Rare Biggest Brother Steiff Long-Haired Pre-Sonny Rabbit Hase Bunny ID

This handsome seated bunny is the largest size of the four rabbits (technically “hares”) Steiff made in this design. He is far rarer than his smaller brothers, since he was made for fewer years. The small sitting rabbits came in basically two versions: the earlier “Hase” or just generic “hare” (not his name, but his description) and the later “Sonny,” after 1967. This Hase and his 15 cm brother (also in my shop) were not made after 1964 and remained unnamed (in other words, there NEVER was an 18 cm “Sonny”).

Hase has only his button, but he can be a member of either of the two series that were produced of this size, who had different article numbers. If his number was 3318, Hase was made between 1951 and 1958. To be precise, that series was actually produced starting in 1950. However, because it is extremely likely that his raised script button dates him to no earlier than 1951, I have narrowed the range. The second series of this early bunny was made between 1959 and 1964, so in any case, Hase could be well over 60 years old!

In either article number, the “18” indicates Hase’s catalogued size in centimeters, measured to the top of his head. By that criterion, Hase is REALLY puny; he measures approximately 14 centimeters, about 5 1/2 inches, high. What he lacks in vertical stature, he certainly makes up for in girth! He is the only Hase brother whose body is covered in long mohair, and that adds to his chubby look. But speaking about his height, you need to take his whole height into consideration when you plan a display place for him. Hase is about 7 1/2 inches to the top of his higher ear, so you probably would want to leave at least an extra inch for comfortable vertical clearance.

OK, that was a digression; let me tell you about Hase’s condition. Even if he is the youngest he could possibly be, Hase will soon be celebrating his 60th birthday. I would say that Hase was in very good condition, and I mean that absolutely, not “for his age.” I evaluate the condition of my Steiff animals on an absolute basis, comparing characteristics from one animal to the next no matter when they were made, whether that was 60 years or 10 years ago. If you want to bring age into the discussion, you can say that Hase is in very good condition DESPITE his age. Of course, there is no version of Hase that was made as recently as 10 years ago; I used that number to explain how I reach my condition assessment in any Steiff animal in my shop.

Hase’s coloring is very nice, including the BLACK segments of the tops of the backs of his ears. That is why I used a blue background, instead of the black I typically use. The blue hue is not uniform from image to image, so even some of them fail to show the nice contrast between upper parts of Hase’s ears and the two-tone, gold and brown, color of the rest of his ears. And, while I am talking about his ears, I also ask you to notice that their felt insides are not far removed from their original white (with a teeny-tiny light stain on the tip of his left ear pointed out in my second image), and that they retain a respectable amount of the rose-colored airbrushing they had when Hase left Giengen.

The coloring of Hase’s long and lustrous body mohair is also very nice, and his coverage is also full, with just a bit of wear along some of his seams; the most noticeable of those is the seam separating the two colors of his right haunch. This may look worse in my pictures than it is in reality, since Hase’s right haunch is noticeably bigger than his left one, and most of that missing “bump” is on the upper part of his haunch. That asymmetry is a “birth defect” that Hase received at the factory, and I don’t hold it against him.

Hase’s ribbon is vintage, but not original to him; the same applies to his brass bell. Finally, Hase has his 12 original whiskers—6 on each side of his nose, which, nicely, are all the same length.

This chubby guy could be a very special addition to your bunny collection. In fact, although this Hase and his 15-cm brother were made the same number of years, it seems this one shows up far less often. I checked my records and saw that I have helped only six others get adopted in in 25 years! Therefore, it is nice to see such a great example.

I can’t think of anything else to tell you, but please write if you have a question. This is a special bunny and a must for any serious Steiff collection. If you are in a bunny frame of mind, please check out Hase’s relatives in my shop, including his little brother with all ID!

WHATEVER YOU DECIDE TO DO ABOUT HASE OR ANY OF MY OTHER STEIFF ITEMS, PLEASE BE SURE TO SEE THE ARTICLE I HAVE WRITTEN ABOUT STEIFF ID FRAUD—INCLUDING COUNTERFEIT CHEST TAGS—(AND OTHER IMPORTANT INFORMATION FOR COLLECTORS). YOU WILL FIND THE LINK ON THE BOTTOM RIGHT OF MY SHOP HOME PAGE UNDER “FAVORITE LINKS.” IF YOU HAVE NOT LOOKED AT IT RECENTLY, I UPDATED AND EXPANDED IT IN MARCH, 2023.