- Wittie Owl, whoooo (yes, pun intended) was produced in 10, 14, 22, and 35 cm from 1954 through 1977.
- Dressed Pieps mice, who were produced from 1962 through 1970 in a variety of outfits, including a bride, ballerina, princess, clown, Red Riding Hood, and Miss America, in 8 cm.
- Diggy badger, who was produced in 10 and 15 cm from 1959 through 1966.
- Bib the dressed rabbit boy, who was produced in 12 cm from 1954 through 1964.
- Possy squirrel, who was produced in 10, 14, and 22 cm from 1957 through 1976.
- Nagy beavers, who were produced in 10, 17, and 25 cm from 1958 through 1978; two from the book are pictured above on the left.
- Perri squirrel, who was produced in 12, 17, and 22 cm from 1959 through 1983.
- Goldie hamster, who was produced in 10 and 14 cm from 1955 through 1974.
- Nelly snail, who was produced in 10 cm from 1961 through 1963.
- Maxi mole, who was produced in 12 and 15 cm from 1964 through 2001.
- Nightcap Rabbits, who were produced in 15 cm between 1968 and 1973.
Steiffgal: Tell us about the history of your interest in Steiff animals and a little bit about your personal Steiff collection.
CSB:
Today, I have over 400 vintage Steiff items in my collection. I first was introduced to Steiff at the age of six, by my best friend who had a magnificent collection of Steiff animals. She also gave me my first Steiff! It was love at first sight! I purchased my first Steiff item on my own when I was 11, it was a hedgehog, and I got it at FAO Schwarz. That's a day I will never forget!
Steiffgal:
What is your favorite item in your Steiff collection, and why?
CSB:
My favorite Steiffs have always been the Pieps mice, especially the ones who were sold wearing dresses and costumes for FAO Schwarz in the 1960's. My sister and I received the Steiff City and Country mouse houses for Christmas in 1967. These were "dollhouse" sized little homes that were fully furnished and designed for play and imaginative fun. I've been smitten ever since with their magic.
Steiffgal:
How did you come up with the idea of transforming your lifelong hobby into a children's book?
CSB:
A friend of mine who is a top art dealer in Atlanta suggested that I create a book with my collection, she thought it to be too special not to share with the public! I am really thankful for her mentorship, and that I followed through on her advice!
Steiffgal:
How did you choose the specific Steiff animals in the book for the characters?
CSB:
I placed a few Pieps mice next to a gingerbread house in my kitchen and shot some rough photos with my iPad and thought... this is really adorable! As the story developed, I chose animals that I felt best suited the characters. For example, I used Steiff's Wittie as Mr. Spotswood the adoption center director. A kindly and wise owl would know that Sassafrass Jones would succeed!
Steiffgal:
What's next for Sassafrass Jones? Will we be seeing more of her and her Steiff friends in the future?
CSB:
Yes, we are working on the next story! The next book is all about Sassafrass' adventures in Manhattan. There she befriends all sorts of wonderful and exotic creatures! Many of my fashionably dressed Steiff treasures will be featured prominently in this book along with the city and ballerina Pieps, maybe even a few bride mice! One of the mice characters will discover she has a bat cousin who is a top decorator named Boysenbery - Boysee for Short!
Steiffgal:
Cathleen, thank you so much for your time and bringing many of the vintage Steiff community's favorite characters to life!
Steiffgal hopes this discussion about the new book Sassafrass Jones and Steiff's history of storybook illustrations has been a very good read for you.
Have a question about one of your Steiff treasures, family or otherwise? Let's talk! Click here to learn more.
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X-Transbots have revealed their newly announced Sonic figure that is a remold of their Ollie figure. Well, I'm happy to see this one! Yet another X-Transbots on the must buy list. Check out the images of the figure and some Go-Bot pics for reference.
Got a new image with some previews of the TFC Toys homage to G1 Streetwise. We have previously only seen this figure as a prototype, here we have a black and white image that shows what it will look like with paint applications. Check out the TFC Toys Not-Streetwise painted thumb nail images below now for more details.
