Keeping It Tru With This Mysterious Prewar Steiff Doll

Hat's off to another great Steiff find! Here we have a lovely prewar Steiff doll that recently joined Steiffgal's hug. Her condition and coloring is stunning, and you can't help but admire her perfectly coordinated outfit - and how well she wears it! But behind this little gal are a number of really big mysteries. Take a look at Trude and see what makes here so intriguing from the product design and historical perspectives.

What we have here is a precious pressed felt faced doll named Trude. She is 35 cm, standing, three ways (head and legs) jointed, and excelsior stuffed. Her face is made from flesh colored felt, while her limbs and trunk are made from flesh colored linen. Her arms are floppy and hang loosely by her sides. Her arms are bent slightly at the elbows, and she has very defined fingers. Her face is highly textured, with chubby cheeks, a realistic mouth, pert nose, and lifelike blue glass eyes embedded in eye sockets. Her facial painting is lovely and done with a gentle hand. Even her little ears are sculpted just like a child's. She is finished with a blond mohair wig, which is seamlessly integrated into her head structure. Trude's IDs include her red rubber bracelet, tan colored tag, and teeny tiny prewar button. You can see her IDs close up in the photo below. 

Trude's outfit is adorable and fits her to a "t". She wears a white cotton "one-sie", which is trimmed with lace around the leg openings and bodice. It has thin little straps which fit over her shoulders to help keep it in place. Her short sleeved white cotton blouse is removable and closes in the back. It is cropped and detailed with red pull strings at the neck and arms. She wears a cotton dress that closes with two metal snaps and is detailed with a ruffle around the waist area. The fabric features yellow, blue, black, white, and green wildflowers on a red background. Her footwear also is removable and consists of white cotton socks and red felt Mary-Jane style shoes. And she retains her original red and yellow wide brimmed hat, which is trimmed and ties with a red silk cord.

Trude is super interesting for number of subtle reasons. Steiff's "pressed felt" face doll line was produced from 1937 through 1943, and then again in 1949 and 1950. Steiffgal cannot locate a c. 1930s-1950s era doll of her construction with that name. The fact that her name was written by hand on her tag suggests that only a few of these dolls with this name were made. But more on that in just a moment! Also of note is her construction. Many to most of these wartime era dolls were made entirely from felt, but this example has a felt head and a linen body and limbs. This may suggest that she was manufactured when fine toy making materials were unavailable or expensive due to wartime rationing or shortages - perhaps in the very 1930s to early 1940s. As a result, matching linen in the place of felt was used instead in less "visible" areas of the doll's anatomy. 

Trude is dressed and resembles one of Steiff's standard line production pressed felt faced dolls named Gretel. Gretel was made in 35 and 43 cm from 1938-1942 overall and is also dressed in a similarly styled red dress with snaps, a white blouse, and red felt shoes with white socks. The most obvious difference between Trude and Gretel in terms of outfits is that Gretel wears a red hairband, and Trude has an oversized felt hat. You can see a picture of Gretel here on the left, the image is from Pfeiffer's Sortiment 1892-1943.

So here is where there are more questions than answers about Trude. Was she made to substitute for Gretel in terms of her materials and construction? Was she perhaps a sample of some sort? Why doesn't she appear in any Steiff materials, as far as Steiffgal can locate? And why does she have a large, glorious felt hat... given the rest of her is constructed to minimize the use of this premier toy making fabric? Well, only she knows for sure... and unfortunately, she's not talking!

Steiffgal hopes this discussion on Steiff's terrific Trude doll has been a playful addition to your day. 

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

Hold Everything And Check Out This Unusual Steiff Novelty!

Now for something completely different! Steiff is well known for producing functional novelties for home, school, and work use in addition to the company's plush animal, doll, and bear production. This tradition goes back to the late 1800s, when Margarete Steiff produced and marketed a series of oversized, embroidered felt "pockets" designed as newspaper holders, bed wall bags, duster holder bags, and brush holders, among others. You can see some of these fantastic items here on the left. Today's blog feature, despite its unconventional form and psychedelic hues, has its roots in these early and legacy products.

