Rare Steiff Wool Plush Lion Cub Hand Puppet ID

This baby joins several mohair relatives in my shop, both cubs like him and adult lions, including a puppet version of his father, Leo.

This is the rare wool plush lion cub (henceforth “LC”) puppet, so rare, that Pfeiffer apparently could not obtain one to photograph. LC’s whole production range was very short—only from 1949 to 1954. Although he almost certainly had a US-Zone flag at one time, I can see no vestige of it in the seam of his right arm. He retains his raised script button and a few yellow threads of the flag it once secured. Even though the flag is gone, there is only one number that could have been printed on it: 517.

I would say that LC’s condition is very good, and I mean DESPITE his age, not “FOR his age.” I am downgrading him from “excellent” because he has some small areas of thinning, and a few, almost invisible, moth nibbles. I am pointing to a nibble on his back in my fifth image, and the only reason that shows at all is because his back is airbrushed a darker color than the underlying light gold of the rest of his body. That nibble is bigger than the head of a pin—but only SLIGHTLY. 🙂

For the most part, LC’s coverage is excellent, and his coloring is very strong. Speaking of that, I apologize for the slight variability in his coloring from image to image. Getting uniformity in his back coloring was a much easier task than doing likewise with his chest—and I should note that his back coloring is stronger than his vitrine-living brother’s.

Oh, speaking of the coloring of his back and his chest, this is a good place to mention what appears to be a slight airbrush booboo. What appears to be a stain on his left arm (right as you look at him) is a wayward splash of the baby spot airbrush paint that covers the backs of his arms. In fact, although that one spot is obvious, there is a tiny amount of the background tan behind the spots that has also snuck onto the front of each of LC’s arms. It is very subtle; just a tiny amount creeps over the seam of each arm, which you may not have noticed until I brought it to your attention. 🙂

LC’s sideburns are mohair, and they were placed SLIGHTLY asymmetrically from side to side. He has about the same amount of hair in each sideburn, but they are distributed a little differently, with the one on his right side (left as he faces you) starting further away from his nose.

More on his facial hair, LC has all twelve of his original whiskers, and they are all the same length.

The only other things I can think to mention are that LC’s finger tube is cardboard, and his amber eyes are glass, but you probably knew both those things because of his age. If you didn’t, I am happy to tell you.

I can’t think of anything else, but please write if you have a question. Whether you will display LC or put him through his Thespian paces, you will be very happy with him—as will the recipient, if it is your intention to give him as a gift to a Steiff, or puppet, enthusiast you know. My last five images and captions are to give you some ideas.

WHATEVER YOU DECIDE TO DO ABOUT LC 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 JANUARY, 2023.