This Delightful Midcentury Steiff Treasure Is Dressed For Success!

There's no need to skirt the issue when it comes to this week's Steiff story! Check out this inquiry from Elizabeth, who asks about the history and timeline associated with an adorably dressed girl doll she recently added to her hug. She shares,

"I purchased and recently received off of eBay this cute little Teddy Baby doll, I think. I'm guessing that she is from the late 40’s because it appears she had the US Zone tag removed/worn off from her leg at some point. Her head and the tops of her paws and feet are mohair and her body is cloth and excelsior stuffed. Her arms are a little floppy. It seems like she did a lot of hand holding in her time. What do you think, am I even close to right?"

This ever-cheerful design always makes Steiffgal's heart happy. Elizabeth's doll was made in 25 cm and appeared in the line from 1950 - 1957. This head jointed model appeared as a boy, dressed in a red jacket, white shirt, and black shorts, or a girl, in a red jacket, white shirt, and green skirt. All the clothes were removable, so it finding an example today in all original clothing is quite rare. They were simply called "Boy Doll Bear" and "Girl Doll Bear" until 1954 when they were more lovingly named "Teddyli." The boy and girl dolls together are pictured here on the left; the image is from Pfeiffer's 1947-2003 Sortiment. A similar pair of boy and girl dressed Teddy baby bears, produced in a blondish-yellow wool plush, appeared in the line from 1951 - 1954.

Teddyli, of course, is based on the company's legacy Teddy Baby bear design that was introduced in the 1920s. This pattern proved so delightful, and so popular, that it because the inspiration for many novelties over the years. Post World War II Teddy baby novelties included a display sized Teddy baby (produced in 150 cm in brown mohair in 1960 and 1967); a press-and-release musical Teddy baby (produced in 25 cm from 1950 - 1951); and a tiny Teddy baby doll on a rubber body named Teddyli (produced in 12 cm in brown mohair from 1955 - 1957.) Tiny rubber and mohair Teddyli is pictured here on the left. Steiff also produced Teddy baby as a 17 cm hand puppet; he appeared in brown and maize mohair from 1929 - 1943 overall; and then again in brown artificial silk plush and then mohair from 1949 - 1978 overall.

Now let's take a closer look at this item's IDs. When she left the factory in Giengen, she almost certainly had her Steiff button and a yellow ear tag with the article number "325 M" on it. These digits correspond to 3=mohair, 25=25 cm tall, and M=maedel (or "girl" in German.) Steiffgal has never seen one of these midcentury cubs with a chest tag. Elizabeth notes the remains of a US Zone tag in her leg seam. These tags were technically required in all German export products from the end of WWII through the early to mid-1950s to communicate that the item was produced in a "civilian" factory and met business and distribution standards set up by the American military government overseeing the United States' occupational zone in Germany. These usually actually appear on items produced in the c. 1951-1955 time frame. Given that observation, it Steiffgal's best guess that Elizabeth's Teddy Baby doll girl was made in the c. 1951-1955 time frame.

Steiffgal hopes this discussion on Elizabeth's mid-century find has tagged your interest in this collection era!

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

No Need To Lock Horns Over This Mysterious Steiff Ram!

Listen up... and check out this interesting question about this big horned sheep! A reader from Germany asks about a mysterious button-in-ear ram from his personal collection. Patrick shares,

"In my Steiff collection I have a ram (bought at an auction 3 or 4 years ago), which looks like the ram Wotan. But it is made of 80% Dralon & 20% cotton and NOT like Wotan of Wool plush. Also the size is 19 cm, (Wotan 12 or 22 cm) and length 24 cm. The number on the eartag is 3452/19 and the name on the chesttag: Original. So it is definitely not Wotan. But I cannot find details in the Pfeiffer-Book, nor in other literature about Steiff. Therefore I would be glad, if you could help me, with further details: When was the animal produced, is it a unique piece, a prototype a promotional animal or what's with this mysterious ram?"

Let's take a look at Steiff's postwar ram design in order to better understand where this example may fit from the product development perspective. Patrick mentions Wotan, Steiff's beloved midcentury ram. Wotan is pictured here on the left. Wotan is standing, unjointed, and made from brown tipped, cream colored wool plush. His face, arms, and legs are made from cream colored wool plush. His face is detailed with black and green slit pupil eyes, light brown airbrushing highlights, and a simple hand embroidered nose. Clearly his most impressive features are his huge, oversized antlers, which are curled and made from double thick felt. They are brought to life with brown paint to give them texture. Wotan appeared in the line from 1966 through 1973 in 12 and 22 cm. It is possible that he was produced as part of Steiff's little known Zodiac series of the mid-1960s, as the ram represents the sign "Aries." 

