Update: My friend Jeremy Wheeler found that this guy may be what’s called a Pluffs Doll!
One of the cool things about our Chicago apartment (which still feels new to me, even though we’ve been here almost a year) is a lovely built-in glass cabinet in the dining room. It would be the perfect place to display our china, of which we have none, so instead I’m filling it with plush toys. (The “dining room” also sees a lot of yarn winding and very little dining.) There’s even extra room for more plushes than I currently have! So on Saturday I let myself acquire a new one from the Ravenswood Antique Mart.
Don’t you love his fun colors and mischievous expression? After much consideration, I’ve decided to call him Barnabé. His tag tells me that he was made in Japan, he’s filled with excelsior (aka wood shavings), and he was imported by a company called Illfelder Importing Co. I did a search for the importer and turned up this 2011 photo from 23rd Street in NYC!
One of the best things about this blue mouse was his price: less than $5, if you can believe it. So this was a cheap toy when it was made, and now it’s still a cheap toy, but also awesome and vintage. I might just have to start collecting these big time to help fill out my plush cabinet!