Hold everything and check out this unusual Steiff "thing-a-ma-bob." This is the first and only example of this oddity Steiffgal knows of or has handled. It measures 25 cm long and is made of yellow and red knitted fur. These colors reflect Steiff's corporate branding hues of the period. It is unjointed and unstuffed. It comes to life with oversized brown and black pupil eyes, a red fabric nose, red felt ears, and a red mouth. It has a 15 cm red zipper on his back which has a silver pull ring. According to Pfeiffer, this item is identified simply as an "accessory case" and appeared in the line from 1979-1981 in this size only. The case retains its button, eartag, chest tag, and hang tag as its Steiff IDs.

So of course there are two mysteries associated with this item. The first is, what animal is it supposed to be.... and the second is... what exactly is it designed to hold?  Neither has a clear cut answer. 

Let's take a closer look at both questions here. As for its identity, it has the physical qualities of several species. It is long and narrow like a snake or eel. Its round ears and muzzle shape sort of have mouse qualities. And its rear end fin is fish-like. So it would be safe to say that it is a "happy hybrid." And for its functionality, it is Steiffgal's best guess that it might have been proportioned to hold pencils and pens for a school child as a pencil case. However, he could just as easily hold a nail file, makeup, and a comb for an adult as a cosmetics bag. Unfortunately, only he knows for sure - and he's not talking!

Steiffgal hopes this discussion on this unusual Steiff novelty case has held your attention from start to finish. 

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

Connecting Then And Now With This Adorable Steiff Play Doll

What's old is new again, especially when it comes to this relatively modern Steiff doll under discussion here. Our friends in Giengen started producing fine cloth dolls on a commercial scale at the beginning of the 20th century. These gorgeously rendered playthings appeared through the early 1950s. After that, dolls with rubber faces (and sometimes rubber bodies) represented a significant portion of the Steiff doll line through the 1970s. Moving forward, the company's doll offerings included mostly well-dressed children and characters in synthetic materials as well as artist collaborations.

This Andrea doll is a sweet nod - with a modern twist - to Steiff's legacy doll production. She is 32 cm tall, unjointed, and made from soft woven fur. She is stuffed with a mix of polyfill as well as weighted beans. She comes to life with a shock of longer brown hair decorated with red ribbons, oversized brown and black pupil eyes, a button nose, a pink painted mouth, and airbrushed facial highlights. She wears a white cotton "onesie" that is both underwear and a white t-shirt, a red calico dress decorated with yellow ladybugs, and red shoes which are integral to her body. This sassy lassie appeared in this size only in 1999. At the same time, Steiff produced two other similarly constructed dolls; a girl dressed in blue named Babinchen and a red-headed boy in overalls named Andreas. Both were also 32 cm.

Andrea has three features that connect her with the past.

The first is that she is clearly designed as an appealing child. Starting around 1908, Steiff began producing their most adorable and humanly proportioned child dolls. Before then, Steiff's dolls were more caricatured (for example, had exaggeratedly long legs, arms, or torsos) and often represented adults or professions. Steiff's kids were usually dressed as students or in traditional outfits, and sometimes even in regional attire. They were playful, distinctly youthful, and looked precious in school room vignettes and in the company's print and postcard advertising. Today, these child-inspired antique felt dolls are coveted by Steiff and doll collectors worldwide.

The second is that she is (relatively) finely attired. Steiff has always paid special attention to their doll's clothing and their detailing. For example, Steiff's early 20th century dolls were "dolled" up head to toe, with well-made and finely accessorized outfits. Most girls had shoes and hats, while adults could have layers and layers of clothing to match their real life counterparts and inspirations. Police, soldiers, and firemen had perfectly to scale boots, tools, and helmets. Of course, Andrea - as a play doll - is not on that level. But she does have shoes, underwear, hair accessories, and a dress that is perfectly appropriate to her. Her outfit is well planned and coordinated for what she is. It is also sweet (and probably not a coincidence) that her dress perfectly aligns color-wise with her prominent chest tag. 

And last but not least, she features Steiff's signature center seam facial construction. This is hard to miss if you don't look closely. This means she has a vertical seam going right down the middle of her face. This helps to add to her symmetry, as well as youthful appearance. Steiff introduced this legacy design feature with their debut doll line in 1903. By the late 1930s, this construction was replaced with a seamless, pressed felt faced design. Given today's manufacturing options, Andrea could have been designed and produced without this seam. But in Steiffgal's heart of hearts, she believes she was made with it to remind collectors of her turn of last century relatives - and the beauty and joy they generated... both then and now. 