Dating is key here, and Patrick's ram has distinctive IDs that help make this possible. His lentil button was used on items from c. 1969-1977. His split style chest tag was introduced in c. 1972. And his yellow tag appeared from c. 1969/70 through 1980. Given all these dates, the EARLIEST this item could have been produced was 1972.  

Now let's check out this ram's other details. Patrick's ram is made from dralon and cotton. These materials were very popular in the mid-1970s at Steiff for a few reasons. Dralon was a tough, durable fabric that cleaned up nicely and was great for soft toy production. It was also MUCH less expensive than mohair and felt, Steiff's traditional woolen fabrics. In the 1970s, Steiff was under a lot of pressure to reduce costs and become more competitive as toymakers from all over the world were creating innovative, inexpensive, and appealing products that competed with Steiff's core lines.

So what does all of this mean? Given its timing, materials, and manufacturing details, Steiffgal suspects that Patrick's dralon ram was designed and produced to take the place of the wool plush Wootan ram. This design is somewhat simplified, is made from cheaper fabric, and is more of a toy than a collectible. As Wootan ceased production in 1973, it would make sense that this model replaced him in the mid-1970s. Maybe a few were made, or maybe only samples were produced. In the big picture, rams are not all that popular as playthings, which may explain why this particular design was not produced on a commercial scale for the general line.  Click here for an analogous product development situation with the company's beloved Xorry fox.

Steiffgal hopes this discussion of Patrick's mysterious ram has unlocked many horns with you!

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

Tuning Into This Rare And Unusual Musical Steiff Santa Claus Doll

Does this great Steiff Santa doll strike a chord with you? Check out this unusual holiday hero with a very special feature - he's musical! Have you ever seen another one like it? A friend from Pennsylvania shares... 

We bought this 15" Steiff with a music box key wind in the sack. The music box is in the sack attached to his back with a large key protruding from it. I would love to know anything you can tell me about it. Thank you!

Well, let's warm things up with what we know about this friend from the North Pole. The doll itself is based on the company's legacy midcentury Santa doll pattern introduced in 1953. This earliest Santa doll was 31 cm and five-ways jointed. He had a rubber head, felt body, bright red felt suit and cap trimmed in white mohair, and a white, fluffy mohair beard. By 1955, this design was also produced in 13 and 18 cm. These Santa dolls appeared in the line through 1963 and were, and remain, year-round favorites with collectors worldwide. The Santa under discussion today measures 15" tall, or 38 cm, so he was probably not part of Steiff's standard line Santa production. His larger size suggests he was a special order, perhaps intended as a seasonal window or mantel display. 

Now let's tune into his musical feature. With full disclosure that Steiffgal has not handled this item in person and inspected for originality, she can suggest two possible origins for his music box.  

First: Given that the music box is located in his sack, and not in his torso, it is possible that it is not Steiff original to him and was placed there by a previous owner. The music box is described as having "a large key." Every wind up music box Steiffgal has handled has a very small, simple turning knob. It's size hints that the music box may not be Steiff original to him. Just about every musical Steiff item Steiffgal can think of from any era has its musical feature embedded in its body - probably to secure it in place, as well as to protect it against bangs and bumps. For example, the musical Basi pictured to the left has her music feature in her bottle shaped body; it is activated by pressing her up and down. As Steiff's midcentury Santa dolls were not distributed with a Santa sack, it wouldn't be that challenging to make one, put a wind up music box in it, and sew it to the doll's body. That would be MUCH easier than opening up the doll, removing stuffing, inserting a music box, and sewing everything up seamlessly. 

Second: It is also possible that the musical feature is all original to the doll. Most Steiff collectors are familiar with the company's standard line musical Cockie Cocker Spaniel, Teddy Bear, and cat patterns. These were all produced in the mid to late 1950s. However, Steiff also produced a number of other uncatalogued musical rarities based on beloved 1950s era designs, including their Lulac rabbit and lying tiger. "Music Tiger" is pictured here on the left. Given the timeline and popularity of the 38 cm doll design under discussion here, it is not out of the question that the company tried to make a musical Santa Claus doll, too; maybe even in a distinctly larger size. Perhaps the musical machinery was too large or strangely shaped to bury it in the doll's torso so the designers made a sack for him, and hid the music box within it. If the Santa sack is elegantly constructed from period fabric, matches the look and feel of the doll, and has aged in tandem with the rest of the overall doll and clothing, this would suggest that is factory original to the doll. But, in the end, only Santa knows for sure... and he's keeping tight lipped over this!

