My #1 Favorite Toy

 

This is Burton the bear.  Fun facts about Burton:

• Burton was found in a barn in rural Massachusetts
• Burton was sold to me by a woman close to my age who told me that the bear belonged to her grandmother
• Burton is very old, worn, and has been repaired several times
• Burton was hand-made with wooden buttons for eyes
• Burton originally had fur, but 99% of it has worn off
• Burton is wearing an outfit made from a man's pajama sleeve
• Burton has a dime sized hole in the right side of his head
• Burton is very patient, a good listener, and loves meeting new people
• Burton travels with me everywhere I go
• Burton is my #1 favorite toy

Unlikely Friends

These are my other two Steiff animals, both of which were purchased yesterday at a flea market in Irvine.  The kitten I recognized instantly as a Steiff, even though she does not have an ear button or paper tag.  I had had several different Steiff kittens on my eBay watch list in the past month, so I was familiar enough with their look & construction, and felt confident purchasing her for fifty dollars from this nice flea market vendor.  I love how tiny she is.....she is about the size of some of the 5 week old foster kittens we are currently caring for.  The penguin was a surprise gift from my husband yesterday.  I had finished my shopping at the flea market and my hubby and I walked to the parking lot.  I opened the car door and sitting in between the two front seats was this sweet penguin.  Since my hubby and I normally split up at the flea market to do our shopping separately, he has the opportunity to surprise me with gifts from time to time.  Her name is Peggy the penguin.

I wonder what kind of animal will become my next Steiff?

Fast Approaching

Easter will soon be here.  My Steiff collection at present is quite small, but with the Easter holiday around the corner, I am very glad that in my collection are two fabulous Steiff bunnies.  To me, no mass-produced line of stuffed animals has the quality and charm equal to that of a Steiff. 

The bunny on the left was my very first Steiff purchase.  I purchased it a couple months ago at my favorite flea market, about 30 minutes from my house in Long Beach, California.  I picked it up off the table to examine it, I was promptly told by the vendor that it was a Steiff.  I had always wanted a Steiff animal, and at the time, the price of forty dollars was both something that I thought was reasonable (for a Steiff) and also something that I could afford.  So I made it my first.

The bunny on the right I found at a flea market in Irvine.  I was drawn to its cute face and so I asked the price.  Fifteen dollars.  At that price, I assumed that I was just buying an average quality vintage stuffed animal and was not particularly concerned with finding out the manufacturer.  When I went to pay for it, the seller said to me, "It's kind of cute, isn't it?"  I definitely agreed.  A couple weeks later, I was browsing on eBay and came across the exact same stuffed bunny.  I was shocked to see that both in the title and in the description, it was identified as a Steiff.  I searched eBay's completed listings for Steiff bunnies.  I found another just like it that sold, and yep, it was identified as a Steiff.  I was thrilled to know that I purchased this sweet bunny - a Steiff - for just fifteen dollars!  It seems that I am just drawn to this German line of plush animals.  Since then, I have acquired two more.....a tiny kitten and a tall penguin.  And I'm quite positive that there will be many more to come.