Steiff Big Sister SPARKLING Black And White Tuxedo Cat Kitten Dossy 2 IDs Plus Care Booklet

Dossy is a wonderful cat—one I was tempted to keep for myself instead of finding her a new home. My collecting interests generally go toward the 1940s-1970s time period, and although Dossy is a decade younger, I really find her appealing—as I think all you Steiff cat lovers will as well.

Dossy’s complete dates of production were 1984 to 1990, but her flag style allows me to narrow down the period of time when this particular Dossy arrived on the scene. The format and material of her double cloth flag, with large numbers embroidered into it, was not used beyond 1986/1987. That means that the youngest Dossy could be is 36. Those three-plus decades are plenty of time for Dossy’s condition to have deteriorated, but she looks almost store new. I suspect she has led a sheltered life in a collector’s vitrine and was not used as a toy.

The back of Dossy’s flag indicates that her covering is 70% cotton and 30% acrylic, I don’t know what she is stuffed with, but it is softer than excelsior and allows you to adjust her pose slightly. On the other hand, Dossy’s feel is firmer than foam would be. Her external feel is soft and luxurious.

Although Dossy’s main color is a midnight black, the sheen of the fabric is amazing. I believe you can see those shimmering highlights in all of my pictures of Dossy; those little white “lines” are pure sparkle in person. Dossy’s white areas are as white as her black areas are black, and the contrast between those two extremes is striking. I wanted to get Dossy’s colors accurate and consistent from image to image, so the background hues among my images are a bit variable.

Since Dossy is so close to looking new, I don’t really have much more to tell you. I find it interesting (in case you were wondering), that although Dossy is looking off to her left side, her head does not swivel. That is her permanent pose. I can’t, at this moment, think of another animal with this kind of pose, but maybe there are others from Dossy’s time period who are similar. I admit that I know much less about animals who came on the scene in the ‘80s and beyond, and nothing in mohair pops into my mind.

Dossy’s article number is 2738/26, and the “26” part serves the same function it did in the late ‘60s and ‘70s; it indicates Dossy’s size to the top of her head in centimeters. Dossy measures a whisker under that, which comes to about 10 inches. She is the larger of the two Dossy cats; her little sister is catalogued at 16 cm. Of course, you’ll want to leave enough room to accommodate Dossy’s perky curved tail. She will need another inch of vertical space to be comfortable in your vitrine.

I can’t think of anything else you’d want to know, but, as always, please write if you have a question. Even if, like me, you tend to collect the older Steiff critters, I think you would be very happy if Dossy became part of your litter—or, if you can part with her once you see her, she might be a treat for a Steiff or kitty lover you know.

WHATEVER YOU DECIDE TO DO ABOUT DOSSY 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.