Swivel Head Toys. In soft toys, swivel heads are usually made using a cotter pin, allowing joints and heads to rotate. Hard dolls used a ball socket to give this effect. Below are some examples of antique and vintage soft toys which have a swivel head including a Steiff “Big Bad Wolf” and a toy “Felix the Cat”.
Toy ‘Felix the Cat’ Made by Sullivan, Pat in Australia, Oceania, 1922-1940. Toy cat based on the cartoon character of Felix the Cat. The toy is covered with a black synthetic fur and is firmly stuffed with flattened straw. Cream coloured fur surrounds the mouth. A grinning mouth of black felt is stitched across this cream ‘snout’. There are no teeth in the mouth although holes in the felt suggest there may originally have been teeth. The eyes are home-made replacements and comprising cream coloured cloth folded into discs and stitched to the head in the centre. The ears are made of black felt and are stitched to the body. The head swivels at the neck indicating a commercial manufacture. The legs and torso are cut in one piece. The arms are curved and swivel at the shoulder with a simple stitched connection and they sit easily behind the body to approximate the characteristic Felix pose. The curved tail is more firmly attached.
Reference: Museum of Applied Art and Sciences
SPANISH FELT “BIG BAD WOLF” WITH ORIGINAL LABEL BY GROS
17″ (43 cm.) Black wool plush standing wolf, with swivel head, pink felt face with large green side-glancing eyes, wide-open mouth with felt tongue, sewn-on teal-blue felt torso, white muslin four-finger hands, pink felt toes. Condition: generally excellent. Marks: Gros Madrid (gilt paper label). Comments: circa 1930s. Value Points: wonderful whimsical character depicting Big Bad Wolf has original paper label, original costume, great details including long curly tail.
Sold for $850 at Theriault’s
Soft toy, representing an owl, made of mohair plush, parts of which have been printed. The puppet has a rounded head which turns. The front of the body is plain beige plush, with the back printed with black shading. The head is round with a cream felt beak and made with several panels of cloth to form the shape and colour. The back of the head and body are of beige plush marked with dark brown to black shading and the large circles around the eyes are cream plush. The button eyes are luminous green painted plastic with black slit pupils, with a black ring around the outside of the green. The sides of the head and the upper wings are light tan with shading and the lower wings are light orange felt marked with black to represent feathers. The tail is of light orange felt marked with black lines and formed over a sturdy wire frame. The feet of shaded cream felt are also formed over a wire frame. The ears are two black tuffs at the top of the head The whole is tightly stuffed with wood wool.
The Steiff family of owls were named Wittie and came in three sizes, 4, 6 and 9 inches. They were made of mohair and felt. In older models the backs of the eyes were painted with a fluorescent colour. When light fell on them, they would glow in the dark for a while, giving them a ghostly look. After 1963, the owls were given green and black plastic eyes with a black edge, swivel heads and feet made from sturdy wire and covered with felt. The smallest size owl had a felt beak while the larger ones had plastic beaks and, after 1954, voice boxes.
Steiff Teddy bear, circa 1909 The straw filled light brown mohair bear with black button eyes, stitched nose, mouth and claws, swivel head and jointed at shoulders and hips, having elongated arms, large feet and hump to back, button in left ear, (some wear to mohair, sparse in some areas, repair to chin), 46cm (18in) tall.
Sold for £ 1,250 inc. premium at Bonham’s in 2015
A STEIFF SEATED CHOW CHOW BROWNIE, (3310), ginger mohair, brown and black glass eyes, black stitching, swivel head, remains of ribbon, FF button and chest tag, circa 1929 –3¾in. (9.5cm.) high
Sold for GBP 2,375 at Christie’s in 2010
12" German Felt Gnome "Snik" by Steiff
1930, green glass eyes, felt head and body jointed at shoulders and hips, swivel neck, moth hole on left arm and chest, wear to leather belt and wood clogs, costume all original, very good condition
Sold for $400 at Treasureseeker Auctions LLC in 2019
