Kermit Steiff plush

[DrmaticEmphasis]

Wow... $270 bucks for a stuffie? That thing better be 6 feet tall for 270 bucks.

 

[Drtooth]

Here's the problem from where I see it... compairing this price to say, a Nanco plush or something that the Disney Store would likely release isn't really fair. These are limited edition collectibles and they are (Supposedly) handcrafted in someplace that isn't China and made of of a material that isn't really the cheapest thing out there (compared to the various synthetics that a regular buy it at Target plush are made of).

However.... with all the care and quality their products are made with, they could have at least did a much better job with the actual product. It doesn't make sense to make limited edition high end collectibles and not try to get the likeness down pat (unless Mohair really is all that hard to work with). I wouldn't get this even if it did look goof and I had the money to buy it because, well, high end plush isn't really my thing. This is something you stick behind a glass container or cabinet and hand down to your grandkids for them to keep in a glass container.

 

[spcglider]

In my dim past, I worked for an upscale toy store (where I got irrevokably hooked on Playmobil... but I digress) and I used to sell Steiff. This was back in the late 1980's and early 1990's mind you.

They produced a "Classic" Winnie the Pooh set that was dead nutz on. All the characters looked exactly like the images in the traditional Pooh books (not the Disney-fied versions of the chracters). Steiff is well known worldwide for producing noting but the highest quality toys. Toys that are virtually guaranteed to continually rise in value. They are made from high quality mohair and yes... they are made elsewhere than China. I believe they may still all be made in Germany. Possibly not?

So looking at this, I am extremely disappointed. They have very obviously fallen down on the design and patterning. I mean, how hard can it be to replicate a character that is, in all views, basically a plush to begin with? Most disappointing.

-Gordon

 

[Drtooth]

I think the biggest mistake is that people think "If they're made of similar material, they should be easy to make in plush form." And frankly, the Muppets make either the greatest or the worst plush I've ever seen. Problem is, there's a lot of sneaky detail in even simplistic characters. I've even seen Kermit screwed up, and he should be the easiest one to make. No wonder Sesame Street plush usually look like the stripped down cartoon coloring book designs, making Cookie Monster look like a Twiddlebug in some cases.

With all the money they threw into making and selling this, you WOULD think they'd perfect the pattern they used to make him more Kermit like.

Still, not the worst one I've ever seen.

 

[Vic Romano]

If you haven't already, you have to read TP's article on this plush. It's hysterical!

 

[DrmaticEmphasis]

How in the world can they justify such a steep price? Is the doll filled with diamonds? Does Steve Whitmire personally deliver the doll to your house and then stick around all afternoon to play board games with you? When you squeeze its hand, does it dispense chocolate truffles and swimming pools?

Awesome.

 

[frogboy4]

They Kermit doll pattern used to be a no-brainer back in the Fisher Price days, but the wheels started to fall off the wagon in the late 90s. This Steiff plush is no exception. You'd think they'd have started with a solid pattern first and then worry about the materials. That's how it's supposed to go. This is just a weird product.

 

[Fozzie Bear]

He looks like he's standing there waiting on mosquitoes to fly into his mouth. That, or s transfer truck.

 

[Drtooth]

They Kermit doll pattern used to be a no-brainer back in the Fisher Price days, but the wheels started to fall off the wagon in the late 90s. This Steiff plush is no exception. You'd think they'd have started with a solid pattern first and then worry about the materials. That's how it's supposed to go. This is just a weird product.

Here's what I wonder... are they using some sort of cardboard, plastic or wire stiffener in the mouth? Seems the best open mouthed Muppet plush have something that gives the mouth a nice, stiff upper lip (if you excuse the pun)... Ones without them have bulges inward or outward of the inside of the mouth, thus distorting the shape of the head. If they are, they aren't using a proper diamond shaped one that contours to the shape of his head.