Found at an antique show last weekend was an amazing thing: a motorized Steiff dealer display piece from the 1980s (labelled West Germany). It features a permanently attached, gorgeous cream-colored mohair bear holding a Steiff flag (the pennant is a replacement) on a rotating stand marked "Official Steiff Dealer". The entire piece is about 18 inches tall, and originally it would have stood on top of a display case in a high-end toy shop or specialty store, slowly revolving, drawing attention to itself, urging shoppers to buy lotsa Steiff.
I like this one. When I was a youngster in Germany, we lived near a toy store that had a Steiff bear display outside that blew bubbles. My mother bought some Steiff animals for my cousin's birthday at that store. In preparation for wrapping, I carefully and efficiently cut off all of the yellow tags! I could not fathom why that upset my mother, but I suppose you can.
ReplyDeleteHi Christine,
ReplyDeleteI didn't know you grew up in Germany! I'm terribly envious: I've always wanted to visit Germany (and go toy shopping, of course!) Maybe someday. That's a painfully hilarious story about the yellow tags: yikes!
-Tracy