Do You Know What Stinks About Steiff...?

...their skunks! It is completely understandable that most people just don't have a warm spot in their hearts for these odiferous omnivores. But before you take a black or white stand on these critters, just take a look at these sweet (if not sweetly scented) Steiff skunks. Perhaps these versions ala Steiff may just change your point of view!

First, here's a little history behind these misunderstood mammals. Not surprisingly, skunks are very uncommon in the Steiff line. As a matter of fact, the first skunk didn't appear in the catalog until 1955, 75 years after the company was founded in 1880! (This debut little guy is featured below...) Over time, Steiff has only commercially produced seven skunks. Of these, the most coveted is a 10 or 25 cm standing mohair skunk that was produced from 1962 through 1963 only. His short appearance and limited production puts him on the wish list of most vintage collectors.

Collectors should hand it to Steiff for producing this first featured item. Here we have Jolly Skunk, a 40 cm hand puppet (or possible pajama bag) that was produced from 1977 through 1983. He is fully washable and was designed for fun and play. Jolly Skunk is unjointed and made from white, black, and grey plush. Like Cosy Skunk, his tail is about as long as his body, and is made from very long black and white plush. Jolly Skunk has black felt lined ears, brown and white pupil eyes, monofilament whiskers, and a little pink nose made from trivera velvet. As a puppet, his body is hollow and his arms, legs, and head can be manipulated and controlled from the inside by the puppeteer.

This next skunky item is called Cosy Skunk. This soft skunk is lying down, unjointed, and made from black and white dralon. He is 22 cm overall; at least half of that is taken up in his long and bushy tail! He has tiny black felt ears, brown and black pupil eyes, monofilament whiskers, and a pink triangular stitched nose and simple mouth. Cosy Skunk has tiny felt claws at the ends of his arms; he has legs but no felt feet. Cosy Skunk reminds Steiffgal of the wonderful prone "sleeping animals" produced during the 1950’s through the 1970’s except his eyes are open! Cosy Skunk was produced from 1969 through 1974.

And finally, here is Steiff's smallest "stinker" of all, Wool-Skunk or Woolen Skunk. This little love is all of 6 cm, but Steiff has managed to pack alot into a little body. Skunk's body and head are small black and white pom-poms; he also has tiny black pom-pom front arms. His impressive tail is oval shaped and made from white mohair, which has been trimmed, in black mohair. The tail is reinforced with metal wire and is posable. The only other Woolie Steifgal can find with this combination pom-pom body and mohair/wire reinforced tail was a 5 cm squirrel that Steiff produced from 1954 through 1978.

Besides his rather detailed and elegant construction, one of the things that makes this little guy so interesting is his tiny, adorable face. It is detailed with bright green and black pupil eyes and an almost invisibly small black button nose (which Steiffgal had not noticed until today!) As noted above, Wool-Skunk was featured in the Steiff catalog from 1955 through 1961 and as far as Steiffgal can tell, was the very first Skunk Steiff ever produced.

Steiffgal hopes all of this talk about Steiff skunks has brought a breath of fresh air to your viewpoint on these little stinkers.

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

Care to Play Duck, Duck, Goose With Steiff?

Do you remember playing duck - duck - goose as a child? It's a fun group game which combines the best of speed, chance, and luck. And speaking of luck, Steiffgal feels especially lucky over these three vintage feathered friends that recently joined her growing Steiff collection. Take a look at these beautiful birds, each with their own special charm and story!

Duck...

Wake up and take a look at this Floppy Ente or Floppy duck. She was produced only from 1958 though 1959 in 17 and 28 cm. This sleepy sweetheart is made from white mohair and is very softly stuffed. Her wings are folded back over her body and are joined together with a few stitches. She has lovely pastel green and pink airbrushing highlights on her body and wings. Ente has an orange beak made from thick orange felt and closed "sleeping" eyes. Interestingly, her button is located on the underside of her left wing - as she clearly lacks ears! Perhaps the "frosting on the cake" in this darling duck is her "hair flair": the top of her noggin is detailed with a yellow wool pom-pom, similar in look and feel to the woolie birds and animals from the 1950's.

Like this Floppy Ente, Steiff produced a great number of “sleeping” style animals during the 1950’s through the 1970’s. These included a Zotty Teddy and panda bear fox, Cocker Spaniel, Siamese cat, tabby cat, seal, and elephant, among others. They were all prone in position and referred to as “floppy” or “cosy” animals. Most were made in two standard sizes, 17 and 28 cm; all were stuffed with soft foam and had closed, heavy lidded eyes.

