Finding This Steiff Rarity Was A Hair-Raising Experience!

Steiffgal does not mean to (hedge)hog your time, but this gorgeous gent is worth a look - or two! Steiff's royal couple, Micki and Mecki the hedgehog dolls, are legacy items in the Steiff line and are proudly represented in most Steiff collections. But did you know this pattern had a little twist to it bridging its first and second years of production? Read on to learn more!

Here we have a simply marvelous, 28 cm Mecki hedgehog doll. He is standing and head and arm jointed. His body is solidly stuffed; his legs, arms and torso are made from felt and his head is made from rubber. Mecki has a patch of long tipped mohair on his chest (how macho!) and very long, spikey mohair as his hair. His shoes are black felt with tan soles, and his pants are grey canvas with faux red and blue felt patches. He wears a red plaid shirt and a brown felt vest with leather buttons. He is supposed to look a bit dusty and "dirty," like he's spent the day hard at work, but that's just in his design and he's actually clean as a whistle. His charming and all original accessories include a rope belt, a wooden pipe, and a faux leather "wallet" containing his identification papers.

Mecki and Micki have been produced almost continuously in the Steiff line since 1951. They traditionally have appeared in 17, 28, and 50 cm; Mecki was also produced as a 100 cm Studio model in 1967. The pair were the mascots for a very popular German magazine called HorZu, which covered radio and television news. The magazine is still in business today and mostly covers TV news; it is somewhat like People Magazine here in the U.S. HorZu began publishing in 1946; the hedgehogs made their debut in 1949. Knowing a good thing when it saw it, Steiff negotiated an exclusive licensing rights to produce the dolls in 1951, and they have been a mainstay in the line to this day.

Let's get right to the point here... so what's the big deal with this common item which appeared in the line since, well, forever? So hair's why this example is WAH-HOO good. Mecki and Micki are famous for their legacy style "v" hairlines, meaning that their prickly mohair hair comes to a "v" on their forehead. However, the very FIRST examples, made in 1951, had rounded hairlines. It is incredibly rare to find a rounded hairline HorZu hedgehog doll in any condition, given their heads were made from a rubber material which tends to dry out and fall apart over time. This Mecki is in practically new condition. He retains his US Zone tag in his arm seam as well as his red rubber bangle-style bracelet which anchors his button and yellow ear flag IDs like charms. He'd only be more perfect if he also had his chest tag, but you can't have everything, eh?

Steiffgal hopes you found this discussion on this earliest Mecki doll simply hair-raising (in the best possible way.)

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

Can't Miss Bear-Affair In June Just Announced!

Looking for something Steiff-y fun to put on your calendar? And who isn't, given its the cold and gloomy days of February (at least around these parts!) Steiffgal has just learned of a really exciting Teddy bear sale happening in June that she wanted to share with you. Mostly, because many of the bears on offer will be WAH-HOO good... but also because of the nature of the sale. Curious? Then read on!

This wonderful bear-affair will feature collection highlights from none other than Hilary Pauley - the remarkable woman who helped to bring London's annual 200 Years of Childhood weekend celebration to life! It will be held on Wednesday, June 10th, 2020 in London, and managed by our friend and colleague Daniel Agnew at SAS Auctions. Hilary and Daniel are pictured here on the left. As of now, the auction is scheduled to present over 300 antique bears, plus a few artist bears, but more are being added all the time. It is possible that up to 350 beautiful bruins may be on offer. Currently, there are about 17 antique Steiff bears on the roster.

Steiffgal has seen Hilary's collection in person, and is still dreaming about it. The bears themselves are WAH-HOO good and are displayed in charming vignettes. And just when you think it couldn't get better, it does. This finely curated hug is housed in a private museum near her home, surrounded by beautiful gardens.  

Steiffgal recently spoke with Daniel about the auction, and how he is preparing for what is undoubtedly going to be the "talk of the town" across the international Teddy bear collecting community this spring. He's what he had to say!

