Everyone’s favourite teddy bear has just celebrated his 99th birthday, so to mark the milestone, here are six things you might not know about him.
Winnie the Pooh has been a childhood favourite for generations. His adventures in 100 Acre Wood with friends Christopher Robin, Tigger, Piglet, Eeyore and others have charmed people across the world.
This month marks 99 years since Winne the Pooh first appeared in print, in a collection of stories entitled Winnie-the-Pooh, written by the creator AA Milne and illustrated by EH Shepherd. Several other works followed over the next few years, which became firm favourites. In 1961, The Walt Disney Company licenced rights to the character and brought him to the screen and gained Winne a whole new legion of fans.
But how well do you know the hunny-loving bear? Here are six things that you might not know about him.
Where does Pooh come from?
No, this isn’t a question from a toddler. But how the bear got his name is interesting. Christopher Robin – AA Milne’s son – originally named his teddy bear Edward, but changed it to Winnie, after a black bear he saw at London Zoo. The real life Winnie was named after Winnipeg, where his original owner, a Canadian Lieutentant called Harry Colebourn, had a home. The ‘pooh’ bit came from a pet swan owned by a family friend.
To hyphen or not?
In the original books, Winnie-the-Pooh’s name is hyphenated, but in later works, it isn’t. the change came in 1961 when Disney acquired the rights and when it published features, the hyphens weren’t there. Given Disney had exclusive rights for many years, it is now often written without the hyphens – as in this article.
Pooh’s red shirt
For many decades, Pooh has been known for wearing a red shirt, although as those familiar with the original books know, he had no clothing.
So where did it come from? It goes back to the first time Pooh was drawn in colour back in 1932. In 1930, Stephen Slesinger had bought the US and Canadian rights to the Winnie-the-Pooh works from AA Milne. When he drew Pooh in colour for a RCA Victor picture record, the red shirt was included. When Parker Bros launched a Winnie-the-Pooh game the following year, the shirt was again included. It has stuck with the character ever since.
You can play poohsticks where Pooh did
Poohsticks – the game where you and an opponent drop a stick off one side of a bridge then rush to the other side to see who’s comes out first – was a game played by AA Milne and Christopher Robin. And the location still exists in Posingford Wood in England. The spot has become a tourist attraction, and people gather sticks from the nearby wood to play the game. When the original footbridge was replaced in 1999, the architect in charge of the rebuild used EH Shepherd’s drawings as a guide.
A real-life star
Pooh was always one to look at the stars. And, since 2006, there is a star named after him. Named in honour of Pooh’s 80th birthday, the star is part of the Ursa Major constellation – better known as the Great Bear, which seems appropriate.
Horror version
In 2023, a slasher film, entitled Winne the Pooh: Blood and Honey was launched. The horror movie, loosely based on the beloved characters, was roundly panned by critics and won five Golden Raspberry Awards. Nevertheless, it was a relative success – taking $7.7 million at the box office, from a budget of just $50,000 – which meant a sequel was made.
How was this done without the filmmaker being sued? Simple – in January 2022 the US copyright expired on the character, meaning it entered the public domain and Disney no longer has exclusive rights. This means anyone can use the character.