Duck...

And speaking of pom-poms, take a "quack" look at this Woll-Entenkueken or Woolen Duckling. This 4 cm pom-pom pal is made from yellow wool and is specifically noted in the literature to weigh 3 grams. She has a swivel head, black eyes, and a little orange felt beak. Post WWII, she was made from 1949 through 1976. Up to 1958 she was produced with metal legs; from 1969 onward she had plastic legs.

This tiny treasure holds two unique distinctions: first, she is the smallest Steiff item in Steiffgal's collection, and secondly, she is one of the tiniest, if not the tiniest, Steiff critter in the Steiff catalog to don a Steiff button! It is interesting to note that Steiff's 4 cm pom-pom hedgehog and 3, 4, and 6 cm pom-pom ladybugs did not come with buttons - probably because there is absolutely nowhere to attach them!

and Goose...!

There is a popular saying, "What's good for the goose is good for the gander." Well, this gorgeous Steiff goose is good for everyone for sure! This 28 cm Gans or goose is standing tall and made from white mohair. Her arms are up and spread as if she were cheering on her flock of goslings. Her wings, rear, and tail feather areas are detailed with black airbrushing. She has piercing cobalt blue pupil eyes which are backed by tan felt. Her feet and open-beak are made from orange felt. She was produced from 1958 through 1964; 12 and 17 cm versions of this Gans were in the line from 1952 through 1974.

And talk about the goose that laid the golden egg! A similar 28 cm Steiff goose, but in mint condition with all of her IDs, sold for a whopping 1,300 DM (approximately $700 at the time) at the 2001 Steiff Summer Festival auction in Giengen, Germany! Steiffgal paid a mere fraction of that price, but feel she hit the jackpot nonetheless with this glorious and joyful addition to her Steiff hug.

Steiffgal hopes this review of these unique and collectible web-footed wonders has been, well, wonderful for you!

Have a question about one of your Steiff items, feathered or otherwise? Let's talk! Click here to learn more.

My Funny (Steiff) Valentine

February 14th is right around the corner so Steiffgal thought it might be fun to create a Steiff themed Valentine to get everyone in the mood for this universal day of love! It's important to celebrate those who are important to us, so don't forget your special someone(s) on Sunday! Here's Steiffgal's "sweetheart celebration", dedicated to all the wonderful friends and readers around the world who have made Steiff part of their lives too!

Part 1: Cupid

My funny Valentine,
Sweet comic Valentine,
You make me smile with my heart...

What would this day of love be without a cupid? This sweet little girl could certainly be the inspiration behind this song made famous by Frank Sinatra! Here we have Schlenkerpuppe Dolly, or Floppy Doll Dolly. She is 28 cm tall, unjointed, and made from trevira velvet. She has brown and black pupil eyes and a tiny felt mouth. Her hair is a shock of brownish-blond mohair. Dolly wears charming pink and white footie pajamas trimmed in lace. She is stuffed with pre-formed foam. Dolly, and a whole series of 28 and 45 cm Schlenkerpuppe dolls, were featured in the Steiff catalog from 1972 through 1983.

Part 2: Chocolates

Forrest Gump is famous for saying: "Mama always said life was like a box of chocolates. You never know what you're gonna get." Well, Steiffgal would be thrilled to get a giant crate full of the next item in this Steiff valentine!

Sweets for the sweet... readers and fans of this Steiff blog! Please give a delicious welcome to Mr. Chocolate. This deep brown mohair Ted is 25 cm, fully jointed, and has distinctive, elegant suede paw pads. He came complete with a small gold box of - what else? - chocolates when he was new. His design is modeled on the classic Steiff "Mr. Cinnamon" bear pattern from 1903. He was produced in 1997 only for the Toy Store of Toledo, Ohio in a limited edition size of 2,000.

Part 3: Flowers

In Victorian times, some people used floriography, or "the language of flowers", to communicate through flowers and floral arrangements those thoughts and feelings that could not be spoken aloud. It goes without saying that this part of the Steiff Valentine could be considered a "floral fantasy!"

