During kindergarten, we would come home, turn on the television, and see a small, yellow bear with a red shirt, smiling back at us. That bear was kind-hearted, loved honey, and silly. Surrounded by other animals and a boy named Christopher Robin. But, there were some facts that you probably have never known about this bear, and today, on National Winnie The Pooh Day, here are some for you to learn:
- The story was inspired by a Canadian bear during World War I.
- A British soldier named Harry Colebourn bought the bear. Colebourn named the bear “The Winnipeg bear,” and Winnie was her nickname.
- When Colebourn left for France, Winnie was moved to the London Zoo.
- A.A. Milne, a playwright and author, and his son Christopher Robin, visited Winnie often.
- Christopher Robin decided to name his teddy bear after Winnie, and used the name of his friend’s pet swan – ‘Pooh’ – to create ‘Winnie-the-Pooh.’
- A.A. Milne got inspiration by his son’s toy animals. A collection of children’s stories was based on them in 1926.
- The only animals that weren’t part of Christopher Robin’s toys are Owl and Rabbit.
- Milne’s book collection was successful; the original English version sold over 32,000 copies, and 150,000 copies were sold in the United States.
- The forest in Winnie-the-Pooh was inspired by the Ashdown Forest in East Sussex, England.
- Tigger was introduced in Milne’s second book, The House at Pooh’s Corner (1928).
- Winnie-the-Pooh was translated in Latin, and made history as the first foreign-language book to land on the New York Times Best Sellers List.
- Winnie-the-Pooh has never been out of print; over 20 million copies in 50 languages have been sold.
- In 1930, board games and toys were created when Stephen Slesinger bought the rights.
- By 1931, Winnie the Pooh was a $50 million business.
- In 1932, the red shirt on Winnie was introduced.
- By 1931, Winnie the Pooh was a $50 million business.
- In 1932, the red shirt on Winnie was introduced.
- Milne died in 1956. The rights were transferred to his wife, Dorothy.
- Eventually, Disney acquired the merchandising rights from Slesinger’s wife, Shirley Slesinger Inc. (SSI).
- Disney also purchased the motion picture rights from Milne’s family, and created a series.
- The short created in 1968, “Winnie the Pooh and the Blustery Day” was nominated for the Oscars.
- The actual Christopher Robinson despised the fame he received from the books since he was bullied.
- “The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh” (1977) is the first movie to feature Pooh.
- Sterling Holloway voiced the first short film; he also narrated “Christmas at Walt Disney World.”
- “Winnie the Pooh and a Day for Eeyore” (1983), was one of Disney’s last theatrical featurettes.
- In 1983, Disney released a show called “Welcome to Pooh Corner,” .
- The last cartoon, “The New Adventures of Winnie the Pooh” ran from 1988 to 1991.
- Kenny Loggins, an American singer, created an album called “Return to Pooh Corner” (1994) filled with lullabies, traditional tracks, and songs composed by himself. The album was nominated for a grammy.
- In 2006, the bear received a star in the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
- The stuffed animals from Christopher Robinson’s bedroom are on display in the New York Public Library (NYPL).
- You can mail birthday cards for Winnie-the-Pooh in the NYPL.
- Since 1984, an annual World Poohsticks Championship has been held.
- A plaque dedicated to Winnie and Harry is in White Rivers, Ontario.
- January 18th is A.A Milne’s birthday!
Along with National Winnie the Pooh Day, let’s wish Milne a happy birthday for making his story a happy memory. We should never forget him and the friendships the stories taught us. We should always remember the author who introduced the special loving bear in our lives.
Featured Photo via Disney’s Winnie the Pooh
