Zebra soft toy, Steiff, Germany, 1959-1967

Soft toy zebra made from cream-coloured velvet mohair, stencilled on the back and legs with a pattern of black stripes. The four unjointed legs are painted black on the ends to represent hooves. The toy has a stiff mohair mane on the back of its neck. The eyes are of black and brown plastic and the nose is painted black. The ears have been cut separated and stitched on, with pinkish colouring on their interiors. In the left ear is the metal Steiff button holding a yellow fabric label. Attached by a thread at the neck is a printed card mark of authenticity. At the rear of the toy is a plaited rope tail.

The official founding date for Steiff is 1880, but the foundations of the company were laid years before by founder Margarete Steiff. Born on 24th July 1847, Margarete had a difficult time as a child, becoming unwell as a toddler which paralysed her legs and injured her right arm. She trained at sewing school and became a seamstress at the age of 17, eventually going into a family tailors’ business. In 1874 she took a step towards independence, creating her own workspace at her parents’ house and buying her own sewing machine (which had to be adapted for use due to her disability).

Margarete’s first venture into children’s toys can be dated back to 1879, a year before the official launch of her company. The toy in question was a stuffed elephant, the pattern for which she found in a magazine. Within six years the company had sold over 5,000 elephants and had started to explore other animals. Steiff is often credited as the creator of the teddy bear.

The first Steiff zebra appeared in an 1899 catalogue, although this version was on wheels. Since then, the zebra has been a key part of the company’s repertoire and had many different design iterations. This version was the smallest produced by the company.

The stripes on the zebra's fur have been hand stencilled resulting in good definition of pattern. There are also small details that make this zebra stand out in comparison to the other mohair and wool plush versions made by other manufacturers around the same time. The rope tail has been plaited, there are is a hint of pink colouring inside the ears, and the addition of a mohair mane adds a realistic quality.

B.86-2022