This Amazing Steiff Prewar Treasure Is No Optical Illusion!

Eye, eye, eye... look what we have here! Steiffgal just got an inquiry about an eye-popping rarity and she could not wait to share this exciting find with you. Let's not monkey around and jump right into the details of this precious prewar primate right away!

What we have here is Steiff's Mimocculo Orang Utan. This example is about 35 cm tall, fully jointed, and made from long, fuzzy red-orange mohair. His hands, feet, ears, and face are made from felt. He features an open, dimentional mouth as well as really unusual and abundant facial seaming. This is because he has a remarkable moving eye feature imbedded in his head. These seams hold his facial fabric, and in turn his eye-movement hardware, securely in place. With Mimocculo, when you pull gently on his ear, his white, brown, and black round glass eyeballs move left and right, as well as up and down. This great example retains his long trailing "f" button and traces of his red ear tag as his Steiff IDs. 

This nifty novelty was produced from 1930 through 1936 in 8, 10, 12, 14, 17, 22, 25, 28, 35, 43, and 50 cm. Sizes from 17 cm had the distinctive rolling eye mechanism and deep eye pockets; the smaller ones had standard, stationary glass pupil eyes and closed mouths. Given Mimocculo's charm and collector's appeal, Steiff created a 35 cm tall rolling eye replica of this treasure in 1998. It was produced in an edition size of 3,000 pieces overall and very closely resembled the prewar version.

In the early 1930s, when Mimocculo debuted, one of Steiff's business development strategies was to produce high end items with distinctive mechanical features. Other products with amazing jointing or advances from this era included the company's snap jointed tail moves head Circus Elephants (made in 24 and 30 cm from 1931-1940 overall) a snap jointed tail turns head Circus Bear (made in 32 cm from 1935-1939), and a series of press and release music box animals based on Steiff's most popular prewar pet designs. Mimocculo, with his fabulous flirty eyeballs, fit perfectly into this exclusive club of mechanical marvels.

And just how rare are these outrageously outstanding Orang Utans?Steiffgal has only seen a handful come up for public auction over the past decade or two. Most recently, Ladenburger Spielzeugauktion offered a 10 cm version at their Special Steiff Auction held on June 29th, 2024 in Giengen, Germany. You can see this happy handful here on the left, the image is from Ladenburger Spielzeugauktion. This "mini Mimo" had a starting bid of 180 €, hammered at 3100 €, and was cataloged simply as:

"Monkey, orangutan, MIMOCCULO, made 1930-1933, 10 cm, rust-colored mohair, small glass eyes, felt feet, hands and face as well as ears in very nice condition, unusual."  

Orange you glad you checked out this discussion on Steiff's Mimocculo Orang Utan?

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The Perfect Steiff Hot Dog For This Fourth Of July Weekend!

Well, the Fourth of July weekend is upon us, and summer - at least here in these parts - is in full swing. Many friends and families celebrate this fine holiday with parties and cookouts featuring hamburgers and hot dogs on the grill. So Steiffgal thought the time was perfect to introduce you to her latest warm weather find - also a hot dog - but just not the type you enjoy with mustard. (But feel free to relish her!) Ladies and gentlemen, please meet Gretl!  Gretl is named after a friend's real life Dachshund who also toddles along and has a thing for the UPS delivery man.

Steiffgal is literally jumping for joy over this "Hopping Dachshund." She is 22 cm tall and 30 cm wide, not including her long, skinny tail. She is standing on all fours, unjointed, and made from short brown mohair. She has three black claws on each of her feet. Her face, which has a rather pensive look to it given her forehead-muzzle seam construction, comes to life with brown and black glass pupil eyes and a hand embroidered black nose and mouth. She mounted on two metal dowels and rides upon four oversized, natural colored wooden wheels. Sometimes these types of wheels have some Steiff identification like the company's name carved or stamped on them, but these are plain. Gretl's pull string is attached directly to her neck and is original to her. She left the factory in Giengen with a leather collar, but that has been lost to time. Gretl retains her tiny long trailing "f" button and traces of her white ear tag as her Steiff IDs. 

