Over the years, Margarete Steiff GmbH, a famed German toy maker, has made a variety of seductive Santa dolls. Steiff dolls are as much of a holiday tradition as trees and stockings for many families, especially those of German origin. Given their attractiveness, it's easy to see why! Let's take a look at some of Steiff's Santa Claus dolls' highlights. Vintage Santa Claus doll are the most popular among the collectors.

Christmas was first mentioned in Steiff's marketing in the early 1910s, when the company developed holiday advertisements showcasing ordinary line goods placed under trees and used as ornaments. However, none of the listed products were made expressly for Christmas. In the early 1920s, the first Santa Claus doll came in the general line, but it was not a doll in the classic sense. It was a wooden Santa Claus toy with a rocking base that was 20 cm tall. From 1923 through 1927, the catalogue featured a rocking Santa. This "wobbly figure" cost 2.5 marks, according to the 1924 catalogue, and was "made of the best wood, beautifully constructed, and colourfully painted with dazzling colours."

In the early 1950s, when Steiff was re-establishing its presence as a leading international toymaker following World War II, Christmas became a larger emphasis for the company. The introduction of a Steiff Santa doll in 1953 was a very joyful sight indeed, like Santa at the helm of his sled, rushing across a dark wintery sky. Steiff's first Santa doll was 31 cm tall and had five points of movement. He wore a white, fluffy mohair beard and wore a rubber head, felt torso, bright red felt costume and headgear. This design was also available in 13 and 18 cm sizes by 1955. These Santa dolls were available in the range until 1963 and were and continue to be year-round favourites among collectors across the world.

Steiff's Santa Claus doll pattern was also created as a 21 cm. hand puppet from 1954 to 1961 due to his popularity. The moulded head of this puppet was identical to that of the full-bodied doll. With a white complete mohair beard and hair, felt hands with sewn digits, and a felt body, he was well-detailed. He was a little bigger than typical hand puppets of the time, which were about 17 cm tall. He wore a stylish red felt jacket with a matching cap. His costume was trimmed with real white mohair trim down the front of his coat, around his cap, and around his cuffs, just like the doll on which he was based. A white woolly pom-pom adorned the top of his hat.

The company's exhibition or almost life-sized replica of Santa Claus is one of the most amazing of Steiff's dolls. This enormous daddy, at 150 cm tall (almost 5 ft), was made in the 1960s. Like their rock star namesake, these supersized Steiff Santa dolls were dressed to the nines in beautiful felt fitted suits trimmed with mohair. Today, these are extremely rare, as time has not been kind to them for the most part. Because their faces are constructed of rubber, they are prone to drying out, sinking, and cracking over time. Only a few were created, and only a few remain, making existing examples as scarce as hen's teeth.

Steiff began economising on their design and production in the 1970s in order to reduce costs and stay competitive, owing to pressure from other toy producers. In the "Buzzel" style, they created a line of unjointed, low-cost, cone-shaped plush toys and animals. Steiff's 20 cm standing Buzzel Santa Claus doll is a notable example of the company's Buzzel output from the 1970s. He has a long, white dralon beard and is composed of red and white dralon material and felt. He has small blue felt eyes, a round peach coloured felt nose, and a tiny red circle for his lips, and his face is sweet and simple. Santa is dressed in his usual Santa outfit, which is a part of him. He's wearing a brown Santa sack with a small bell on it.

Media Source: AuctionDaily