It wouldn't be Valentines Day without flowers, and this very unique Steiff Bear takes care of that - literally. Here we have Teddy Flowers, who was the very first issue in the Margarete Steiff Edition series. This program, initiated in 2004, presented Steiff Club members from around the world the opportunity to enter a contest to purchase one of 500 extraordinary collectibles. The response to the contest was overwhelming, and Teddy Flowers, being the debut bear, continues to be of great interest to collectors even today.

Flowers is 33 cm, five ways jointed, and made from special white mohair which has been custom embroidered with a spray of elegant alpine roses, gentian, and edelweiss in pink, blue, and white stitching. This mohair was made on a very special embroidery machine in St. Gallen, Switzerland, dating from 1890! This beautiful mohair is complemented by Teddy's white felt paw pads, red embroidered nose and mouth, and blue claw stitching. Flowers arrived in a special presentation box lined with excelsior and came with a special book and certificate detailing her production.

Steiffgal hopes this trio of Valentine's Day treats has got your heart racing in anticipation of this special day of love!

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

A Steiff Bearded Beauty

Great Scott! Check out this note from a reader that really got Steiffgal's tag a-wagging. Chania from Canada writes...

"Hello,

I purchased this sweet little Scotty dog.

She is 9" long and 6" tall. She has a little leather collar and a Steiff metal button, but no label. The button is metal and looks like pewter, and has "Steiff" written on it in thin script letters. She has glass eyes; they are round and amber with black centers. She is solidly stuffed and made from mohair.

Can you tell me something about her and her value?

Thank you so much!

Chania"

Doggonit, what you have here is Steiff's lovely Scotty. She is standing, made from black mohair, and is head jointed. She left the factory in Giengen, Germany with a red leather collar. Scotty was produced from 1949 through 1957. If she has a white "US Zone" tag in one of his seams - which Steiffgal could not determine from the pictures sent in - that would mean she was made on the earlier side of this time frame. Her pewter metal button with the word "Steiff" in raised skinny script letters also confirms her production time frame. This bearded beauty was made in 10, 14, 17, 22, 25, 28, and 35 cm; sizes over 17 cm came with a squeaker.

Scotties are a longstanding, beloved breed in the Steiff product line. The first Scotties appeared in the Steiff catalog in 1930 in both sitting and standing models, ranging in sizes from 8 through 35 cm. These early versions were produced in gray as well as black. Soon after their debut, Scotties began being produced as hand puppets, pull toys on wheels, pom-pom pets, dressed dolls, purses, and pajama bags, and other items. It is not surprising that right after the war, when production resumed, that Scotties were among the first items Steiff reintroduced to the marketplace.The reader's early postwar Scotty very closely resembles those produced in the late 1930's and early 1940's... except for one very interesting detail.

If you eyeball this dog closely, you will see that one of her most "eye"-pealling features presents an interesting mystery. What is different about this specific Scotty relative to Steiff's "standard" Scotty of the early 1950's is her eyes. According to Steiff reference books and catalogs, Scotty should have glass almond shaped eyes that have white on the outer ridges, then a circle of brown, and then a black pupil. From what Chania described, her Scotty has round pupil eyes.

Upon further research, Steiffgal found a picture of two black Steiff Scotties, one with the almond eyes and one with the round eyes. This photo is taken from the Koskinen's very informative German language Steiff Teddybaren, Tiere und Puppen 1992 priceguide book. As you can see, the Scotty on the far left has round eyes, while his Scotty brother on the far right has almond eyes. (Of course, their white Sealyham cousin in the center only cares about his next doggie-dinner!) Perhaps the early postwar Scotties could have come with round OR almond eyes? It is possible that right after the war, the company used the eyes they had on hand as materials were very hard to come by, and maybe all they had the day they were making the reader's Scotty were round ones? Only her Scotty knows...

Now, what about her value? As always, Steiffgal is not a formal appraiser and strongly believes that something is "worth" what someone else will pay for it. Thankfully, at least around these parts, the economy is finally moving from first to second gear, and prices seem to be slooooowly inching up at auction. This is starting to level the playing field for buyers and sellers. That all being said, Steiffgal has recently seen comparable early post-war Scotties sell in the $125 to $250 range.

Chania, Steiffgal hopes that this overview of your Scotty and his wonderful eye mystery helps you see her in a whole new light!

Care to have Steiffgal eyeball one of your Steiff treasures? Let's talk! Click here to learn more.