Wittie, a soft toy owl made in Germany by Steiff in 1963

Soft toy, representing an owl, made of mohair plush, parts of which have been printed. The puppet has a rounded head which turns. The front of the body is plain beige plush, with the back printed with black shading. The head is round with a cream felt beak and made with several panels of cloth to form the shape and colour. The back of the head and body are of beige plush marked with dark brown to black shading and the large circles around the eyes are cream plush. The button eyes are luminous green painted plastic with black slit pupils, with a black ring around the outside of the green. The sides of the head and the upper wings are light tan with shading and the lower wings are light orange felt marked with black to represent feathers. The tail is of light orange felt marked with black lines and formed over a sturdy wire frame. The feet of shaded cream felt are also formed over a wire frame. The ears are two black tuffs at the top of the head The whole is tightly stuffed with wood wool.

see also B. 227 to 230-1996

The Steiff family of owls were named Wittie and came in three sizes, 4, 6 and 9 inches. They were made of mohair and felt. In older models the backs of the eyes were painted with a fluorescent colour. When light fell on them, they would glow in the dark for a while, giving them a ghostly look. After 1963, the owls were given green and black plastic eyes with a black edge, swivel heads and feet made from sturdy wire and covered with felt. The smallest size owl had a felt beak while the larger ones had plastic beaks and, after 1954, voice boxes.

B.231-1996