Steiffgal: Can you tell us how you go about researching and cataloging this collection, especially given its very broad scope of manufactures and designs. Do you do it on your own, or do you have a support team?

Daniel: I know Hilary's collection very well and often visit her home and the museum as we work together on the November annual 200 Years of Childhood fair. So Hilary and I are working on the sale together. Hilary has great lists of her bears and we are pulling them out section by section. I am doing a basic listing, then we take a batch of the bears into her beautiful garden and take their photos. At the end of each visit I take them away and they go to my office in Newbury, England. There I will complete the description and include a condition report with each one. 

Steiffgal: Have the bears arrived in your facility yet? It must be delightful to be working in a sea of bears!

Daniel: Some of them have. I will be doing the final batch of cataloguing on the 19th to 21st of February, so by then I will have everything back at the auction house.  

Steiffgal: From the highlights you've shared so far, a delightful chocolate brown cub has already caught my eye. (This sweet treat is pictured here on the left.) So I have to ask, which is your favorite Steiff bear in the sale, and why? 

Daniel: My favourite Steiff in the auction is a wonderful Record Teddy. He is pictured here on the left. You don't see them that often and condition is very good. 

Steiffgal: That's for sure! I recall you sold a 10 cm version of one of these in 2010 at Christies and it realized over 6,000 GBP. They really are rare and marvelous.  And finally, how can we learn more about the sale and its highlights?

Daniel: I am constantly posting highlights on my Facebook page, so you can get a preview there. I will post more information about the sale's logistics there as well as they are finalize. I am also able to send your more photographs of anything you are interested in. So if something catches your eye, and you want to learn more about it, just ask! 

In terms of the catalog, it will be available three weeks before the auction, but if I get it done, it might be earlier. It will go on-line at the same time as the printed copy is available. You can order one by emailing mail@specialauctionservices.com - the auction will be also listed on-line both on our own website www.specialauctionservices.com and www.the-saleroom.com - you can bid live on both platforms.

Steiffgal: Thank you so much for taking the time to share this exciting update with us!

Steiffgal hopes that this "Ted-talk" has been an intriguing paws in your day. 

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

Boys Will Be Boys With This Midcentury Steiff Cowboy Doll

Winston Churchill once said, "No hour of life is wasted that is spent in the saddle." And Steiffgal's certain this rare Steiff cowboy would agree wholeheartedly! Take a look at this marvelous mid-century Steiff doll and see what makes him so interesting from the design and product development perspectives.

Boys will be boys with this precious Steiff "Cowboy." He is 17 cm tall and arm jointed. He has a molded rubber head and a cloth body. His face comes to life with realistic and well contouring painting and details. His handsomely tailored and coordinated shirt, pants, vest, hat, and bandana are made from felt, calico, and leather. These items are not removable from his body. His accessories include a wooden gun housed in a leather holster; these are suspended on his original leather belt. This particular doll design was made in 12 and 17 cm from 1954 through 1957. The smaller size has a rubber body and head, while the larger size has a rubber head and cloth body. The larger one - the one under discussion here today - has the product number "117." This translates to 1=standing and 17=17 cm tall.

Cowboy made his home on the range at a really interesting time in the Steiff product development timeline. Prewar, Steiff''s doll line was primarily felt-centric. From the turn of last century through the mid-1930s, the vast majority of Steiff's standard line dolls had a felt face with either a prominent horizontal or vertical seam. Starting in the mid-1930s, the company produced its dolls with seamless, pressed felt faces.


Postwar, dolls with rubber heads (like Cowboy) took center stage at Steiff. This new way of manufacturing dolls enabled the company to introduce a great number of brand new, contemporary models in just a handful of years. These debut rubber headed models, including a series of dwarfs (Gucki, Lucki, and Lucki), Santa Claus, clowns, and of course the Horzu hedgehogs Mecki and Micki, were far more economical to produce than their labor intensive forefathers, and had a "modern" (for their era) look and feel. It is interesting to note that the dwarfs and Santa share the same facial detailing.