Steiffgal hopes this discussion of this musical Santa Claus has wound up your interest in this unusual doll. 

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

Taking A Stand On Restoring This Century-Old Steiff Heirloom

It's a family affair when it comes to the cub under discussion here today. Steiff's wonderful dolls, Teds, and animals are truly friends for life, but sometimes need a little help to preserve them for future generations to come. Check out this note from David who asks about a beloved button-in-ear bear that's been part of his family history for at least a century. He writes:

"I have read your discussion of "To Restore Or Not To Restore" and I have a Steiff Bear with similar wear issues. Photos are attached. It has several bald spots, wear on the paws and one ear is held on with a pin. I believe that it either belonged to my grandmother who was born in 1900 or to my father who was born in 1923. I would like to have it restored but don't know where to look for a professional restorer. Any recommendations or advice that you can give me will be greatly appreciated. Thank you, David."

Can you bear it? What a charming heirloom - and how nice that it is still beloved in the same family over all these years. This cub on all fours is a popular and prolific pattern that was a mainstay in Steiff's prewar catalog. Given his presentation, larger long trailing "f" button, and glass pupil eyes, it is Steiffgal's best guess that he was made broadly in the c. 1915-1935 time frame. This time frame aligns both with David's grandmother and father's birthday so it is not really possible with only this one datapoint to determine his original owner. His grandmother could have gotten it as a young woman, or his father could have gotten it as a baby. Either way, the bear is a fabulous, intergenerational treasure.

Everyone has a different take on restoration, and it is a really personal choice. Steiffgal believes in doing no harm, being authentic and transparent about "fixes," and using repair work to stabilize issues and insure the longevity of an item. And what can be restored - or not - is very dependent on the condition of the item. For example, is usually extremely difficult, if not impossible, to fix issues with dry mohair, as material in this state tends to simply crumble if it is handled or gets wet.

That being said (with the full disclosure that Steiffgal has not seen this bear firsthand to evaluate his condition and is NOT a professional restoration expert) there are several POSSIBLE restorative ideas that David may consider in regards to his heirloom.

1. Cleaning. After nearly a century, this bear could certainly benefit from a light and careful professional cleaning. With cleaning, it is really important to be extremely careful around bare, balding, or delicate areas of the mohair. Depending on the state of his mohair, which does need evaluation, this could be done in a number of ways. Among others, these may include using moisture based solution, or a gentle brushing with a soft bristled brush - much like a shaving brush - to lift and remove dirt and dust from him. The cleaning will fluff him up a bit as well.

2. Ears. It is great that the family retained his original ear with the bear via a safety pin. You can see that "home repair" pictured here on the left. As such, it is probably very possible that this could be restitched to his head with stitches and spacing mirroring the one still in place.

3. Pads. Depending on the condition of his felt pads, the damage on them could either be "plugged" with felting, or recovered with felt of a matching color. Color matching tends to be challenging, but professional restorers have a number of techniques to make this possible. 

4. Stitching. Depending on the condition of the mohair on his face, it is possible that his nose could be restitched to its original design. And although it is hard to tell from the photos, perhaps a few of his original black stitched claws need to be replaced as well.

5. Stuffing. Because this design is somewhat "stocky" and does not have any significant "slender" areas (like long, thin limbs or a tail) it is less likely that his stuffing has broken down or shifted significantly to cause stress on his mohair. However, this is still possible and not captured in pictures. A professional restorer would assess the need for this in person. 

There are several options for finding a good restorer. There is a group on Facebook called Teddy Bear Restoration Group which represents lay and professional restoration folks from all over the world. Joining this group, posting photos of your item, and asking for help or recommendations is a good place to start. This would also be a good way to find a somewhat "local" professional, if that is a priority. A quick google search for "Teddy bear restorers" resulted in a number of options. If you go this route, be sure to check out "before" and "after" photos of their work, ask about similar projects, and request references if you want. Steiffgal has personally worked with Martha Anderson here in the USA and Dot Bird in the UK; both have long histories as wonderful "Teddy Magicians." 

Steiffgal hopes you found this discussion on restoration sew far, sew good.

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