WOW... When Steiff designed humorously characterized soccer figures around 1903, soccer was still a comparatively new sport in Germany - but one with rapidly growing enthusiasm. Young people and students in particular were discovering the game, which had originally come to Germany from England. Steiff recognized this trend early on and took up the theme with imaginative and humorous figures. Today, the characterized soccer players not only reflect the zeitgeist of early sports enthusiasm, but also show how attentively Steiff incorporated social developments into its play worlds....