Steiff animals are the sister collection to the bear range. Equally beautiful, collectible and desired, there's simply dozens and dozens of different animals now on the market. From cats and dogs to squirrels and birds.

Zoo animals, beasts from the desert, sea creatures and more, Steiff have managed to create a whole now world of wonderful, collectible animals.

Pif Mohair Mouse

Piff Mohair Mouse is from Steiffs Wild Animal range. One that I've bought, though for a gift. He's tiny, he's gorgeous and he won't break the bank. Made from a pure white mohair and only 4" in length - he's as a cute as any rodent could ever be!

Steiff Boeky Lamb

Boeky Lamb is straight from the Steiff Cosy pets and Farm Animals collection. Manufactured in a high quality plush, he's around 11" in length and lying down - totally gorgeous and a perfect gift for a small child. He's cuddly, soft to the touch and machine washable.

Steiff Lamby the Lamb

Lamby The Lamb is another of the Farm Animals range. He's just as cuddly as Boeky, made from the same fabric and is also machine washable. He's a little smaller at 8" long and standing rather than lying. Again - a perfect Steiff for a child.

Dossy Pet Rabbit

Dossy is a pet grey rabbit and he belongs to Steiffs Cosy Friends collection. He is machine washable and crafted from the same plush fabric as the lambs. He's totally huggable, cute and is another top pick as a gift for a child.

Steiff Horse Play Set

The Steiff horse play set is designed with horse loving little girls in mind. The horse is machine washable, 11" long and made from a soft plush - with a brushable mane and tail. Included is:

• Horse blanket
• Horse brush
• Saddle and bridle
• Horse shoes

Steiff Animals

The Steiff animals on the right are more for the collector. All are an expensive purchase and aimed more at investing in a quality collectible than a child’s toy.

That said, a Steiff collectible can be bought as an investment for a child.

But - you will have to realise that spending in excess of $100 or more on a piece (for a child) won’t mean that they understand it’s value.

I know I’d have a little cry if a young child started gumming on the legs of my Steiff Giraffe for example.

Or worse!

Oddly, the Steiff name tends to evoke images of teddy bears but they didn’t come on the scene until 1902. Margarete Steiff originally created animals – the elephant being the first creature that she fashioned.

From there she created a pig, then a cat, later adding a donkey and a poodle. Her menagerie of animals grew – the bear never being the biggest seller.

Then, after her nephew Richard joined the company, he persuaded her to let him design and create a fully-jointed bear. This was in 1902. From that point, the Steiff bear never looked back.

But it’s the animal range that the company was originally built upon. Currently, there are quite a few animal collections available – each one containing a number of different animals.

Some of them are:

• Cats
• Dogs
• Farmyard Animals
• The StudioRange - life-size ‘replica’ animals
• Wild Animals & Birds
• Cuddly Range
• Arctic Collection

Although I do favour the bears, I have got a few from the Steiff animals range.

I have a couple of the dogs, one giraffe, a donkey, three cats and will one day be the proud owner of the Studio Bear.

Providing I work real hard, save for a good while and can find some space in which to display it.

It’s almost as tall as I am and costs around … $2800.00 As I said – one day!