Oh bother

Since I was a young girl, I’ve been mad about Pooh. He’s adorable, funny, a bit silly but ever so lovable. What I wanna do now is tell you a bit more about the original Winnie-the-Pooh and not the red-vested Disney version we’ve all become accustomed to.

Pooh’s creator was A.A. Milne, a noted English writer (primarily a playwright) before the huge success of “the bear with very little brain” overshadowed all his previous work. Milne named the character Winnie-the-Pooh after a toy bear owned by his son, Christopher Robin Milne, who was the basis for the character Christopher Robin. Christopher had received a bear for his first birthday (August 21, 1921 and thus Pooh’s official birthday). He named him Edward Bear and following Edward came the rest of the stuffed animals which Christopher loved and played with throughout his childhood and would eventually become Pooh’s equally infamous sidekicks.

The journey however, began in 1924 when the young Christopher Robin was introduced to an American black bear (Winnipeg or Winnie for short) at the London Zoological Gardens. Winnipeg, named after the hometown of Lieutenant Harry Colebourn who found her after her mother was killed, originally came from Ontario where she became the mascot of the 2nd Canadian Infantry Brigade. In December 1914, the 2nd Brigade was preparing to move to France and decided it was unsafe to take her into battle so they left her at the London Zoo. It was not until 1918 that Colebourn returned to London. Realising that the bear, now known affectionately by her keepers and visitors as Winnie, was happy in her new home, he decided to leave her there.

Winnie was known as a gentle bear who never attacked anyone, and she was much loved for her playfulness. Christopher had met and fallen in love with her and decided to name his toy bear after the adorable Winnipeg. This had also inspired Milne to write a poem or two to celebrate the occasion and perhaps even eventually a story honouring the visit. The name Pooh originated from a swan they had met while on holiday who also appears as a character in its own right in When We Were Very Young.

A.A. Milne and an artist named E. H. Shepard (known for his human-like animals and who modelled Pooh not on the toy owned by Christopher Robin but on a stuffed bear named "Growler", owned by his own son) decided that Christopher’s toy animals would make fine characters in a bedtime story. From that day on, Pooh and his friends have had many wonderful adventures. These stories have been embraced by millions of children and adult readers for more than 80 years and certainly hold a special place in my heart.