When you hear the name Steiff you think of Teddy Bears but Steiff has a long history of doll making. Steiff expert Rebekah Kaufman joins host Louisa Maxwell to discuss Steiff’s dolls, their history and how to collect and identify them.

Steiff introduced a range of dolls called Characterpuppe in 1908 at Leipzig Toy Fair the press heralded these dolls as: “ A welcome change from the sweet and boring dolls with fragile heads” . In other words Steiff's doll’s were a “welcome change” from bisque head dolls of idealised children in fussy frills and formal clothing. Steiff’s new felt character dolls appealed to both boys and girls and were perfect for play and for cuddles .

Steiff expert Rebekah Kaufman also known as Steiffgal is well know for her blog Steiff Life. Rebekah has worked with Steiff in the United States. She has identified and valued vintage Steiff treasures for Morphy Auctions, James D. Julia, WorthPoint, Auctionata, and F.A.O. Schwarz, and has consulted for Christies and Teddy Dorado. She lectures internationally and has shared her expertise and passion for all things Steiff through features in: The Boston Globe, The New York Times, Bloomberg, Doll News Town and Country, The Huffington Post, and television programs: Inside Edition and Pawn Stars.

Steiff’s founder Margarete’s Steiff’s motto was, “for children, only the best is good enough!“ her dolls delighted children with their bright costumes and character driven stories of farmers and their wives and animals, soldiers and sailors with authentic uniforms policemen, and characters from children’s literature.

To find out more about Steiff Dolls or Bears or read Rebekah’s blog my Steiff Life.

Steiff Gal, My Steiff Life