Steiffgal hopes this discussion on this modern play doll has added a touch of childhood wonder to your day.

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

Ray-zing The Profile Of This Spectacular Special Edition Steiff Sun

Here comes the sun! August is known for its hot days and lazy pace - at least around these parts. This final month of the "official" summer season is best celebrated via barbecues, beach visits, and bikinis - if you dare! Perhaps the finest Steiff item ever created to represent the marvelous month of August is a plush sun. He's pictured here on the left, "hanging out" in Steiffgal's front bay window. Take a look at this super star - literally - and see what makes it so interesting from the design and product development perspectives.

This Steiff rarity is one hot ticket indeed. This Steiff sun is unjointed and made from fuzzy yellow plush. His "body" measures about 17 cm in diameter. He has yellow cloth arms and legs. His simple yet very pleasant face comes to life with black button eyes and a black airbrushed nose and mouth.  His Steiff button and ear tag are located on his corona near where his ears would be, if he had any. And his specially branded chest tag is located on his hip. This most unusual Steiff novelty was produced in 17 and 45 cm in 2001 only. You can see his backside pictured here on the left.

This celestial superstar was created as a promotional product for the Baden wine region in Germany. Germany has thirteen official wine producing regions, and Baden is the most southernmost area of the country. The area is warm and sunny and known for its good quality Pinot Noir, Pinot Gris, and Pinot Blanc. Baden cover an area of about 400km (240 miles) along the Rhine from Lake Constance to Heidelberg, and includes the Black Forest, as well as the vine-clad terraces of the Kaiserstuhl, a volcanic massif. Steiffgal has visited this terraced area with her father and walked among the vineyards along the river. It was a beautiful and memorable experience. She even rode a luge (like a giant skateboard down a cement lined track) down one of the vineyard slopes toward the river which was a fun and once in a lifetime experience. Here on the you can see some of the terraced Baden vineyards; the photo is from www.vinous.com.

Besides his adorable and unique form, this great promotional item has a distinctive chest tag. You can see this tag here on the left. It is illustrated with a large letter B (for Baden) plus a happy sun holding a glass of white wine. How perfect is that? The German writing on the tag roughly translates to, "Baden wine spoiled by the sun."  

Steiff has a long tradition of creating promotional items for companies, brands, and commercial entities. Beloved vintage rarities of this ilk include Peck the Germ made for the pharmaceutical company Merck; Breuni bear, made for the upscale department store Breuninger, and a wool plush and rubber poodle made for Carl Walther GmbH. However, as far as Steiffgal can tell, this is the first "nonliving" advertising item Steiff has produced - a perfect planet! All others have been animals, insects, bears, characters, or human-esque figures. 

Steiffgal hopes this discussion on this bright and happy advertising item has added a spot of sunshine to your day.

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. 

Is This Turn of Last Century Mohair Goose The Wheel-Deal?

Heads up - there's a goose on the loose! Steiffgal recently came across a most interesting, and very vintage, goose on wheels. His early and endearing presentation, traditional and legacy set of materials, and turn-of-last century manufacturing details certainly appear very Steiff-like. But he does not have any identification, and does not appear in any Steiff reference book or catalog Steiffgal knows of. Take a peek - what do you think?

This fine feathered friend is certainly on a roll. He is standing, unjointed, and measures about 18 cm tall and 28 cm wide. Goose is made from all white mohair and is solidly stuffed with excelsior. His wings are dimensional, stretch backward, and are tacked to his body with a few stitches. His neck is long and graceful. His face comes to life with black button eyes backed in faded red felt, a yellow felt beak, and prominent brown detail embroidery stitching that goes from his eyes to his beak. He glides along on a carriage with four wheels that have traces of gold paint on them. Steiffgal tested the entire rolling mechanism with a magnet and it is made from solid metal.

After much searching around, Steiffgal came across a good picture of a similarly styled goose that Steiff had in the line at the turn of last century. That long-necked bird was standing and had jointed legs. He was made from white mohair, had a yellow felt beak and legs, and almost the identical facial features and detailing - including stitching from the eyes to the beak - as this one on wheels. Steiff's standing, jointed goose was made in 17, 22, 28, 35, and 43 cm from 1911-1918. You can see this goose here on the left, it was sold at Christie's in 2010 along with a smaller farm friend. Together the pair realized GBP 1,375.

