Beauty.... Or Not?

What's on your Steiff bucket list? An item or two that has gained nearly mythical status in your mind due to its elusiveness? In Steiffgal's case, that would be a mid-1920s Schlopsnies doll. A new friend writes about what she's looking for... but does it really exist? Joyce shares,

"I'm wondering and would be interested in the Steiff Clown Replica in blue or red. I've never seen it in those colors. Did they make them in the blue and red? They are not even listed in the Steiff Sortiment book, but are pictured on the original tag of the light yellow Circus Dolly bear, article number 0164/30. I have the green, yellow and purple. I don't want to keep looking if they don't exist. thanks much!"

So let's take a deep dive here and see if we can solve this Steiff mystery. What Joyce is describing is a series of colorful, 32 cm Teddy bears Steiff produced in the 1987-1989 timeframe as exclusive products for the US market. They are pictured here on the left; the photo is from Pfeiffer's 1947-2003 Sortiment book. They were based on Steiff's "Dolly" Teddy bear pattern that was introduced in 1913 in honor of the inauguration of Thomas Woodrow Wilson, the 28th President of the USA. Unlike Roosevelt and Taft, Wilson did not have an animal mascot associated with him. Roosevelt of course had the Teddy bear, and Taft had an opossum. To welcome the new President into office, Steiff designed its Dolly bear, and launched this novelty at the 1913 Leipzig Spring Trade Fair.

Legacy Dolly bears were known for their distinct coloration and novel neckwear. All had a white head but their bodies and limbs were made in jewel tones including red, blue, yellow, and green. Apparently there was a violet version that was produced as a prototype, but it never went into full production. Dolly bears were detailed with a festive neck ruff, black shoebutton eyes, and brown facial stitching. Brown facial stitching was traditionally used on early white bears, so that color choice here makes sense. Each had a "hug me" voice in its belly. The original Dolly bears appeared in the line from 1913 through 1918 in 25, 30, and 32 cm. Here you can see a blue and white version from the early 19-teens; the photo is from Christies. 

Today, original Dolly bears are extremely rare and seldom seen on the secondary market. Steiffgal is aware of maybe one or two that have come up for sale at auction in memory. Steiff has produced them a few times in replica form, most notably in the late 1980s as part of the company's circus theme of that era. These are the bears Joyce is referring to in her note. In 1987, the company mistakenly produced a Dolly bear as part of this series in very pale yellow and white mohair. Very few were made and this particular color combination is considered really collectible. This pale yellow was replaced with a brighter yellow, and the company would go on to make these Teds in white and bright yellow, green, and violet mohair from 1987-1989. You can see this pale yellow Dolly bear here on the left.

As Joyce notes, the hang tag on the pale yellow version of the 1987 Dolly bear features this design in red, blue, yellow, green, and violet. But the in the company catalog for this series, shown here, only the bright yellow, green, and purple versions are featured. So were red and blue examples ultimately made as part of this 32 cm series? Steiffgal thinks not. But here are three loose speculations why these bears were pictured on the tag.

First, it is entirely possible that Steiff had the intention to produce the replica Dolly bears in five hues as part of this late 1980s series. The company's photo of these five bears on the tag suggest that all five colors were produced, at least in prototype form. However, in terms of commercial production, perhaps reality got in the way after this marketing photo was taken. Maybe the blue and the red mohair were not available or too expensive or somehow diluted the line a bit. Archival paperwork from Reeve's International, Steiff's distributor partner here in the USA at the time, note only the yellow, green, and violet versions were actually ordered for the North American market in 1988. 

Second, it is also possible that the tag is trying to show the original 1913 range of production, when these colors were (mostly) in the line. So the tag was intended to be a reflection of historical, not current, production. 

And third, the pale yellow version in itself was a mistake. It appears there were several issues and problems over time with this product introduction and marketing, including its IDs and collateral, and this inconsistent tag was just part of that mix. 

Steiffgal hopes this round-about sleuthing has added a bright spot to your day.

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

Color Your World With This Mysterious Vintage Steiff Donkey

It's a rather gray day around these parts, and the almost four feet (that's over 120 cm for friends abroad!) of snow on the ground already is not helping things.  But this little grayish friend is just the opposite of gloomy - so Steiffgal thought it would be the perfect time to introduce you to this happy-go-lucky fellow.  Take a look at this fantastic vintage farm friend who just arrived on the east coast from Germany.  Although not technically "young" anymore - he is certainly young at heart... and will warm yours, too!

Here we have a most adorable and vintage looking donkey.  This farm friend measures 22 cm tall (top of head to foot) and 30 cm long (tip of nose to backside.)  He is standing, unjointed, and made of tan mohair which has been lovingly airbrushed with grayish-purple highlights.  His tail and mane are made from long, soft, black mohair.   His face comes to life with longer tan mohair on his "sideburns" and forehead, a shorter mohair muzzle, pert black eyes, and a black airbrushed nose and mouth.  The coloring on his face truly gives him him a youthful, playful appearance.  He retains his long trailing "F" button and illegible yellow ear tag (pictured below) as his Steiff IDs.  

Like many things Steiff, this donkey has details that make him hard to date and identify with 110% accuracy.  His long trailing "F" button initially suggests that he may have been manufactured in the c. 1933 - 1935 time period.  If that were the case, he most resembles the company's Jung Esel or Young Donkey, which was made in 22 and 28 cm from 1933 through 1943 overall.  Young Donkey is pictured here on the left; the photo is from Pfeiffer's 1892-1943 Sortiment book.  Like the example under discussion today, Steiff's Young Donkey pattern is famous for his grey-purple highlights and innocent looks.  However, it is clear that there are some key differences between the Young Donkey pattern and the donkey under discussion here.  Young Donkey is made from long grey wool plush; this example is made from highlighted mohair.  Young Donkey has grey felt (or perhaps leather) hooves; this example does not.  Young Donkey has a grey tail and mane; this example has black detailing.  And Young Donkey has his ears positioned forward; this example has the ears positioned to the rear.   

So how do his design elements and early IDs all align?  Well, only this donkey knows for sure, but here are two ideas.  

1.  The mid 1930's through the early 1950's were a really rough time for manufacturing at Steiff, and supplies and fabrics were available on an inconsistent basis.  It is possible that this donkey was indeed made to the Jung Esel pattern as best as possible, but with the materials and technology available on hand, in the late 1930's to early 1940's.  It is not unusual to see wool plush and mohair plush interchanged on items from this time frame.  

2.  Steiffgal thinks it's more probable - given his distinctive overall coloring - that this donkey under discussion today is a transitional model between the company's pre- and post- war donkey models.  As such, he may have been produced in the very late 1940's and given a long trailing "F" button... as that's what was on hand at the time.   Steiff launched its post-war donkey in 1950 in 12, 14, 22, and 28 cm; this updated pattern has several design elements of the pre-war Jung Esel, especially in the muzzle area, but no purple-grey highlights at all.   For comparison, a nice example of Steiff's postwar 22 cm mohair donkey is pictured here on the left.

Steiffgal hopes this discussion of this mystery donkey has added a touch of color to your day!

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