Gretl was officially made in this size in mohair from 1912 through 1917, and then again from 1923 through 1926. Given her small button and white ear tag fragments, she was produced at the earlier part of this time frame. Her pattern in mohair was brought back into the line in 1927 through 1929, this time in three sizes: 17, 20, and 22 cm. These later versions had larger trailing "f" buttons and white or red ear tags as their Steiff IDs.

It is always interesting to look at manufacturing dates when it comes to Steiff's legacy patterns and characters. Gretl's pattern in mohair seemed to take a hiatus for a few years between 1918 and the early 1920's. And why is this? As a result of World War I, which ended in November, 1918, the company was suffering from the results of the war. Manufacturing, material supplies, inventories, and infrastructure were in disarray as the country was starting to figure out how to manage the postwar rebuilding process. Felt, mohair, and other high end materials were in extremely limited supplies, and for several prior years had been allocated almost exclusively towards military purposes.  

But Steiff, being an amazingly creative and resilient company, found a way to work around those supply chain issues and keep itself busy as well as in business. Given the abundance of wood in the area, the company started producing things like toys, building sets and furniture for children. Steiff also found a way to produce substitute materials from local alternative natural products including nettles and wood. These substitute material selections appeared in the line from 1919 through 1921, and included models of the company's most popular standard line bears, dogs, cats, rabbits, and other favorites. And, given the popularity of the company's "Hopping Dachshund," she too was produced in 1918 through 1920 in substitute, improvised fabrics. You can see Gretl's cousin from this period in the illustration on the left; she is hiding out on the bottom shelf on the far right. This illustration is from Steiff's c. 1919 catalog; the picture is from the Cieslik's Button in Ear:  The History of the Teddy Bear and His Friends, 1989.

Steiffgal hopes this discussion of Hopping Gretl and her interesting product development history has been the wheel-deal for you.

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

Rolling Towards The Holidays With This Great Steiff Spitz Dog On Wheels

Ever feel like howling in excitement upon a wonderful Steiff find? Even if just in your mind? Well, that just happened to Steiffgal when this delightful Wolfspitz on wheels arrived on her doorstep last week! Take a look at this dynamic dog and see what makes him so interesting from the design and product development perspectives.
 
This vintage pup is the wheel-deal indeed. Wolfspitz measures 20 cm from head to toe and 22 cm including his wheels, measured vertically. He is standing, unjointed, and made from tan mohair. His body and tail are made from long wavy mohair, while his face, ears, and legs are made from matching short mohair. He has very distinctive black hand embroidered claws on his paws, and a full and very prominent tail. He has distinctive mohair "feathering" construction on his front legs; this is pictured here on the left. His somewhat serious face is detailed with black and brown glass pupil eyes, a black hand embroidered nose and mouth, and traces of black airbrush highlighting. He rides upon four red wooden eccentric wheels.  

So how old is this pup, in dog years or otherwise? He retains his short trailing "f" button and traces of his yellow year tag. Given this utterly charming pattern was made in this size only from 1934 through 1943; his combination of IDs suggest he was produced in the 1936 to 1943 time frame.

Spitz, or Pomeranian dogs, are legacy patterns for Steiff. They appeared as early as 1902 in the Steiff line. The earliest Steiff Spitz dogs were produced in felt and mohair. This is most interesting from the historical perspective. And why is this? Felt was Steiff's first toy making fabric, and mohair became available on a commercially viable scale in 1903. Thus, early Spitz dogs truly embody the "old" and "new" material ways of manufacturing at Steiff!

These earliest Spitz dogs were produced in many configurations, including on wheels, sitting, fully jointed, and on a pincushion. They were made from long white curly mohair, with white felt faces, ears, and legs. All had black shoe button eyes and embroidered facial features. Most also left the factory in Giengen with a red cord with two pom-poms or tassels around his neck, giving them a “regal” appearance. The breed does have some connections to German royalty, which may explain why Steiff decorated them like “little kings.” The felt and mohair Spitz dogs appeared in the line in general through the 1920s.  A typical early Steiff Spitz is pictured here on the left; the photo is from Christie's.

