Getting Cosi With Steiff's Poodle Named Tosi

Poodles are amongst the most popular dog breeds globally and are regularly celebrated for their distinctive good looks, superior intelligence, and fun-loving personalities. These wonderful dogs, often sporting fantastic hair-dos, are so important to Steiff that several were featured in the company's debut catalog in the early 1890's. Since then, Poodles have appeared almost continuously in the Steiff line to this day.

One of the rarer Steiff poodles, Tosi, tops the wish lists of many collectors today. This is most likely due to her unique presentation, unusual detailing, and place in the company's product development timeline. A deeper dive into her history suggests she is a case study in early postwar design, development, and distribution. Here is the story behind this precious pup!

Given the breed's appeal, Steiff started manufacturing Poodles as soon as possible once the factory reopened for toy making business after the conclusion of WWII. The first new postwar Steiff Poodle design was Tosi. Here you can see her on the cover of the company's 1950 product catalog. Tosi's design strategy was based on two of Steiff's key business drivers at the time - to produce quality, appealing toys as quickly and efficiently as possible and to regain their status as a premier, worldwide toy manufacturer. However, Steiff still had alot to manage operationally in the earliest midcentury period, including rebuilding their infrastructure, optimizing new regulations and distribution channels, and dealing with material and talent shortages, among other factors.

Many of Tosi's design elements reflects these postwar realities. She was standing and simple in design and only head jointed in the larger sizes. She had minimal seams and labor intensive details. Because mohair fabrics during this period were limited and expensive, this model was made from wool plush. Her coat was in a "Karakul" trim, meaning that it was fluffy but uniformly the same length all over her body. This gave her a sweet and youthful appearance, but also required no additional hand-trimming or work on her legs and torso. Tosi's face was detailed with a round, black glass button nose and soulful, almond shaped white, brown, and black eyes. These facial features did not require facial hand embroidery, which can be time consuming and require special expertise to execute. Her accessory was a simple red leather collar, which was easy to manufacture and attach to the dog. And, her small size and compact form made her light and easy to pack and ship worldwide. Here on the left you can see Tosi in a variety of color and size combinations as she appeared in Steiff's 1950 new product catalog. 

Overall, Tosi was produced in black or white wool plush in four sizes ranging from 14 to 28 cm from 1950 through 1953. Because of her time of manufacturer, Tosi would have left the factory with either a short trailing f, blank, or raised script button; yellow ear tag; a red or blue imprinted chest tag; and a cloth US Zone tag in her leg seam as her Steiff IDs. You can see these IDs on the white Tosi above; the image is from www.invaluable.com. Examples in excellent to as new condition with all IDs today can trade hands in the high three digits - low four digit range.

Steiffgal hopes this discussion on Steiff's Tosi poodles has you feeling quite rosy!

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

Care To Get Cosy With Steiff's Marvelous Tosi?

Care to noodle a delightful and unusual Poodle? Then look no further than Steiff's midcentury "curly girl" production! During a handful of years in the 1950s, Steiff introduced a number of interesting and specialty Poodles, including Maidy, a few named Snobby, and even a long legged lovely named SnobbyLac. However, one particular model has always caught Steiffgal's eye for her simplicity, authenticity, and relative rarity. Check out this mid-century marvel and see what makes her so noteworthy from the design and product development perspectives.

So let's get cosy with Steiff's lovely Tosi! Tosi is standing, head jointed, and made from thick, lush, white wool plush. She measures 17 cm tall and 21 cm wide. Her simple, earnest face is detailed with a black glass button nose, brown and black glass pupil eyes, and a black hand embroidered nose. Other Tosi dogs Steiffgal knows of have soulful, almond shaped white, brown, and black eyes. It is her guess that Steiff probably used what eyes they had on hand at the time when producing her. Tosi's coat is in what is referred to as a "Karakul" trim, meaning that it is fluffy but uniformly the same length all over her body. She has a small, pert tail. Sadly, her red leather collar has been lost to time. 

Overall, Tosi was produced in 14, 17, 22, and 28 cm in white or black from 1950 through 1953. Because of her time of manufacturer, her factory original IDs would have included a red-imprinted chest tag and a US Zone tag in her leg seam. Her ear button options could have included a short trailing "f" button, a blank button, a STEIFF all caps button, or even a raised script button. All of these different buttons have been noted on items from the very early 1950s. 

Tosi was Steiff's debut postwar Poodle and her materials and form really reflect her time in the line. In terms of her fabric - she is made from wool plush. This material, which also appeared in the line on many standard line Steiff animals prewar, is often considered a wartime, transitional, or mohair substitute fabric. It is quite durable, with an old fashioned look and feel to it, and is good for toy making. In this case, given its fluffy, curly, thick consistency, it is a perfect fit for Tosi's Poodle particulars. 

Although she debuted in 1950, Tosi's general presentation is more reflective of the late 1930s and early 1940s Steiff aesthetic. Products designed and produced during those tough years were often simplified, basic patterns with minimal jointing and as little decoration as possible. Some even had a seemingly "glum" or pensive presentation. All of this was a result of trying to be as efficient with materials, labor, and logistics as possible. Most likely, some of these same constraints were still in place early post war. Nonetheless, Steiff touted Tosi's introduction in its catalogs, even making her a cover girl in 1950. You can see this "glamour" shot here on the left.

Steiffgal hopes you enjoyed dipping your "Toe-si" into the story behind this pretty period Poodle!

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