Getting All Ruffed Up Over This Steiff Studio English Bulldog

Dog-gonnit! It's safe to say you're barking up the wrong tree if you feel you've seen everything ever made by Steiff! A reader shared this supersized, smiling rarity and asked about his background and history. Jennifer writes,

"I have been unable to find this piece (except for smaller versions.) He is 36" long and 24" tall. He's got wooden eyes and teeth, appears to be hand painted, and has scrunched up mohair wrinkles on his face. Thank you in advance for any insights!"

As Jennifer suggests, this proper gentleman appears to be a larger-than-life version of Steiff's English Bulldog. Many collectors are familiar with the "pint" sized version of this very desirable Steiff canine, pictured here on the left. Steiff's standard line English Bulldog is 18 cm, standing, and head jointed. He is made from tan mohair that has been hand detailed with multicolored airbrushed "spots" over his body and tail end. His face is also painted with "wrinkles" on his forehead. He has black and white googly eyes, a black stitched nose, and outstanding mouth-area "jowls", much like a real bulldog. He has an open, peach colored felt mouth with two lower pointy canine teeth. He left the factory in Giengen donning a red leather collar and a horsehair ruff. He was made from 1956 through 1961 as a US exclusive, appearing on the shelves of high-end retailers such as F.A.O. Schwarz.

It is no bull that Steiff's US exclusive English Bulldog was based on the company's post war, standard line Bully Bulldog. This dog, pictured here on the left, was produced in 10, 17 and 22 cm from 1951 through 1974. The company's English Bulldog has the same basic body as the standard line Bully, but sports a far more elaborate head. It was not uncommon for Steiff to make design tweaks to its standard line, postwar dogs and present them as exclusives to F.A.O. Schwarz. Among others, Steiff produced a standing Dally Dalmatian (the standard line version was sitting) and an open mouthed Biggie Beagle (the standard line version had a closed mouth) as specials for this high end retailer.

Now let's try and figure out big Bully's age in dog years. Shortly after the conclusion of World War II, the company was determined to regain its prewar status as a premier, global toy maker. One arm of this strategy was to produce a number of very interesting (but not cataloged) "over the top" display pieces for trade fairs - including a lifesized, "begging" zebra Steiffgal has recently learned of. It is possible that Jennifer's large English Bulldog was produced during the very early 1950's as part of Steiff's "let's wow them!" production emphasis. If that was the case, it is likely that Jennifer's English Bulldog has, or had, a linen US Zone tag sewn into his leg seam like other items produced in the c. 1948-1952 time frame. 

It is also possible that Jennifer's model was made in the 1960's - often considered Steiff's "blue ribbon" period of display animal production. Given the standard sized, 18 cm version was available from 1956 through 1961, it would not be out of the question that this display version was made at the "tail end" of that timeline. From around 1960 through 1967, the company produced dozens and dozens of different types of lifesized animals, often in different sizes and positions. For example, Steiff's 1967 Display Animal Catalog has almost 80 individual pages of these marvels, including five "kingsized" canines! Like big Bully, several of these 1960's era patterns had prominent hand painted eyes (like the Basset Hounds) or open, felt lined mouths with wooden teeth (like the the lions and tigers). Many of are simply hugely scaled up versions of the smaller pieces many of us have in our collections. Others, like the display open mouthed Snobby Poodle pictured here on the left, look quite different than the closed mouthed, standing Snobby we all know and love. 

So let's paws and consider all of this and what we can fetch from it. First, given the facts surrounding this uber-dog's design and historical context, it is Steiffgal's best guess that Jennifer's Bulldog was made sometime in the very early 1950's through the mid-1960's. Second, it is clear from its elaborate design, detailing, and features that big Bully was extremely labor and time intensive to produce (read: EXPENSIVE and COMPLICATED), reducing its manufacturing appeal and business/sales potential.  And third, Steiffgal also knows of one other example of this pattern, located in Connecticut. So this Big Bulldog is not a one of a kind, but probably one of a handful produced at the time.  And that's about all that Steiffgal can dig up on this top dog. 

Steiffgal hopes you enjoyed sinking your teeth into this great Bulldog mystery.

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

This Steiff Honey Bear Is Certain To Sweeten Your Day!

