Doll News Summer 2017 - 59

This chest tag is found on "Perri" squirrels.

product of this post war partnership was "Bambi," the
white-tailed deer, star of the famous Disney full-length
animated feature of the same name, in 1951.
"Bambi's" product development timeline is very
interesting from the historical perspective. The movie,
Bambi, debuted in August, 1942. This was just before the
time that Steiff stopped producing playthings due to
World War II, in 1943-44. Steiff resumed toy manufacturing
again in the late 1940s. Steiff's "Bambi" model was one of
the very ﬁrst licensed items to appear in the line post-war,
in 1951. Given that it can take months or years to secure
a co-branded license, work on bringing a "Bambi" to the
Steiff line probably was one of the earlier Steiff initiatives
undertaken once the factory was open for business in
1948 or so. It is even possible that conversations about this
project ﬁrst took place in the early 1940s, but were put on
hold because of wartime complications.
Steiff's version of Disney's "Bambi" was remarkably
accurate to his appearance in the movie. He was
standing, unjointed and mostly made from light brown
velvet with lighter tan spots on his back. His chest, tail
and ears were light tan mohair. He had long, skinny legs
and a charming, innocent and youthful face. His eyes
were huge and almond shaped, with detailed and lifelike
painted backings. "Bambi" was produced from 1951
through 1972 in 14 and 22 cm. All "Bambi" toys left the
Steiff factory with a special chest tag noting the Steiff and
Disney licensing partnership. Today, the most desirable
Steiff "Bambi" examples are from the very early 1950s, as
these pieces often include a rare white linen "made in the
US Zone" tag as part of their Steiff identiﬁcation.
In 2002, to honor the 60th anniversary of the release
of the movie Bambi, Steiff produced a 13 cm. grey mohair
"Thumper" and 24 cm. brown mohair "Bambi."

Shown here is a small
"Perri" squirrel.

In 1948, Walt Disney Productions began an ambitious
project, entitled True Life Adventures, which was a series of 14
full-length and short-subject educational ﬁlms about nature,
habitats and wildlife from all over the world. The project
lasted through 1960, and included titles such as Prowlers
of the Everglades, The Vanishing Prairie, The African Lion,
and White Wilderness. In 1958, as part of this series, Disney
launched Perri, a movie about a young female squirrel and
her adventures and challenges. Unlike other Disney True
Life Adventures, this ﬁlm included both documentary and
ﬁctional storytelling as part of its plotline.
Sensing another great opportunity, Steiff and Disney
collaborated in order to bring a toy "Perri" to market.
Steiff's "Perri" was made from short, brown tipped
mohair. Her large, shaggy tail was made from long
wavy mohair, while her hands and feet were made
from double-thick felt. One of "Perri's" most distinctive
features was her white felt-backed eyes. Steiff often
gave items this treatment when they wanted the piece
to have an alert, wide-eyed, childlike appearance to it.
"Perri" was made in 12, 17, and 22 cm. The medium and
large versions came with a beautifully airbrushed velvet
pinecone, about one-inch long. All "Perri" squirrels left
the Steiff factory with a special chest tag noting the Steiff
and Disney partnership. "Perri" appeared in the Steiff
catalog from 1959 through 1983. This is a very long time,
DOLL NEWS * UFDC.ORG

59
http://ufdc.org
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Doll News Summer 2017