So what's going on with this easy rider? Here is a possible explanation, with the tell-tale hint in his wheels. Steiff introduced its wooden up-and-down "eccentric" wheels around 1912 and holds a patent on this mechanism. Eccentric wheels were discovered accidentally, but Steiff quickly realized the product-development opportunities created by their roller drilling mistakes. Birds of all sorts were ideal for eccentric wheels, given their natural "waddling" tendencies, and you see wooden eccentric wheels on many Steiff bird models from 1912 onward.

Now let's shift the discussion into fifth gear. This goose is clearly on metal, not wooden wheels. His pattern, as noted above and given he is Steiff, was introduced in 1911, BEFORE wooden eccentric wheels were in the line. It is possible that in 1911 or early 1912, Steiff wanted to see if their existing standing white mohair goose pattern could be modified as a pull toy on metal wheels - and this example could be the result of that experiment. It is interesting to note that Steiff introduced a new mohair goose on eccentric wooden wheels soon after in 1914. This updated pattern, having an orange felt beak and feet, grey and white coloring, a shorter neck, and a more compact body, appeared in 14 and 17 cm prewar through 1943 overall. You can see that updated goose on wheels here on the left; the picture is from Pfeiffer's 1892-1943 Sortiment. 

Steiffgal hopes this discussion on this unusual and probably Steiff goose knocked you over with a feather.

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

Having A Ball With This Wonderful And Unusual Steiff Play Pony

Check out this bouncing bundle of joy!  No, Steiffgal is not talking about a precious new baby here, but one of the wonderful Steiff birthday gifts she received a few days ago from a dear friend.  Although this treasure is not technically vintage, it is based upon a delightful and beloved toy that has its roots in the early 1980's.  Do you recognize her from your childhood, or perhaps your kid's or grandchildren's toy box?  

Check out the "Toy Story" behind this unusual play pal.  Here we have Steiff's "Rody" pony.  She is unjointed and about 17 cm tall and 17 cm long.  Steiffgal's Rody is made from bright red mohair, but she was also produced in a mostly yellow version, which is pictured here on the left.   Steiffgal's Rody has a heart-shaped patch of orange mohair on her back and a white embroidered heart on her forehead.  She is embroidered with six orange circles and the word "Rody" on each side of her body.  Her face is detailed with white and brown embroidered eyes and a happy white embroidered smiling mouth.  Rody has a distinctly round, ball-like look and feel to her overall.  As noted above, Steiff produced Rody in two color versions:  red and orange and yellow and red.  Each version was made in an edition size of 1,000 pieces exclusively for Japan in 2007.  

Let's rein in the history behind this colorful colt.  Rody is based on a globally recognized and beloved inflatable child's toy designed for riding fun and exercise; she is pictured here on the left.  The Rody character was introduced in 1984 by an Italian company called Ledraplastic.  Rody's general pattern was created by "melting" together play balls of various sizes in order to give her a friendly and juvenile appearance.  The original Rody is 54 cm tall and 45 cm long and made from a very durable and bouncy latex free vinyl.  Believe it or not, Rody can support up to 400 pounds, according to the manufacturer!  Originally, the company wanted to name the toy "Rodeo" but were concerned with patent infringement and other legal issues.  Today, Rody is manufactured in a spectrum of 16 rainbow colors, and is also produced in a larger size (Rody Max) that can support adults, as well as a smaller companion size called Rody Jr.   

Although Steiff has been known and collected across Asia for many years, it was not until the early 1990's that the company began regularly producing country-exclusive items for Japan for the general market.  One of the first was called Teddy Bear 1907, which was produced in a 5,000 piece edition in 1991 and 1992.  He is pictured here on the left.  Traditionally, the majority of Japanese Steiff exclusives have been Teddy bears, or well recognized cultural figures or icons, like Mickey and Minnie Mouse, Snoopy, Pingu and Pinga, the penguin claymation characters, and of course, Rody.  Steiff also created a series of bears dressed as pilots and flyers for Japan Air Lines in the early 2000's.  Today, Steiff is as popular as ever in Japan.  Most recently, Steiff produced a 1,500 piece run of Teddy Bear Kumamon, a charming, cartoon like black bear mascot created to promotes rural Kumamoto prefecture in southern Japan.  This fantastic edition sold out on the online shop within five seconds!

Steiffgal hopes this discussion on Rody has been a wonderful play-date for you! 

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