How sweet it is to find a really unusual Steiff treasure? Especially one you've only viewed in photos or read about. So check out this amazing Honey Bear Steiffgal recently had the pleasure of handling. There's no sugar coating it - this rarity truly is the bee's knees!

Have you ever seen anything like this merry mashup before? If an anteater, raccoon, and a Teddy bear all had a love child together, Steiffgal suspects this is what the baby would probably look like. Honey Bear is 40 cm tall, unjointed, and probably designed to sit. His body is made from brown soft knitted plush. His belly is orange soft knitted plush, and his facial mask and nose area are light tan soft knitted plush. His paw pads are brown trevira velvet. His face, which only a mother could love, comes alive with a long pointed snout, brown and black pupil eyes, a peach colored trevira lined open mouth, and light brown airbrushing. He has a long, floppy, raccoon-ish tail. This item was made from 1976 to 1977 and is quite rare, despite its "relative" newness. 

Steiff's Honey Bear is based on a type of real-life animal called a "kinkajou." These mammals live in the Central and South American rain forests and are extremely nocturnal. They range in size from about 3 to 10 pounds. They really enjoy sweet fruit (that's why they are called "Honey Bears") which they eat with the help of their extra long tongues. Like Steiff's version, living kinkajous have an incredibly long tail and a prominent snout. They use their tails to hang from tree branches and as a "fifth hand." They are sometimes kept as pets, but are a bit challenging to domesticate as they dislike sun and daylight and only really go about their business at night. (The real-life one pictured here on the left is clearly only mugging for the camera in daylight conditions in the hopes of scoring a grand treat.)

So the sticky issue here is, why would Steiff ever make a Honey Bear as part of its product line? Well, that's a trick question because the company has actually made two - in 1995 they also produced a 45 cm standing, unjointed version made from woven fur. It does seem that over the years, Steiff has manufactured practically every animal on the planet. With this Honey Bear, things may have more to do with timing than anything else. Looking back, the mid-1970's seemed to be a period of great experimentation in terms of "unconventional" animal production. Other plush "uglies" of that era included the company's 25 or 35 cm "Wizzi" ferret made from imitation fur, a 14 cm "Putty" Turkey made from knitted fur, a 30 cm "Cosy Orangutan" with a plastic face and a very long crylor body, a 28 cm trevira velvet kudu, a 20 cm trevira velvet gnu, and many others. It is interesting to note that like the Honey Bear design, none of these "oddities" lasted for more than a handful of years in the line, either!

Steiffgal hopes this discussion on the company's Honey Bear has helped to sweeten your day.

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

This Charming Antique Steiff Doll Is Dressed For Success

Well, that was a clothes call! Steiffgal saw a wonderful antique Steiff doll in a really eye-catching outfit listed online, but the seller would not ship to the United States. After a little back and forth with the seller - including assuring her that this doll would love her new home in America and would have lots of new Steiff friends here - everything worked out and the transaction was completed. All's well that ends well! Now it's your turn to check out this darling girl and see what makes her, and her costume, so appealing.  Does she call to you as well?

This lovely little lady is named Lena. She is 35 cm tall and arm and leg jointed. She is one of Steiff's late 1930's era pressed felt faced dolls. Her seamless face comes to life with inset glass pupil eyes, a well formed and dimensional nose and mouth, and painted eyebrows. Her cheeks and lips are also highlighted to give her more contrast and coloration. Her long-ish blond hair is made from mohair, and her body and limbs are made from flesh colored felt. Lena's Steiff IDs include a small trailing F style button and yellow tag which are worn on a red rubber bracelet around her wrist (as her ears are molded as part of her head and cannot accommodate a button). She may have had a named, watermelon style bear faced chest tag when she left the factory in Giengen almost 80 years ago, but it has been lost to time.  

Lena's all original costume is as pretty as a picture. She wears a blue felt dress and a cotton blouse with white sleeves. Her apron is made from a light blue floral fabric; her bodice is decorated with red, blue, white, and green embroidered trim. Under all these layers she dons a red, white, and blue calico skirt. Her thigh-high white socks are made from cotton, and her black Mary-Jane style shoes are felt. Her "proper topper" is a black head scarf.