Except for one all mohair, 17 cm model produced from 1924 through 1927, it was not until the mid 1930's that the company focused again on Spitz dogs. In 1934, Steiff launched a series of very expressive, all mohair tan colored Spitz dogs. These included a standing version (produced in 22 and 35 cm); a sitting version (produced in 17, 21, 22, and 25 cm) and the 22 cm version on wheels, the topic of this post. At the same time, the company also introduced two new all white Zwergspitz, or Miniature Pomeranians. These included a standing model (produced in 15, 18, and 23 cm) and a 20 cm sitting version. (An example of a lovely white Zwergspitz dog is pictured here on the left, the photo is from Teddy Dorado.) All appeared in the line through 1943, when Steiff ceased toy production due to war constraints and political realities. 

It is interesting to note that despite their popularity and longevity in the line, Steiff did not produce a standard line mohair Spitz after the factory reopened for business after the war in the late 1940's.  More recent Spitz dogs include a 22 cm white dralon "Cosy Spitz Blanko" from 1960 through 1973; a 30 cm woven fur model produced in black, white, or red-brown from 1980 through 1983; and a 60 cm mohair standing display "Polar Pomeranian" dog, produced in 1960 and then again in 1967.

So what's in a name?  According to Wikipedia, the Wolfspitz breed name was formally changed to "Keeshond," in 1926 in England. The breed is described as having "a lion like ruff, spectacles, small and dark triangular ears, definite contrast, and a thick double coat." All of these characteristics truly describe Steiff's Spitz dogs from the very beginning! 

Steiffgal hopes this discussion on Steiff's lovely Spitz dogs has been a warm and fuzzy experience for you.

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

All Ears Over This Wonderful And Early Steiff German Shepherd

Listen up!  Steiffgal just got back from a visit with collectors from the Orlando area, at a wonderful Steiff event sponsored by Judy's Dolls of Longwood, Florida.  And guess what just "rolled" into the appraisal clinic?  This fabulous but somewhat mysterious Steiff dog with large floppy ears, perched upon wooden wheels.   When Steiffgal saw him, he sort of rang a bell with her - but something wasn't exactly lining up.  After a few minutes of noodling, she finally figured him out.  So, just who is this delightful doggie?

Hear, hear... what we have here is Steiff's early Arco German Shepherd on wheels.  He is 43 cm standing, made of mohair, and unjointed.  He has an open, felt lined mouth and felt lined ears.  His body is detailed with brown, tan, and black airbrushing, giving his fur and coat nice texture and a realistic appearance.  His face is detailed with brown and black glass pupil eyes and a black hand embroidered nose.  His claws are indicated by black stitches, and he has a thick and impressive tail.  He rides upon a black metal carriage and four red wooden wheels.  Arco has his original red and white pull cord and red wooden handle.  Overall, Arco on wheels was made in 35, 43, 50, 60, and 70 cm from 1937 through 1943.  This design was also called "Police Dog" and some models had this name imprinted on their chest tags.

This blue ribbon beauty is clearly "man's best friend" as well as a "friend for life."  As a result, he has suffered a bit of wear that in some ways made his exact identity a bit challenging initially.  Much of this focuses around his facial area.  One of the details that makes the early Arco design so particularly life-life and irresistible is his ears.  They were made to stand straight up, much like the real dog.  (You can see this here on the left, in a photo from the Steiff Sortiment book, which shows what this example looked like when new.) This was done by lining the ears in a metal wire, much like Steiff's ear construction on their beloved Petsy bears.  However, in this example, the ears were extremely floppy and positioned high up on the dog's head.   It was apparent that over time, the ears had come loose and someone tried to sew them back on, albeit in a somewhat sloppy way.  It is Steiffgal's best guess that when the ears were sewn back on, someone removed the wires so they would not stick out on the ends of repair.  When she felt along the perimeter of the ears, she did feel small pieces of wire; it is also possible that the wire broke over time and when the ears were replaced, the seamstress took out as much of the wire as possible.  