One of the strategies that Steiff adopted to regain its prewar prominence in the toy world postwar was to produce unique offerings exclusively for the US market. Postwar, the company employed two US distributors, Reeves International and the Loucap Company, to insure that their button in ear treasures were represented in as many high quality retail stores as possible. Both Reeves and Loucap created special Steiff exclusives for their retailers. Steiff had also been working with F.A.O. Schwarz in the US since 1906. Geopolitical and trade issues put a huge damper on this relationship from the mid-1930s onward. However, this relationship was reignited in the late 1940s/early 1950s, and a series of delightful Steiff/F.A.O. Schwarz exclusives emerged as a result. A little known one is the “Cowboy Tramp Set” exclusive introduced in 1954; it consisted of the 17 cm Cowboy doll under discussion today and a sweet mohair pony. You can see the catalog photo for this dynamic duo here on the left.

The cataloging for this Cowboy Tramp Set noted, "No rags or cutaways for this young fellow, but a cowboy outfit of matching brown felt chaps and vest, checkered shirt, slouch hat, gay kerchief, felt, and holster. Has molded face with bulbous one and roguish grin - strictly and individualist. Body of his chubby little pony is firm, covered with brown spots. Has a white mane and long white tail. Sports a red leather bridle."

Steiffgal hopes this discussion on the company's 1950s era cowboy doll has been a pleasant ride!

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

This Antique Steiff Doll Is Just A Kid At Heart!

Oh boy! Literally! That was Steiffgal's reaction when she laid eyes on this charming character. Check out this extremely early Steiff doll and see why he's alot more than snips and snails and puppy dog tails.

It's hard to outfox this turn of last century "Foxy Boy." He is 28 cm and arm and leg jointed. He has a felt, center seamed face and felt hands. His feet are very large in proportion to his body. His hands are early and primitive, like fists, with embroidered digits. His body is primarily made from velvet. His simple, integral outfit consists of a green velvet shirt and black socks, red felt pants and tan laced shoes, and a leather buckled belt. He comes to life with an inset blond wig, black shoe button eyes, and painted facial features. This is one of Steiff's earliest doll designs. He appeared in the line from c. 1904 through 1924; given his details, Steiffgal suspects he's from around 1909 or so. The earliest "Foxy Boy" dolls produced were string jointed and had elephant buttons as part of their branding. Unfortunately, this example's IDs have been lost to time.

Foxy Boy is one of the characters from the turn of last century American cartoon series “Foxy Grandpa.” The strip was introduced in 1900 and penned by Carl E. Schultze. It ran through the 1930's. The strip told of the adventures, and misadventures, of a grandfather and his two grandsons. The strip was wildly popular with readers throughout its run.

In the early 20th century, Steiff took much inspiration for its doll line through popular cartoon strips, as the characters and their presentations translated so well into the Steiff aesthetic of the times. This look included exaggerated facial features, big feet, and very fat or very thin torsos. In addition to the Foxy Grandpa crew, beloved Steiff cartoon character dolls from the early 1900s included Happy, Alphonse, and Gaston from Happy Hooligans and Mama (often produced as a tea cosy) and the Fat Captain from the Katzenjammer Kids. 

Age was just a number when it came to Steiff's interest in the Foxy Grandpa cartoon strip. Steiff produced the "star" of Foxy Grandpa, the actual Grandpa, from 1904 through 1915, and the the two grandchildren as dolls in the overall 1904 through 1924 time frame. Here above you can see the catalog page for Foxy Boy in 1913; you can click on it to make it bigger. According to listing, Foxy Boy weighed .10 kg, his item number was Bu28, and he cost $0.85, which is equivalent to $22.10 in 2020. It is interesting to note that "Foxy Boy" was offered as an “aviator doll” in the French catalog, probably because the French were not familiar with him in the context of the American comic strip.

Steiffgal hopes this discussion on Steiff's Foxy Boy has been a blast from the past for you.

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