Lena, and many of her dolly brothers and sisters, are featured in Steiff's 1938/39 product catalog. You can see the page here on the left; Lena is the middle doll in the middle row. Please click on the illustration to make it bigger. She appears to have caught the attention of a sweet Waldi dog, as well as the handsome boy named Jockel on her right. The numbers around her correspond to 35 = 35 cm tall, 220 g = how much she weighs, and 8.40 = she costs 8.40 German marks. She is the heaviest, and also the most expensive, doll model on the catalog page; in today's dollars she would cost roughly $55. It is also interesting to note that she also has another word in her brief documentation - "Vierlanderin." 

Such a morsel of information made Steiffgal hungry to learn more. It turns out that Vierlande is a four district area of about 77 square kilometers located in Hamburg in southeast Germany. Digging a little deeper, it appears that Lena is wearing a traditional Vierlande outfit which includes a dark dress, white shirt, lighter apron, elaborate bodice, and a large hat. Steiff has a long tradition of producing dolls in national or ethnic clothing, starting at the turn of the 20th century when they made a series of regionally dressed farmers from different areas around Germany. The picture of the Vierlander on the right is from 1900 and is from Museums Victoria in Australia. As always, Steiff has done a masterful job capturing the details and authenticity behind this lovely outfit.

Steiffgal hopes you are totally in-to this great doll out-fit!

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

This Latest Steiff Find Is The Cat's Meow

Sometimes, the best things in life tiptoe in on little cat's feet.  And such is the case with this week's happy find!  Steiffgal popped into an antique show while traveling recently.  There were many great vintage temptations on offer, but hardly any Steiff... until the VERY LAST booth in the hall.  Check out what was hiding out among a bunch of old toys, puzzles, and other vintage childhood favorites.

What a purr-fectly wonderful discovery! Here we have a nice example Steiff's very early post war "Kitty" cat. She is 17 cm tall, fully jointed, and made from mohair. Her body, limbs, tail, and face are made from very light grey mohair, while her paws, chest, muzzle, and ears are off white mohair. Her back, arms, legs, tail, and the sides of her head are lightly airbrushed with darker gray stripes, making her the true Tabby! Her all original and early slit pupil eyes are made from green-teal and black glass. Kitty has pink hand embroidered facial features, with a red dot on her mouth to indicate her lips. Her claws are red and she retains her original clear mono-filament whiskers. Steiff's Kitty was made from 1949 through 1970 in 10, 17, and 22 cm. This example's coloration, eyes, and "Made in the US Zone" put her in the very early portion of this time frame. 

They say cats have nine lives, and in the case of this example, that is exactly true! Today, when a toy is produced, it usually appears on the market for just a handful of years.  This is due to the "limited edition" phenomenon, as well as changes in market preferences - especially for things like licensed characters. But, in the case of Steiff's 20th century production, some items would appear for years, decades, or even generations.  For example, the company's Molly dogs were introduced in the 1920's and were produced through the end of the 1970's.  And Steiff's black "Scary Cat" pattern appeared in the company's debut catalog of 1903, and is still being manufactured on and off to this day!  Post war, this fully jointed cat pattern was clearly a fan favorite, appearing in the line for almost 20 years. 

Despite her longevity, this pattern did experience a few updates and changes over time. These changes were aesthetic, to keep up with modern preferences, but also structural, to help keep her manufacturing costs in check. So what are some differences between the older and newer Kitty cats? Here on the left, you can see a more "modern" Kitty, produced during the early 1970's. As you can tell, the older ones simply have a more "vintage" look to them. But here are three objective, key physical details that may help to date this beloved and legacy pattern. 

Eyes: Older Kitties have distinctive green-teal and black glass slit pupil eyes, while newer ones have olive-green and black slit pupil plastic eyes.

Coloration and ID: Older Kitties have grey and off white coats that are airbrushed in grey stripes, while newer ones have off white coats what are airbrushed in darker grey or black stripes. Older ones tend to have powder pink noses, while newer ones tend to have darker pink noses.  Older ones also often, but not always, have a "US Zone" tag sewn into their front leg seam. 

Materials: The smallest older Kitties have felt ears and a white velvet muzzle, while newer ones have mohair ears and muzzles. You can see two examples of the earliest Kitties with these details here (along with their sweet friend, a woolie mouse from F.A.O. Schwarz!) 

Steiffgal hopes this discussion on Steiff's fully jointed kittens has been the cat's meow for you.

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