Arco's other facial issue, was, well, easy to see.  His eyes just didn't look right.  One was much larger and rounder than the other.  Steiff traditionally attaches eyes to their products by sewing them securely through the head (yes, this requires a mighty big needle, great skill, and strength!) and tying the two threads in a large knot at the the back base of the neck. You can usually feel this as a significant bump or indent on an item.  However, Steiffgal could not find this feature on this Arco.  She also noticed that when she ran her finger around the perimeter of the eyes, she felt a hard glue-like residue.  It is Steiffgal's best guess that the original eyes had fallen out, and over time, someone had found replacement eyes and glued them back into place. 

To repair, or not to repair, that is the question.  Steiffgal realizes that every collector and enthusiast has their own feelings about this question.  Issues of authenticity, value, cost, and personal preference all come into play here.  However, in this case, Steiffgal recommended to Arco's owners that they consider having him professionally restored, given that the dog is in otherwise really nice condition, is relatively rare in this size and configuration,  and appears to be completely structurally sound.  No surprise here, but they were all ears over this suggestion!  This relatively simple two step facial restoration, if done professionally by an expert, would bring back his absolute charm and help draw attention to his most impressive features.

Steiffgal hopes this discussion on this vintage Steiff Arco has shepherded you into a new way of thinking about restoration.  

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

Rolling Into Spring With This Marvelous Vintage Steiff Rabbit On Wheels

Is anyone else out there about ready to roll into spring and all the delights that come with it?  Steiffgal certainly is, especially after this week's surprise early March snow and ice storm around these parts!  Check out this inquiry from a reader that should help us all of us put a hop-skip-and-a-jump into our seasonal steps!  Brenda writes...

 

"Dear Steiffgal,

 

Perhaps you can help me learn a bit about this toy.  Have you ever seen one before?  Is it rare?  What may it be worth?  When was it made?  

 

 My husband's father got it as a child, in about 1920.  

 

The rabbit is about 12 inches long and 4 inches high and is mounted on four wooden wheels.  It's body appears to be made out of light brown felt.  It has an ear button on the underside of its long floppy ears.

 

Thanks for any help you can give me.  

 

Best, Brenda"

 

Wow, that's one blue ribbon bunny Brenda's got there! This fantastic treasure is an early Steiff felt rabbit on wooden wheels.  The rabbit is standing on all fours and unjointed. Her face was originally detailed with simple black button eyes, a hand embroidered nose and mouth, and clear monofilament whiskers. Her head and body were highlighted a bit of light painting. When she left the factory, she had a red silk bow (the one on her now is probably not original) and a bell around her neck. Her pull cord was most likely a long stretch of red and white twine. This particular pattern was made in light brown in 12, 14, 17, and 22 cm from 1912 through 1936 and grey in 12, 14, and 22 cm from 1916 through 1918.  

 

This beloved and classic pattern was also available without wheels as early as 1892, the first year of the Steiff catalog!

Continuing on this joy ride, this toy is on what Steiff calls "eccentric wheels."  This means that when the rabbit rolls along, it shimmies back and forth, having the appearance  of a somewhat "natural" gate or movement.  This is accomplished by attaching the wheels slightly off center to the supporting axle. You can see that here on the picture on the left.  Although this early innovation was discovered by accident at the turn of last century, it has become a delightful Steiff  detail that is still used on some items today. 

Now to the question that sends Steiffgal down the rabbit hole... her value.  As always, Steiffgal is not a formal appraiser and believes that something is worth what someone will pay.  This is a classic and delightful item. Early rabbits are right up there with collectors as favorite finds and treasures.  You don't see too many of these around today as they are made of felt, which seems to be a moth magnet.  Moths really can destroy  felt collectibles in what seems like a heartbeat, so give your felt treasures extra special care and protection from the elements.  Steiffgal has not actually ever seen one of these rolling rabbits  in person, which is sort of unusual - and speaks to its rarity.  That all being said, given she is in very good condition (i.e., clean, with minimal if any holes, odors, or structural issues) today vintage Steiff rabbits on wheels from this period may  value in the $750 to 1200+ range if grey in color and $600 to 1000+ range if light brown in color.  

Steiffgal hopes that this discussion on Brenda's rabbit  has put you in the mood for the joyful upcoming Easter season.

 

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